Fab@50! The American Museum in Britain Celebrates its 50th Anniversary with an Exhibition at Christie’s in January 2011

Housed in Georgian splendour at Claverton Manor in Bath, The American Museum in Britain celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2011 with a series of events and exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic.  The celebrations begin in the UK with an exhibition at Christie’s, 8 King Street, St James’s, London, from 7 to 14 January 2011 showing a selection of works from the Museum’s sumptuous collections.

Ranging from the 18^th to the early 20^th centuries, these exuberant works of art and craft are visually bold, technically assured and often proudly patriotic.  Treasures on display at Christie’s include elegantly carved furniture, boldly coloured costumes, folk art and some of the Museum’s world-famous American quilts.  Particularly flamboyant is the quilt that was made in Hawaii, the 50^th state to join the United States of America, making it appropriate for the Museum’s Fab@50! celebrations.  

George Washington – America Personified

The central display in Christie’s Octagon Room will include not only a portrait of George Washington after Gilbert Stuart but also an amusing ‘dumb stove’ depicting the President.  Many decorative art objects for public and domestic use were created to celebrate Washington as Commander in Chief of the victorious Continental Army and as the first President of the United States.  The proliferation of Washington’s public image not only made him a celebrity at home and abroad but also an embodiment of how the United States wished to present itself to the world:  patrician, dignified and assured.  Painted to look like an expensive bronze statue, this cast iron depiction of George Washington in a Roman toga is actually an ornamental ‘dumb stove’.  Such figures – Washington’s wife, Martha, proved another popular model – were placed over a heat source and radiated warmth.  

The Shaker Collection

The Shaker furniture on display at The American Museum in Britain came from the celebrated collection of Edward and Faith Deming Andrews.  Unlike other collectors, the Andrews were able to acquire items made specifically for use in Shaker villages rather than pieces produced by these communities for sale to the outside world.  Shrewd businessmen, the Shakers began making their distinctive chairs commercially available as early as the 1780s.  Only a few years before (1774), Mother Ann Lee and eight companions fled persecution in Britain and came to America.  By the mid 19^th century, the Shaker movement numbered about 6,000 members, all still guided by the precepts of Mother Ann who died in 1784, after being imprisoned for her promotion of pacifism during the revolution.  Her teachings shaped all aspects of Shaker daily life including the design of village furniture.  She advised in her writings that each thing, whether spiritual or corporeal, should be made: “plain and simple … unembellished by any superfluities which add nothing to its goodness or durability”.   

Rocking Chairs

The rocking chair is an American invention, with the earliest examples, dating from the 18^th century, fashioned as pieces of garden furniture but indistinguishable from their cousins inside except for the addition of the rockers fitted front to back.  Over time, the sweep of the curved rockers became more pronounced and the rear legs were shortened to incorporate a pitched centre of gravity.  Although no proof exists, Benjamin Franklin is often credited with making the first rocking chair.  The American Museum is fortunate to have several superlative examples from the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  Made by the Pennsylvania-Deutsch, this handcrafted ladder-back chair dating from about 1770 retains its original rockers and colouring.  The humble pine surface has been transformed with a rich painted finish of wet-on-wet red and orange graining applied over a lighter base coat.  

The Museum’s Founders

The American Museum was founded by two visionary collectors: Dallas Pratt, a New York psychiatrist, and his partner John Judkyn, an English antiques dealer who took American citizenship after the Second World War.  Pratt’s mother, Beatrice Pratt Gibson Cartwright McEvoy was a favourite grandchild of the Standard Oil magnate, Henry Huttleston Rogers.  She inherited $6,000,000 on the death of ‘Hell Hound’ (as her grandfather was known on Wall Street), the equivalent of several billion today.  She is elegantly portrayed in a pencil and wash portrait by the society artist Reynaldo de Luza, dating from 1943.  

Richard Wendorf, Director of The American Museum in Britain said: “We are delighted to be showing some of the Museum’s treasures in the illustrious setting of Christie’s in London and hope that the exhibition will entice visitors to Claverton Manor to see the full range of our collections and to help us celebrate our golden jubilee.”

Notes to Editors

Christie’s, the world’s leading art business had global auction and private sales in 2009 that totaled £2.1 billion/$3.3 billion.  For the first half of 2010, art sales totaled £1.7 billion/$2.57 billion.  Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and today remains a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 450 sales annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s has 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai and Hong Kong.  More recently, Christie’s has led the market with expanded initiatives in emerging and new markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai.  *All auction sales figures include premium.

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Venue:                         Christie’s, 8 King Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6QT

Dates:                          7 to 14 January 2011

Opening hours:           Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, closed Saturday and Sunday