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Interior of the British Artists Exhibition at the Royal Society of British Artists

Maker

(artist)
1834-1903

Title

Interior of the British Artists Exhibition at the Royal Society of British Artists

Date of Production

1886 - 1887

Medium

graphite on laid paper (the Society's, the other half of D.1952.RW.1753)

Dimensions

Height: 20.2 cm
Width: 12.6 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.1752

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords







Related Works

Interior of the British Artists Exhibition at the Royal Society of British Artists

Label Text

When Whistler was elected President of the Society of British Artists in June 1886 he immediately set out to modernise the design of the Society’s exhibitions. This included drastically reducing the number of pictures exhibited, hanging them on a two-tiered system, and using a velarium or overhead awning to diffuse natural light. This sketch, and its pair in the Courtauld’s collection, were made on a single sheet of the Society’s writing paper, later torn in two parts. They are among a number of drawings the artist made of his revolutionary decorations.

Provenance

by descent to the artist's son, Charles J. Hanson (1870-1935); F.R. Meatyard (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

2014 Liverpool Biennial, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, 05/07/2014-26/10/2014

Life, Legend, Landscape - Victorian Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 17/02/2011-15/05/2011

Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the
Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 11/05/1988-04/09/1988 ...More

RBA 1824-1974: 150th anniversary exhibition., Royal Society of British Artists, 04/06/1974-20/06/1974

Royal Society of British Artists: 254th exhibition, including works by distinguished past members, Royal Society of British Artists, 25/02/1971-31/03/1971

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), Nationalgalerie Staatliche Museen, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, 01/10/1969-24/11/1969

James McNeill Whistler: catalogue of an exhibition of paintings and other works organised by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the English-Speaking Union of the United States, London and Knoedler Galleries, New York, 1960

Winter exhibition, Royal Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street, 1942-43 ...Less

Literature

Life, Legend, Landscape - Victorian Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, 2011
cat. no. 37
Illus. p. 135

MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler drawings, pastels and watercolours, a catalogue raisonné, New Haven and London 1995
no. 1123
Illus. p. 414

Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1988
cat. no. 40 ...More

Gidley, Mick, A catalogue of American paintings in British public collection, Exeter: University of Exeter, 1974
p. 15

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 56 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: centre: shield containing a knight’s close helm, crossed behind by two battle axes, below which is a cartouche bearing letters “S&h” [see tracing in file].

Inscription: none.

Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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