Cousin Lorraine & I set off on another adventure, taking in local places of interest while she is still visiting from South Africa.
I have not been to the National Trust Dudmaston Hall in at least a decade, even though it is not far away from the Shropshire town of Bridgnorth that I pop in to quite often.
I shall remedy that again soon as it came on to drizzle so we did not walk around the lake or generous estate gardens.
The house still has private sections occupied by the family but it is a lovely bright space with gorgeous views over the lakes, gardens & trees. It has the most enormous grandfather clock downstairs - I do not even come up to the face dial ...
On arrival, we were told that an art tour of the house was starting in a few minutes if we were interested so we took our token & headed to the house. Just 7 of us & a very knowledgeable guide who took us through some of the history of the owner & his magnificent but eclectic collection of art.
He indulged his passion for art by collecting art from known artists as well as new ones that he was interested in.
His wife, Rachel Hamilton-Russell, inherited the family estate of Dudmaston Hall but she accompanied him, & they both eventually retired to this Shropshire gem.
She was an accomplished artist who trained under John Nash at Flatford Mill in Suffolk - painting travel brochure like images of the countries where they had been stationed in & these are on the stairwell.
Some of her botanical work is also on display but somehow we missed that section so a return visit is needed.
Few private collections can boast of a Kandinski, even if it is a modest one, not in the bright colours usually associated with him. The collection also features 'Head of a girl' by Henri Matisse
The gardens contain some sculptures that Sir George commissioned from Twentyman, including 'The Watcher' which is a large sculpture in the gardens.
The maquette is on display in the exhibition facing the gardens where the full size is.
I was interested in the Spanish Civil War exhibition because Ms M & I had done a tour a few years back because her Mother Marjorie had served as a volunteer nurse in the Spanish Civil War. I blogged that experience of our trip that you might like to read.
Sir George had served as an Ambassador while Franco was in power & he collected works by lesser known artists that Sir George considered to be interesting, in a time when the country was ruled with a tight fist.
The exhibition invites us to consider this:
Rebellion and Repression
Sir George and Lady Labouchere were in Spain during the dictatorship of General Franco. They were dark and difficult days and many used art to express their emotions. Despite the anti-establishment message of the works Sir George collected, he maintained good ambassadorial terms with the General.
'El Cine' by Antonio Saura is an example of anti-establishment art by Saura who spent many years in exile from Franco’s regime. It gives the impression of a crowd looking at a huge screen. The screen contains establishment figures, but who is watching who?
Modern Movement
Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Ben Nicholson were three of the most influential British modern artists of the 20th century. They were key figures in the development of British Modernism, experimenting with new materials and techniques to challenge the traditional idea that art needs to depict the world it represents realistically.
The Henry Moore 'Seated figure against a curved wall' maquette was number 10 & it is the one the final sculpture was based on. The full size sculpture is at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris
Thank heavens we can view this collection locally. I will certainly be returning again soon to take in the vast gardens, the lake & boathouse which were used as a film location recently for the TV series - Murder before Evensong.
We could catch our breath & enjoy a lovely light lunch at the beautiful on site café before reluctantly going our way again.
I hope you have enjoyed the visit with me, do stop again soon,
Dee ⛲️🌳🎨🖌️🖼️
