London Club of Dickens, Swinburne, Millais, Whistler, Kipling, Monet, Rodin, Degas, Turgenev, Lutyens and Sir Alfred Munnings Sells Pictures
‘The Arts Club Sale: Selected pictures from the Club and Members’ will take place in London on Tuesday, 10th November at Bonhams in New Bond Street.
There will be around 200 pictures for sale, deaccessioned from the Club and entered by its members, many of whom are themselves artists. Current membership includes a number of Royal Academicians, architects and writers (the Authors Club is now housed at The Arts Club). The Club’s Royal Patron is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Peter Blake is the Club’s President. Well known members include Kim Cattrall, Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Roger Daltrey, Camilla Dallerup and Henry Blofeld.
With The Arts Club in Dover Street, Mayfair, about to undergo a major refurbishment, its managing committee has decided to sell some of the Club’s distinguished collection of paintings to make way for new work.
Head of Pictures at Bonhams, Caroline Oliphant, comments: “Many of these pictures were acquired directly from the artists themselves and as such have never previously been for sale, and have not been on public display. It is a wonderful opportunity to acquire works by artists such as Sir John Everett Millais, Sir John Tenniel, Sir Luke Fildes, Albert Goodwin, Dame Elisabeth Frink and others. Many of the paintings were bought by the Club using the artistic expertise and discerning eye of its purchasing committee. Bonhams is delighted to be in a position to offer these works from such a distinguished artistic institution which has played a significant part in the London art scene for almost 150 years.”
The Arts Club was founded in 1863, by a small group of aesthetes including Lord Frederic Leighton PRA and Charles Dickens, as a meeting place for men and women involved with the arts either professionally or as patrons. During the 19th and 20th centuries it has been the hub of artistic endeavour and was the powerhouse behind the dealings of the Royal Academy. Its members have included Algernon Swinburne, Millais, Whistler, Kipling, Monet, Rodin, Degas, Turgenev, Lutyens and Sir Alfred Munnings.
Three of the stars in The Arts Club Sale at Bonhams’ sale are:
1. A painting by Henry Lamb entitled The Tea Party, (est. £20,000-£30,000). Lamb’s first exhibition was in 1927, at a time when he was particularly interested in domestic interior studies – the subject of this picture, Biddesden House, being the home of his friend Bryan Guinness (Lord Moyne). This charming picture depicts Lamb himself, Stanley Spencer (with black hair), Bryan Guinness and their patrons Mr & Mrs J L Beddington Behrens.
2. A large and dramatic portrait by Solomon J. Solomon showing the actress ‘Mrs Patrick Campbell in the role of Paula Tanqueray’ (est. £20,000 – £30,000). This was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1894.
3. A painting of ‘Private View Day at The Royal Academy’ by Arthur Trevithan Nowell (est. £20,000-£30,000). It depicts figures from London society including the Duchess of Hamilton, the Dowager Countess of Airlie, the playwright Arthur Winperis, the wife of the Dean of St Paul’s, Mrs Inge, Lord Hanworth and the Lord Mayor of London.
The Arts Club, Dover Street was the first Arts Club to be established in the world, and is housed in an 18th century Mayfair town house formerly the London home of Lord Stanley of Alderley.
The Club was almost completely destroyed by a bomb in the Blitz of 1940 and was extensively rebuilt. It offers drawing rooms, a bar, dining room, bistro and a lovely private walled garden. There is a large calendar of events, including monthly exhibitions of art, recitals and talks. The Arts Club is noted for having a significantly younger membership than many other London clubs.
www.bonhams.com/knightsbridgepictures
