Kenwood and the Iveagh Bequest: Catalogue of Paintings

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In 1925 Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh bought Kenwood, the magnificent 18th-century mansion of the 6th Earl of Mansfield on Hampstead Heath. The empty house was just what Iveagh needed to provide a gallery for the best of the art collection he had formed between 1887 and 1891 for his palatial home in Mayfair. Through the Iveagh Bequest Act of 1929 he left his collection to the nation, where it remains on display at Kenwood. This catalogue reproduces in glorious full colour Lord Iveagh’s bequest of paintings, discusses each work, and in addition discusses the wider collection on display at Kenwood, the spectacular white villa of Hampstead Heath.

AUTHOR:
Julius Bryant is keeper emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London. After training in London at University College and the Courtauld Institute of Art, Dr. Bryant worked at Sotheby’s, the V&A, and the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood. As the first director of museums and collections at English Heritage, he established a nationwide team of curators and conservators and specialised in the acquisition, restoration, and redisplay of historic houses open to the public. He rediscovered and “saved for the nation” many historic objects that returned to their former homes, especially furniture by William Kent, Robert Adam, George Bullock, John Lockwood Kipling, and Peter Malacrida. His most significant acquisition for English Heritage was the Wernher Collection of Renaissance and later decorative arts from Luton Hoo. Dr. Bryant was the V&A’s lead curator for exhibitions organised with BGC on James “Athenian” Stuart (2006–07), William Kent (2013–14), and John Lockwood Kipling (2017–18). He also contributed to the BGC exhibition Majolica Mania (2021–22) and is currently writing for BGC’s exhibition on Philip Webb. His next book, The Great Exhibition in Art: Picturing the First World’s Fair, 1851 (October 2025) forms the prequel to his 3-volume history of the V&A.

SELLING POINTS:
• Numerous internationally renowned works of art by celebrated artists from the 17th- to the 19th-century, including Vermeer, Rembrandt, Turner and Gainsborough, all reproduced in glorious full colour, accompanied by discussion of the works themselves as well as the artists

450 colour, 25 b/w illustrations

ISBN: 9781917564021
Author: BRYANT, JULIUS
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 01/06/2027
RRP: $69.99
Pages: 544
Dimension: 280mm X 220mm
Imprint: English Heritage