BURRELL COMES TO BONHAMS Treasures from famous Scottish collection on show at Bonhams London HQ Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
For over 30 years, Stribling and Associates has represented high-end residential real estate, specializing in the sale and rental of townhouses, condos, co-ops, and lofts throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and around the globe. Stribling has more than 200 professional brokers who use their respected expertise to provide personalized service to buyers and sellers at all price levels. A separate division, Stribling Private Brokerage, discreetly markets properties over $5 million, and commands a significant market share in this rarified sector of residential real estate. Stribling is the exclusive New York City affiliate of Savills, a leading global real estate advisor with over 200 office in 48 countries.
Check out their listings:
& their most recent State of the Market: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2013/12/remarkable-real-estate-stribling-fall.html
Whom You Know Congratulates their new President, Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan: http://www.whomyouknow.com/2012/12/breaking-manhattan-real-estate-news.html
***
Masterpieces by Rembrandt, Cézanne and Degas are among a selection of more than 50 treasures from the world famous Burrell Collection going on show at Bonhams London on 15th December. The exhibition - Burrell at Bonhams – an exhibition of masterpieces from the Burrell Collection, Glasgow – runs until 9th January, and entry is free.
This is the first time in almost 40 years that items from the collection have been exhibited in London and the show heralds an international tour in 2016 when the museum will be closed for a substantial refurbishment and redisplay.
When Sir William Burrell donated his astonishing collection of more than 9,000 paintings and objects to the people of Glasgow, he made it a condition that there should be no overseas loans. As a shipping magnate he was all too aware of the risks of sea travel. Earlier this year, The Scottish Parliament passed legislation varying the terms of the bequest and paving the way for the international tour.
Among the treasures on view in Bonhams state-of-the-art headquarters on New Bond Street are:
Self-portrait by Rembrandt
Chateau de Medan by Cézanne
The Rehearsal by Degas
The falconry set of James IV
King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves marital bed head
Bonhams Chairman, Robert Brooks, said: “The Burrell Collection is well known not only in Britain but around the world as a fine example of how one man’s vision to benefit his community and country can be realised so successfully. We are privileged to have been selected to host this showing of the Collection’s highlights which have not been seen outside its home city of Glasgow for more than 40 years.”
Chairman of Burrell Renaissance, Sir Angus Grossart, added: “This exhibition is a prelude to an international tour which will, for the first time, see objects loaned to major institutions around the world. Bonhams, with its strong expertise in fine art and antiques, is a fitting partner to enable us to illustrate the quality which the Burrell holds and to tell the wonderful story of Sir William’s lifelong passion and expertise in amassing one of the finest personal collections in the world.”
Councillor Archie Graham, the Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The city is currently considering ambitious plans for a full refurbishment and redisplay of the building housing Sir William’s extraordinary gift.
“While that work is ongoing, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to share these great treasures with the world. It is absolutely fitting that Bonhams is the first stop.”
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge, Oxford and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.
About Sir William Burrell - the Great Collector
In an art collecting age where we see collectors paying extraordinary amounts for names, not masterpieces, it is helpful to be reminded of the virtuosity of William Burrell’s policy of building a collection. He had a tremendous knowledge of art and in his lifetime, he scrutinised, appreciated and acquired more than 9,000 objects over 75 years. Burrell followed his own interests and taste, almost never yielding to the opinions of others. He followed up interests in great depth, so in the Chinese collections there is both the fashionable and the less fashionable – he developed an interest that went beyond any vogue, so there is an ancient Chinese bronze and terracotta objects seldom seen outside China.
There was nothing casual or haphazard in his collecting; he was a regular visitor to important exhibitions organised by the leading art dealers and to the previews of auction sales. He scrutinised all catalogues carefully and had an amazing memory that enabled him to identify works which had eluded him in the past. His wide and exact knowledge led him to the purchase of an important item at a bargain price: £14,500 was the highest price he paid for any one item. He collected his contemporaries, and, recognising the potential of artists in the Glasgow School, became close friends with the artists. Burrell was the only non-artist at a famous dinner by gallerist Alexander Reid with all leading members of the Glasgow School (Guthrie, Lavery, Hornel, Walton, Kennedy, etc). He now has the best collection of Joseph Crawhall in the world.
In part due to his industrial past and the influence of the Arts &Crafts movement (of which the appreciation of craftsmanship was an inherent part), Burrell looked for excellence in craftsmanship which led to him purchasing items that were not ‘in vogue’ at the time, but are now coveted masterpieces. For example ceramic items from Yuan Dynasty were not popular in Burrell’s lifetime but of course now are greatly admired. He was among the first to appreciate 19th C French art and once said “It’s no use being an ‘also ran’ in the Art Race. You have to be first.” In his own time, he resisted press interest in his collecting and shunned all portraits or biographies of himself, he said ‘The collection, not the collector, is the important thing’.
The Burrell Collection
The Burrell Collection is a major cultural asset for the city and the nation, which is of international significance. It consists of around 9,000 objects donated to the City of Glasgow by Sir William and Lady Burrell, housed in an award-winning museum in Pollok Park. Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) was a Glaswegian shipping magnate with a lifelong passion for art. Although he was not as rich as collectors like Hearst or Mellon, he was exceptionally knowledgeable and discerning and the Collection is internationally renowned.
Glasgow Life manages the museum on behalf of Glasgow City Council. The city is home to nine civic museums and is widely regarded as having one of the finest civic collections in northern Europe. As well as the Burrell Collection, popular museums include Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the Riverside Museum, which was the 2013 European Museum of the Year.
For more information on the Burrell Collection, visit: http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/our-museums/burrell-collection/Pages/home.aspx
