ISSUE NO 18 Summer 2013
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Frank Holl: Emerging from the Shadows Glenn Sujo: G.F. Watts Associate Artist at Limnerslease Watts Gallery and Polenovo: An International Partnership The Watts Story Brought to Life: A Young Persons’ Film Tracing the Footsteps of Watts in Italy Watts Gallery & Moorcroft Pottery Finding Hope in Art: The Story of an Adoption 1
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DIRECTOR’S INTRODUCTION Perdita Hunt, Director of Watts Gallery It seems unbelievable that Watts Gallery is about to celebrate its second anniversary of re-opening following the major Hope project restoration. During this past year there has been further building work, which is finally complete – the extended Tea Shop at Watts Gallery, a lovely open dining space in the Old Kiln and some new toilets which are decorated with ceramic tiles from Farnham. This will now ensure that we can cater for all our visitors, welcome groups who need a cup of tea or the public conveniences, and offer a lovely space for post-private view parties and dinners. We are very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund who supported this final chapter of the Hope Project. The opening of the Frank Holl exhibition is an exciting moment in strengthening Watts Gallery’s role in discovering new important artists of the 19th Century who in their turn throw a new light on Watts. I know that the catalogue will be fascinating and I am grateful to Mark Bills, the former Curator, for his work on both the exhibition and the catalogue. On 1 July Dr. Nicholas Tromans takes up the post as the sixth Watts Gallery Curator. We welcome such an august art historian and enthusiast of the 19th Century. I know that Nicholas and his family will bring great energy and enthusiasm to fulfilling the vision of creating an artists’ village in Compton and in re-opening Limnerslease to the public.
The enlarged Tea Shop at Watts Gallery, photograph by Anne Purkiss
Plans for Limnerslease are growing apace. Glenn Sujo has taken up the role of G.F. Watts Associate Artist, occupying the drawing room in the Watts’s studios and taking inspiration from his surroundings and the collection. His work is enhanced by the light and size of the room as well as working with the Watts drawings in the archive. Thanks to Patricia Grayburn, we will be showing an exhibition of Glenn’s work at the Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey, at the end of November. Seeing the participants on the tours of Limnerslease, which are regularly sold out, making their way through the woodland and enjoying the ceilings and fireplaces designed by Mary Watts, the views of the pine trees which Watts painted,
the fire in the grate in the Watts studio and the artist’s easel, painting table, and library steps gives us more than hope and encouragement that we must save this last remaining 19thcentury artist’s studio with its collection still intact. We still need to raise £1.2m by the end of the year. All this work, the enjoyment on the visitors’ faces, the schoolchildren who enjoy dressing in 19th-century clothes, the evening terracotta modelling classes for the local villagers, the Big Issues exhibition, all this would not be possible without the generosity of so many donors, Friends, staff, volunteers, Trustees and well wishers. Thank you. 3
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FRANK HOLL: EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS Mary McMahon, Curatorial Fellow at Watts Gallery
left Frank Holl, Gone, c.1877, oil on canvas. Geffrye Museum, London above Frank Holl, Newgate, Committed for Trial, 1878, oil on canvas. Royal Holloway, University of London
After the death of Frank Holl, at the early age of 43, G.F. Watts wrote to Holl’s widow saying “I beg you to believe that no-one had greater admiration for your husband’s genius and no-one can sympathise more truly with you in your domestic bereavement”. This sentiment was echoed by many of Holl’s contemporaries. In the Royal Academy Winter Exhibition of 1889, the year following his death, two rooms were dedicated solely to the work of Frank Holl and such was the support for the exhibition that all the requested lenders gave their work.
Frank Holl was born in 1845 into a family of notable engravers. He achieved early success after entering the Royal Academy Schools at 15, and in 1868 won a highly regarded travelling scholarship with his painting The Lord Gave and the Lord hath taken away. During his travels in Europe, Holl found himself drawn to the work of the Northern European painters. In 1870 Holl was commissioned by Queen Victoria and travelled to the poor fishing village of Cullercoats to capture a community’s hard life at first hand. Holl became a central figure in 5
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the artistic work of The Graphic magazine, which placed a focus upon images of social realism in London. These engravings were highly admired. Vincent Van Gogh collected the work of Holl and praised his image called The Foundling. Holl was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1878, becoming a full academician in 1883. The years between these developments had seen a distinct shift in Holl’s focus in art, from scenes of social realism to portraiture. This move was brought about by fashions in the art world, but also by financial necessity as the artist and his family were living beyond their means.
In his final years, commissions for portraits by Holl were ceaseless and he felt unable to turn them down. In a letter to Holl, John Everett Millais described the works produced in these years as his “killing portraits”, a reference to the toll that they were taking upon the artist’s health. On 31 July 1888, exhausted, Holl died. From 18 June, Watts Gallery will present the first major retrospective exhibition in more than 100 years of the eminent Victorian artist, Frank Holl RA (1845 – 1888). left Frank Holl, Self-Portrait, 1863, oil on canvas. © National Portrait Gallery, London above Frank Holl, Seamstresses, c.1875, oil on canvas. Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, Devon, UK
Frank Holl: Emerging from the Shadows 18 June – 3 November 2013 Exhibition Galleries, Watts Gallery Watts Gallery, as part of its programme of exploring the art of the 19th Century, is pleased to have collaborated on this exhibition with National Portrait Gallery, London, and Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate. Frank Holl: Emerging from the Shadows is curated by Mark Bills and Peter Funnell. A fully-illustrated catalogue is available priced £19.95 from www.wattsgallery.org.uk/shop Read more about two highlights from the exhibition over the page. 7
Frank Holl, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, 1886, oil on canvas. © National Portrait Gallery, London
Frank Holl, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911) 1886, Oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, London. Holl and his wife Annie had spent time with W.S. Gilbert’s father, the author and surgeon William Gilbert, in Verona during their 1869 visit to Italy. By then W.S. Gilbert had established himself as a prolific author in periodicals, in particular Fun, which was a rival publication to Punch, and had already written a number of pieces for the stage. It was his collaboration with Arthur Sullivan and the ‘Savoy’ operas, for which he wrote the librettos, that brought Gilbert his greatest success. He was at the height of his fame when painted by Holl. Artist and sitter were well 8
acquainted. Holl’s daughter writes of children’s parties at the Gilberts’ London home in South Kensington. This acquaintance made Holl the obvious choice to paint his portrait. Surviving letters discuss the details of the sittings, making this one of the better documented of Holl’s portraits. On 22 November 1886 Gilbert wrote raising the question of what he should be shown wearing: My usual writing dress would hardly do for exhibition – consisting, as it does, of a nightshirt & dressing gown – for I only write after 11 pm when
everyone has gone to bed. As I am obliged to ride for two hours every day (to drive away gout) I shall generally get to Fitzjohns Avenue on a horse. Would an easy-going riding dress do? Say broad cords – with a velveteen character? This is indeed how he came to be depicted, holding a riding crop in his right hand, in what is for Holl an unusual landscape format. Excerpt taken from an entry by Peter Funnell in the catalogue to accompany the exhibition.
Frank Holl, Her Firstborn, Horsham Churchyard (Funeral of the First-Born/ The First-Born), 1876, oil on canvas. Dundee Art Galleries and Museum (Dundee City Council)
Frank Holl, Her Firstborn, Horsham Churchyard (Funeral of the First-Born/The First-Born) 1876, Oil on canvas, The McManus, Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum When exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1876 Her Firstborn was ‘splendidly hung, and attracted a large amount of attention, [with] commissions pouring in on [Holl] as a result’. A churchyard at Shere provided the backdrop for this scene.
father, who proceeds stoically, dazed by his grief. The clothing of all the figures suggests their social position to be lower class, and the natural setting further indicates that this is taken from rural country life. Holl’s daughter described how:
The painting depicts a small procession of mourners taking a young child to the grave. The figure of the mother is physically overwhelmed by her grief for the child, her body ‘bowed forward with … poignant anguish’. She clutches the arm of the child’s
The little group … strike one in their simple, unaffected grief, with a sense of real sorrow for a real tragedy, as though one had happened upon it in life itself, not merely in art… One can almost hear the hum of the bees, feel the warmth of the sunshine as
the children bear all that remains of their little play-fellow to his resting-place under the flowery grass.
Excerpt taken from an entry by Mary McMahon in the catalogue to accompany the exhibition. 9
“If you’d have said we would have been doing history I wouldn’t have come, but now I think the history is the best bit”
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AN ARTISTS’ VILLAGE: THE STORY OF GEORGE & MARY WATTS, AS TOLD BY YOUNG PEOPLE Kara Wescombe Blackman, Head of Learning at Watts Gallery
February half-term was a dark, wet and cold week, yet around fifteen local young people from Barn Youth Project in Guildford between the ages of 11 and 21 turned up every day at Watts Gallery to make a film about the history of George and Mary Watts in Compton, produced with funding from Arts Council South East’s World Stories programme. The young people’s studio space for the week was Limnerslease, from where each day they ventured out on location for research, writing, acting and filming. They recruited curators, learning staff and volunteers in their production and delighted visitors in their replica Victorian costumes.
when watching the film of the Chapel, that the presenter is just 13 years old. This is clearly an art historian presenter in the making!
Not one of the group had visited Watts Gallery before and so they were starting from scratch with their interpretation of its history. The results are impressive; four well-researched, humorously scripted, acted and directed short films that tell the story of Watts Gallery, Limnerslease, Watts Chapel and Art for All learning programme. It’s hard to believe
Fred Smith, Trustee of Barn Youth Project said ‘we were so pleased to be selected as part of the project ... it did a lot to build up their confidence and enrich their everyday lives’ and talking to the young people at the premiere, it was clear to see that their Watts week had challenged perceptions of what a Gallery can offer them.
On Thursday 25 April, their documentary was premiered at Watts Gallery to an audience of about forty people including parents of the young people and each received a certificate in recognition of their efforts, creativity and engagement with the Gallery. Some have also been busy preparing their portfolios for an Arts Award, further establishing Watts Gallery as a local centre for supporting young people with taking part in this national scheme to develop and recognise young people’s achievements in the arts.
‘Can I come back?’, ‘fun’, ‘I really want to work at the Gallery’, ‘can I bring my sister?’ These are just the comments we hoped to hear and demonstrate the impact projects like this can have on young people’s engagement with museums and galleries. The success of this project is also a tribute to the dedicated team of adults who supported them all week and whose patience, generosity and encouragement continue to ensure the Art for All ethos pioneered by George & Mary Watts so imaginatively in London and Compton through their work and community projects, continues to thrive in the twenty-first century.
The film ‘An Artists’ Village: G.F. and Mary Watts at Compton’ was funded with the support of Arts Council England, Guildford Borough Council and The Worshipful Company of Weavers. Watch the film at www.wattsgallery.org.uk
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TRACING THE FOOTSTEPS OF WATTS IN ITALY Stephanie Dennison, Development Manager at Watts Gallery
We entered the gates of Villa Careggi, and the majestic 15thcentury Medici palace stood proudly before us, a survivor of decades of disregard. Situated in the hills outside Florence, in the 1840s it had been the country home of GF Watts’s wealthy patrons, Lord and Lady Holland, and was where Watts had lived as their guest. Our group had come in search of Watts’s fresco, The Drowning of the Doctor, 1844-45, thought to be somewhere in the villa, but unseen by anyone from Watts Gallery. We were met by a Tuscan official, Marco Carraresi, who had secured us rare permission to visit. The building has never been open to the public and had initially been declared off-limits. As we were guided through the vast, deserted villa, past rooms where frescoes lay hidden beneath layers of whitewash, a sense of trepidation prevailed. For many years the building had been used by a local hospital as a training school for nurses, so it was conceivable that the fresco might be in a sorry state. Upon reaching the ground floor loggia, our anxiety was instantly replaced by delight – the fresco shone from the wall, gloriously retaining its vivid colour and in fine condition.
Watts expert Mark Bills describes the moment: ‘Walking through the grand but empty villa of Lorenzo the Magnificent was an incredible moment, past the well in which the Doctor was drowned and then on to see the work itself. I had only seen poor photographs which made the fresco look as if it was in a terrible state, but in reality it looked in very good shape. Its colour, definition and overall impact was astonishing and quite unexpected. It was very clear why Watts was considered the young rising star of British art. It showed a real understanding of the work of the Italian old masters, it had drama, passion, tragedy, perfectly poised and placed in a very special location. Quite magical.’
In 1843, Watts won a £300 prize for his cartoon Caractacus in a competition to decorate the Houses of Parliament. Watts used the money to visit Italy. A chance introduction led to him being invited to lunch by Lord Holland, the then British Minister at the Court of Tuscany, and his wife Lady Augusta, at their grand city centre residence Casa Feroni. Watts, just 26 at the time, was invited to stay – and did so for three years. He was greatly inspired by Italian art, eagerly experimenting in fresco and historical subjects and painting portraits of the leading figures in Florentine society.
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The Drowning of the Doctor is thought to be the only surviving fresco Watts painted during this time. It portrays the belief that Lorenzo’s death was avenged by killing the doctor whose medicines had failed to save him. It was from Villa Careggi that the young Watts painted views of Tuscan hills, producing landscapes such as Fiesole and Petraia (now in Watts Gallery). The limonaia, used by Watts as a studio, was demolished in the 1850s. The Region of Tuscany government has recently bought the villa for 20m Euros, and has plans for an initial 10m Euro restoration of the building. The complexities of preserving historic sites in Italy, however, throw doubt on whether the plans to open it as a museum will ever succeed. The visit to Villa Careggi was one stop on Watts Gallery’s four-day visit to Florence, joined by 22 Watts Gallery patrons and supporters, to explore more of Watts’s formative years in Italy. The trip was kindly organised by Watts Gallery volunteer Aly Warner in association with luxury travel company IC Bellagio. Other highlights included a visit to Casa Veroni and a private visit to the Vasari Corridor to see Watts’s Self Portrait. Sally Varah, DL, a guest, describes moving through the corridor that secretly crosses the Ponte Vecchio, linking the Uffizi Gallery with Pitti Palace: ‘We walked like the Medici no less! Almost half a mile of walls hung with self-portraits by some of the world’s finest artists. A high spot? Remembering the moment that Mark (Bills) and Mario (Carniani, tour guide) conjoined to rhapsodise in front of the self14
portrait by G.F. Watts, watched over by a brooding William Holman Hunt and others of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.’
his English wife, Susan Hill, a designer for Jimmy Choo. Anne Nixon, Friend and volunteer, describes her enjoyment:
The group also toured the famous sites of the Duomo and the Church of Santa Croce, as well as a private visit to beautiful Villa Gamberaia, a favourite of the fashionistas and possessing a splendid garden featured in Monty Don’s recent television series. The group gained insights into the domestic life of present day artists, with aperitifs at the villa of a local sculptor Neil Barab and
‘It was beyond all my expectations. The places we visited; excellent company; our local guide Mario’s knowledge and enthusiasm; IC Bellagio owner Andrea’s amazing organization and Aly’s inspired idea in the first place! Oh, and the food! It won’t surprise you to hear that I am now on a diet. There were so many high points I really can’t single one out as my favourite.’
GLENN SUJO: G.F. WATTS ASSOCIATE ARTIST AT WATTS GALLERY
Watts Gallery is continuing its programme of G.F. Watts Associate Artists following the success of Alexander Creswell’s residency in Watts’s studio at Limnerslease. Glenn Sujo will be working and staying at Limnerslease until next Spring and we look forward to seeing the results of his residency in an exhibition to be held in November. Sujo completed his formal studies in fine art and the history of art at the Slade School of Art and Courtauld Institute of Art, where until recently, he held the post of Wingate post-Doctoral Research Fellow. Sujo has made a significant contribution to the recovery of drawing language in British art education and art polemics through practice-led
research, teaching, exhibitions and publications, including Drawing on these Shores, A View of British Drawing and its Affinities (Preston, Bath and Brighton Festivals, and tour) and Legacies of Silence: The Visual Arts and Holocaust Memory (Imperial War Museum). He is a founding member of the faculty of the Prince’s Drawing School and convenor of the mind-spiritbody-matter: drawn to the human workshops at Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge, in 2010. Glenn Sujo’s work will open at the Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey, on Monday 25 November 2013. The artist will offer an illustrated lecture at 5.00pm, prior to the opening. Details to be announced. All welcome.
‘As G.F. Watts Associate Artist at Watts Gallery, I hope to use the coming year to respond to the vast array of collections and related materials held at Compton and, in addition, to continue working on the long series of studies from the human skeleton, as well as the large scale figure compositions employing Watts’s casts, his own drawings, The Rob Dickins Collection of photographs, and the Gallery’s rich archival holdings. The evenings will provide quiet time to take a sketchbook into the surrounding landscape and gardens.’
Glenn Sujo
above - The artist’s studio, Hackney, East London, 2012 Photograph © Steven Kessel 2012
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WATTS GALLERY & POLENOVO: AN INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP BEGINS In March, Watts Gallery hosted a delegation from the Museum Estate of Vasily Polenov, to celebrate the launch of new International Friendship. Watts Gallery and Limnerslease the home of George Frederic and Mary Seton Watts is partnering with the Museum Estate of Vasily Polenov, the home of the great landscape painter Vasily Polenov (l844-l938), and his family of talented artists and craftsmen. This collaboration is an opportunity to develop the remarkable synergy between them. The International Friendship seeks to establish a relationship between Polenovo and Watts Gallery which enhances the mission of each centre and develops new thinking, ideas and activities which fulfil their shared founding vision – to provide ‘Art for All’. Led by Watts Gallery’s Curator, Dr. Nicholas Tromans, the International Friendship will look to establish an international network of centres and communities for the Arts & Crafts. The project has already received the support of the V&A in London who will co-host an international conference in 2014. Watts Gallery’s Director, Perdita Hunt, said: “It is remarkable to discover a parallel universe in Polenovo, an artists’ village founded on a vision of art for all, which mirrors the vision of George Frederic and Mary Seton Watts in Compton. By coming together, we can explore the impact of the
Arts & Crafts movement and ethos across Europe, enjoy exchanges and exhibitions and strengthen new audiences’ enjoyment and discovery of artistic legacies which have an enduring and unique sense of place. Over the next five years we are keen to promote Compton as a hub in the UK for exploring the Arts & Crafts movement in Europe and the United States; this marks a first step.” Natalya Polenova, Director of Polenovo, said: “Vassily Polenov travelled widely throughout Europe and the Middle East, fascinated by the rich and contrasting cultures of the many countries he visited. By studying these distinctive national traditions, his aim was to introduce exciting new innovations to his own art, and expand the cultural horizons of his audience. The museum he founded was the very first provincial museum in Russia and was not only dedicated to its local community, but also possessed an outstanding art collection. Vassily Polenov would now be delighted that his museum has transcended national boundaries and become the very first Russian regional museum to establish a partnership with a British regional museum. Furthermore, he would feel a true sense of kinship with the aims of George and Mary Watts, who shared his belief in the power of art in the community. His museum, Polenovo, now looks forward to working on future joint initiatives with Watts Gallery, inspired by their mutual ethos of Art for All.”
Andrea Rose, Director of Visual Arts and Strategic Programmes, British Council said: “In 2014, when the UK and Russia have pledged to deepen the cultural relationship between our two countries, the Watts-Polenovo programme is a wonderful example of innovative exchange, linking not only two artists houses but regions outside our capitals, revealing the richness that lies beyond our usual areas of knowledge. The WattsPolenovo exchange is a welcome addition to the 2014 programme.” Kirsty Anson, whose research inspired the International Friendship and who has been a catalyst in fostering the relationship between Watts Gallery and Polenovo, said: “Compton and Polenovo were established, almost simultaneously, as centres of art and philanthropy in the late 19th Century, demonstrating the artistic and ideological affinities between progressive thinkers in Britain and Russia at that time. It is truly remarkable that both centres have survived the challenges of the 20th Century with their buildings and collections intact, and continue to be run today according to their founders’ philanthropic vision for art and community education, with a house, studio, chapel and Gallery. It is this shared ethos which stands at the heart of the Friendship between Polenovo and Watts Gallery and which promises to inspire many fascinating and rewarding shared initiatives in the future.’’
Clockwise from top left: Polenovo, the Chapel, works from the collection on display, Vasily Polenov at work in his studio. All images courtesy of Kirsty Anson
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MOORCROFT POTTERY AND WATTS GALLERY: ROOTED IN THE ARTS & CRAFTS
Moorcroft Pottery has been made entirely by hand in Stoke-on-Trent since 1897 and has its roots in the Arts & Crafts Movement, mirroring that of Mary Watts and her Compton Potters’ Arts Guild. Originally founded as a studio in 1897 within a large ceramic company, James Macintyre & Co, Moorcroft pottery soon made its mark on the world. Designs came from 24-year-old William Moorcroft, who personalised each piece of pottery produced with his own signature or initials. This did little for James Macintyre’s name and reputation, and in 1913 the inevitable split occurred. William marched his workforce across Cobridge Park to a new factory in Sandbach Road, where Moorcroft pottery is still made today. The new pottery was financed by Liberty, the famous London store and Liberty continued to control Moorcroft until 1962. On the death of William Moorcroft in 1945, his elder son, Walter, took over management and design. In 1962, the Moorcroft family bought out Liberty, but Moorcroft rarely prospered.
Finally, in 1984, the family sold the bulk of their shares on the open market. After several material shareholder changes in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, Moorcroft is now controlled by the Edwards family, and has been since 1993. Over the past decade, the profile of Moorcroft has grown internationally. Auctioneers Christie’s now hold a dedicated Moorcroft sale each year and the Victoria & Albert Museum has joined many other national museums with significant pieces of Moorcroft pottery in their permanent collections. Today, Moorcroft leads the world of art pottery with its own distinctive design style. With added value coming from the skills and craftsmanship of a dedicated workforce, Moorcroft is selling more of its magnificent ware all over the world today, than it did even in its previous heyday in the mid-1920’s.
The Seraph Vase by Rachel Bishop for Moorcroft Pottery, 2013
With the clear synergy between Watts Gallery and Moorcroft Pottery, we have embarked together on a series of events and collaborations which we hope will bring new audiences to both. The first of these events is the launch of a limited edition vase inspired by Mary Seton Watts’s designs for the Chapel in Compton. Created by headdesigner Rachel Bishop, The Seraphs will be sold in support of the appeal to save Limnerslease - the Watts’s home and studio in Compton. In October 2013 there will be a special exhibition of 100 Moorcroft pieces in the unique setting of Limnerslease. The Seraph vase will be avaiable exclusively from Watts Gallery from Saturday 27 July 2013. It is in a limited edition of just 50 vases and costs £595. Watts Gallery’s shop stocks a selection of Moorcroft Pottery. Read about the inspiration for The Seraphs vase over the page. We are extremely grateful to Rachel and to Moorcroft Pottery for proposing this project. 19
THE SERAPHS VASE: A RICH TAPESTRY OF SYMBOLS Rachel Bishop, celebrated designer at Moorcroft Rachel Bishop visited the Watts Chapel in 2012 and was immediately drawn to the art nouveau and Arts & Crafts stylings of the extraordinary building designed by Mary Seton Watts. The Seraphs vase is inspired by the interior of the Chapel and will be sold to benefit the appeal to save Mary and G.F. Watts’s home and studios - Limnerslease. According to Rachel, “The Seraphs is the inevitable outcome of my personal journey into Mary Watts’s intriguing world where a rich tapestry of symbols have been put together with purpose, meaning and love to help her towards her own spiritual closure, all wrapped up in the world of Tennyson, WB Yeats, Walter Crane, William Morris, and Burne-Jones, with inspiration from Byzantine and Celtic models.”
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For Rachel, the Watts Chapel seraphs started as an expression of blessings that have been placed intuitively by Mary for our consideration, and in true Arts & Crafts style, Rachel’s design works up from the base of the vase in Celtic weave, with life in the floral world our first destination. The Arum lily, seen by Mary as ‘the white flower of a blameless life’ is special to Rachel, as is the bright, shining daffodil she uses to lift the design onto the next level where a Seraph’s elongated form echoes thoughts of higher realms and the power of redeeming love.
SERAPH VASE LAUNCH Saturday 27 July 2013, 11am-1pm & 2-5pm Watts Gallery Visitor Centre Free (entry to the Gallery is extra) Please join us for the launch of The Seraph vase at the Watts Gallery Visitor Centre. Designer Rachel Bishop will sign any pots sold on the day and an artist will be on-hand to demonstrate the tubelining and painting process which is unique to Moorcroft.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION AT LIMNERSLEASE 100 Years of A Living Art Pottery: W. Moorcroft Limited 1913-2013 Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October 2013,
11am-5pm Limnerslease, Compton Free (entry to the Gallery is extra) The exhibition will contain 100 examples of Moorcroft art pottery spanning 100 years since the formation of the company in April 1913, through to the present day. Each of the main designers will be represented - William Moorcoft (1913-45), Walter Moorcroft (1945-86), Sally Tuffin (189692) and Rachel Bishop (1993 to present). There will also be a small number of pre-1913 pieces to illustrate the transition William Moorcroft made from employee of James Macintyre & Co to employer.
WATTS GALLERY TRIP TO RUSSIA JUNE 2014
Following the recent Friendship Agreement between Watts Gallery and the Russian museum, Polenovo, an exciting bespoke Watts trip to Russia is being planned for 12-18 June 2014. The group will spend the first three days touring Moscow, surveying the riches of Russian art in the Kremlin Museums, Tretyakov Gallery and in the city’s finest Russian Orthodox churches. The group then heads deep into the forested countryside south of Moscow, visiting fascinating places virtually unknown outside Russia, including the perfectly preserved medieval Kremlin town of Kolomna, famed in Russia for its age-old artisan confectionery
tradition. The itinerary will include visits to the homes of Tolstoy and Chekhov. A highlight of the trip will be the private visit to Polenovo, the historic Arts & Crafts house and studio of the great 19thcentury painter and philanthropist, Vasily Polenov. It has a glorious rural location and an extensive collection of art and architecture from the pre-revolutionary period. The six-night itinerary has been designed by Watts Gallery Patron, Kirsty Anson, and Moscow-based art expert Anna Genina, who will be jointly organising and leading the tour throughout. Anna is professionally affiliated with
Polenovo, and it was Kirsty’s recent academic research in Russia that initiated this Friendship Agreement. The price will be approximately £2500 inclusive of flights, meals, transport and entries. Prices and itinerary are being finalised. Optional extras include a visit to the Bolshoi Ballet. The travel package is being offered by Haslemere Travel, who can also provide a private extension to St Petersburg. Spaces limited to 20. For further details, please contact Stephanie Dennison, Development Manager, development@wattsgallery.org.uk 21
Watts Gallery Trust is deeply grateful to all its donors. These benefactors have provided particularly generous support:
WATTS MAGAZINE - ISSUE NO. 18 Edited by Andrew Churchill, Marketing Manager, Watts Gallery Position supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Printed by Selsey Press Advertising - 0207 300 5675
COVER Frank Holl, A Fisherman’s Home, 1881, oil on canvas. Courtesy National Museums Liverpool
VISITOR INFORMATION Down Lane, Compton, Surrey GU3 1DQ Tel +44 (0)1483 810 235 info@wattsgallery.org.uk www.wattsgallery.org.uk
OPENING TIMES Monday Closed Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm 11 am opening on Sundays from 23 June 2013 Bank Holidays 11am - 5pm
EVENT BOOKING www.wattsgallery.org.uk 01483 813593 Tuesday - Saturday, 11-5pm shop@wattsgallery.org.uk
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Heritage Lottery Fund The Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation The Isabel Goldsmith Patiño Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The George John & Sheilah Livanos Charitable Trust Richard Ormond CBE Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement The Foyle Foundation English Heritage Christopher Forbes J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust The Ingram Trust Professor Rob Dickins CBE The Linbury Trust Art Fund David Pike The de Laszlo Foundation Guildford Borough Council The Robert Gavron Charitable Trust Hamish Dewar Ltd Peter Harrison Foundation The John Ellerman Foundation The Finnis Scott Foundation James and Clare Kirkman John Beale The Anson Charitable Trust The Restoration Fund The Wolfson Foundation The Mercers’ Company KPMG Foundation The Pilgrim Trust Miklos and Sally Salamon Surrey Hills LEADER The Billmeir Charitable Trust The Hazelhurst Trust The Monument Trust Surrey County Council Man Charitable Trust The Henry Moore Foundation John Lewis OBE The Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation Wates Foundation The Rothschild Foundation Oxford Exhibition Services The Michael Varah Memorial Fund Jonathan & Sarah Bayliss The Michael Marks Charitable Trust Spencer Wills Trust And all those who wish to remain anonymous
WATTS GALLERY NEWS NEW CURATOR & TRUSTEES APPOINTED Dr. Nicholas Tromans (below) will be Watts Gallery’s new Curator and MaryAnne Stevens and Sir Mark Jones have joined the Board of Trustees. Dr. Nicholas Troman’s is a respected academic who wrote the recent book on Watts’s Hope. Sir Mark Jones was until recently Director of the V&A and MaryAnne Stevens has just stepped down as Director of Academic Affairs at the Royal Academy of Arts where she also co-curated the Manet exhibition.
THE ART FUND GRANT £60,000 TO SAVE COUNTESS CORK The Art Fund has joined our campaign to keep ‘Countess Cork’ on public show with a grant of £60,000, but we urgently need your donations. One donor has given £20,000, and we are applying to other funding bodies including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, but we must show significant support from our Friends and Patrons. Richard Dorment, Trustee, Chair of the Collections Committee and Chief Art Critic of the Daily Telegraph, says: ‘Not only is it a ravishing work of art in its own right, but it fills a huge gap in our collection.’
FRIENDS’ VISIT TO JEKYLL EXHIBITION AND PRIVATE GARDEN Gertrude Jekyll was one of the most influential garden designers whose impact on the art of gardening is still evident today. On Thursday 4 July Friends of Watts Gallery and their guests can enjoy a tour of an exhibition dedicated to her life followed by a visit to a privately-owned Jekyll garden with afternoon tea. Full details are online.
Gifts above £100 will be acknowledged in the room book, those giving £250 or more will also be invited to a special celebration when the painting is acquired. Please send cheques payable to ‘Watts Gallery’ to Stephanie Dennison, Development Manager or donate via the Visitor Centre. (01483 813593). Please indicate if your gift is valid for Gift Aid. Thank you.
PATRONS’ TRIP TO ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL While the titans of 19th-century art - Leighton, Poynter, Burgess - were all competing to design mosaics for St Paul’s Cathedral in the late 19th Century, it was
Watts’s designs alone that were accepted. A private patrons’ visit on Tuesday 2 July gets up close to these mosaics and the 70 architectural models created, and tours the major paintings and sculpture of the cathedral collection. The tour also explores the Christopher Wren library, unchanged since 1709, canvases by Watts which are not on show to the public and the archives relating to Watts. Pleae contact development@wattsgallery.org.uk
NEW OPENING HOURS Watts Gallery will be opening at 11 am on Sundays from 23 June 2013. From this date we will be open 11am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday including Bank Holidays. We hope this allows guests time to visit before lunch and encouages more to stay for the day and enjoy the Gallery, Chapel and Tea Shop.
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FINDING HOPE IN ART: ADOPTING A DRAWING AT WATTS GALLERY Ginny Heffernan, Volunteer Steward and Adopter
Life has thrown up significant challenges for Ginny Heffernan. A trained IT business analyst and project manager, she was at a low point when she discovered Watts Gallery. Here, Ginny describes the ‘sense of family and community’ she has experienced as a volunteer steward and why she decided to Adopt A Watts. I found Watts Gallery during the summer of 2011 whilst running along the North Downs Way. To be honest, I discovered the Tea Shop rather than the Gallery at that stage. I was running through the hills quite frequently because I had sadly fallen prey to anorexia nervosa and the associated disorder of exercise addiction, but the delicious tea served by friendly staff drew me in pretty well every time I passed that summer. Things went downhill during 2012 and by the end of that year I had lost my job and been in and out of hospital. ‘Hope’ was a word very much on my heart. In the early days of 2013, I began my uphill journey and chanced upon Watts Gallery. Entering the Gallery for the first time, I was amazed at what I found there: the impact of the paintings and sculptures and the friendliness of the volunteers. left - Ginny Heffernan with G.F. Watts’s, Hope, kindly lent to Watts Gallery by its private owner.
I found myself mesmerized by the painting of Hope hiding shyly in a corner of the green gallery. How perfectly Watts had captured this slender girl, crouching close to hear the note from a single string of her little harp, looking as if she might slip off the world. Soon after, I enrolled as a volunteer and Friend. I don’t have a background in painting and I found the Watts paintings challenging but they mean something to me because they are multi-faceted. They are imbued with deep thought at a time when I have been thinking through a lot of things quite deeply. And I found a very strong sense of family and community at the Gallery. People have been very friendly and the support infrastructure for volunteers is far better than any other organisation in which I have been involved. The Adopt A Watts scheme offered me the chance to make a personal connection with Hope, so I chose one of Watts’s preparatory Hope drawings. By adopting a drawing, I feel I am investing in the germination of Watts’s ideas, the early development of what became finished artworks, as well as supporting the collection as a whole. £300 for a drawing to which I give £10 a month by standing order, this is an affordable donation, especially as I am currently unemployed.
above - The drawing for Hope by G.F. Watts that Ginny Heffernan has adopted.
A large number of Watts’s drawings are available for adoption. Some are in urgent need of conserving for them to be fit for the display of Watts’s drawings at the Ruskin Library later this year and Polenovo, Russia. To arrange to view available drawings or for any enquiries about adopting paintings, drawings or sculpture, please contact Stephanie Dennison, Development Manager on 01483 813581. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Alex Hutchings on 01483 813 580.
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COMING SOON: THE MAKING OF MARY SETON WATTS Mary McMahon, Curatorial Fellow at Watts Gallery Mary became involved in artistic education at an early stage of her career, teaching clay-modelling to shoeblacks in Whitechapel, reflecting the development of her mission as an artist.
Mary Seton Fraser-Tytler, Mrs Edward Liddell, 1877, Watercolour. Private Collection
Mary Seton Watts [nee Fraser Tytler] (1849-1938) is principally known as a ceramic artist and designer, most notably for her design and creation of the Watts Chapel in Compton. Prior to her marriage to the great artist G. F. Watts in 1886 however, Mary’s work was more experimental and varied: from illustrations and paintings in watercolour and oils to decorative schemes and sculptural work. The Making of Mary Seton Watts will provide an opportunity to reassess the artists, institutions, influential figures and sources that inspired her career and artistic training. 26
From her earliest years, Mary Seton Fraser Tytler moved in important artistic circles, such as the Freshwater community on the Isle of Wight, which included the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, the poet Tennyson, and her future husband, the artist George Frederic Watts. Throughout her lifetime Mary benefitted from such links to a broad artisan network. In 1870 Mary began her formal artistic training, entering the National Art Training School in South Kensington, and from 1872-3 studying at The Slade School of Art. Following this she furthered her sculptural studies with Aimé-Jules Dalou.
On 20 November 1886 Mary became the wife of G.F. Watts. From the 1890s onwards, she taught pottery to large numbers of local people in her rural community of Compton. Mary went on to establish a successful commercial pottery, which sold its wares through Liberty of London and other venues nationwide. She also became a leading member of the Home Arts and Industries Association, an organisation that sought to revive traditional rural crafts. Mary’s most ambitious work of art, also a community project, was the ‘Celtic Romanesque’ Watts Chapel, designed and decorated with the help of 70 local villagers in Compton, and completed in 1904. At its core this exhibition will consider how Mary Seton Watts developed her identity as an artist, and the path of her career within the wider context of Victorian Art and against the experience of other female artists of the period. It will pull together exciting and well known works and newly discovered pieces, supported by the rich resources of the Watts Gallery archive. The Making of Mary Seton Watts 12 November 2013 – 26 January 2014 Exhibition Galleries, Watts Gallery
An event to remember
All proceeds support the ongoing care of the collection and the development of education and exhibitions
Contact Alex Hutchings 01483 813580 visitorservices@ wattsgallery.org.uk 27
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