Panel Discussion: WAAW x The Society for the History of Collecting
10 June, 10:00-12:00, hosted by CAL participant Colnaghi

This talk will foreground the often overlooked work that women collectors, patrons and curators played in driving the art world both in London and in New York at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Speakers Dr Isobel Muir (formerly Royal Collection Trust and National Gallery) has recently written a research project on Jewish collectors and cultural philanthropists, 1824–1945. Dr Irene Walsh, art historian, has just published a book on Lillie P. Bliss, founding figure of MoMA, NY. Dr Marie Tavinor leads the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership at the Royal Academy of Arts and is Co-Chair of the Society for the History of Collecting. Introduction by Annya Sands, Founder of WAAW. Seats are very limited for this talk so please don’t delay in booking.

Widely considered to be among the finest of the more than 40 operas written by Handel, Rodelinda was composed at his home at 25 Brook Street in London and was first performed at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket on 13 February 1725. To mark the tercentenary of this extraordinary opera, Handel Hendrix House is staging a special exhibition until 6 July. In addition to a portrait of Senesino, the celebrated castrato Francesco Bernardi, the exhibition includes an early libretto of the opera, portraits of other cast members and objects illustrating opera-going culture from the 18th century. The exhibition is included in the general admission ticket price. Visit the whole of Handel's House as well as Hendrix's apartment.
handelhendrix.org

Leading authority on antique frames, Paul Mitchell Ltd, has worked with virtually every major museum in the world to reframe important works of art. Their studio in Avery Row, Mayfair is a trove of all styles and periods of frame imaginable. A recent example of their work involved an oil painting by Cezanne, Portrait of Antony Valabrègue (1869-71) for The Getty Museum. The portrait had been framed in a gilded baroque Roman style that detracted from the presence of the sitter. Discover how this painting was transformed and completed in a most magical way by its new frame. Paul Mitchell Ltd is hosting exclusive curator workshops at their studio during Classic Art London. See website for details.

Image: Paul Cézanne, Portrait of Antony Valabrègue, 1869-71. Courtesy of the J. Paul Getty Museum 

Ben Elwes Fine Art, in collaboration with Lund Humphries, hosted the UK launch of The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander (1837-1917) by Jacqueline Musacchio. This is the first book to examine the art and life of Francesca Alexander who moved with her parents from Boston to Florence in 1853. Largely self-taught, her portraits and nature studies and her translations of songs and stories were much admired by her contemporaries, including John Ruskin, who published three of her manuscripts and promoted her work to his following. In spite of this celebrity in her lifetime, Alexander and her work have largely been forgotten, until now.  

Image: Francesa Alexander (1837-1917), Dining room scene, pen and graphite on paper, sheet 20.32 x 31.75 cm. Courtesy of Ben Elwes Fine Art, London

Karen Taylor Fine Art has recently catalogued a group of 93 travel watercolours by the artist and travel writer Constance F. Gordon-Cumming (1837-1924), rediscovered in a descendant’s attic in an English country house. Born and brought up in the Highlands of Scotland, Gordon-Cumming’s mother Eliza also painted and Landseer, among others, was a regular visitor to the family home. Constance developed a love of mountaineering, and went on to travel extensively in Asia, America and the South Pacific. A group of 14 works have been bought by the National Library of Scotland and a further group of 11 Sri Lankan subjects are now with the British Library. There are still fine examples available which will be on view during Classic Art London.

Image: Constance Gordon-Cumming (1837-1924), Adoration of the Tooth, Kandy (Ceylon) recently acquired by the British Library

Colnaghi reported numerous sales at the Maastricht fair to European institutions and international collectors, notably of Southern European baroque pieces. Amongst these were a very rare still life of figs from the late 1640s by the female artist Giovanna Garzoni (Ascoli Piceno 1600-1670 Rome), whose great talent earned her the direct patronage of the Grand Duke Ferdinand II de' Medici, and a beautiful bust of Marcus Aurelius attributed to Giovanni Battista della Porta (Porlezza 1542-1597 Rome).  

Image: Giovanna Garzoni (Ascoli Piceno 1600-1670 Rome), Bowl of figs with a hazelnut, c. 1650-1670, tempera on vellum, sold by Colnaghi at TEFAF 2025

A work by Spanish Renaissance master Luis de Morales, known as El Divino, has recently undergone extensive restoration by the J. Paul Getty Museum, reports The Art Newspaper.  The painting, from around 1565, had been enlarged in the 18th century, work the Getty’s conservators had to painstakingly undo, and will go on view at the Los Angeles museum on 1 May. You can read the full article about the restoration in The Art Newspaper online. The painting was acquired in a private sale from Daniel Katz Gallery, which has traced the provenance of the work to the French Royal Collection, acquired by King Louis Philippe in 1836 in Madrid. It was later owned by Sir John Charles Robinson (1824-1913), first Keeper of the South Kensington Museum, and Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures.

Image: Luis de Morales, Christ Carrying the Cross, c. 1565. J. Paul Getty Museum. Acquired from Daniel Katz Gallery. Image via The Art Newspaper