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ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20

ASHMOLEAN.ORG 02 06 26 30 34 INTRODUCTION OUR STRATEGY DIGITAL TEACHING RESEARCHING CONTENTS MUSEUM MUSEUM Forewords...... 02 Ashmolean For All...... 06 A Year at a Glance...... 04 Exhibitions, Free Exhibitions, Special Online Collections...... 27 Curricular Teaching...... 31 Exhibitions and Research...... 35 Displays and Touring Exhibitions...... 09 Ashmolean From Home...... 28 University Engagement Digital Research...... 35 Online Wellbeing...... 28 Programme (UEP)...... 32 Research Partnerships...... 36 Digital Learning...... 28 Learning for Everyone...... 32 Individual Research...... 36 Families and Schools...... 32 Public Engagement and Research...... 36 Young People and The Print Room and Study Rooms...... 36 Adult Programmes...... 33 National and International Reach...... 38 Ashmolean Teacher Training...... 33

ABOVE Clay Live, October 2019. © Ian Wallman 40 44 26 Hong Tao (b.1948), Galloping Rhythm, 2000. OUR PEOPLE AND COMMERCIAL Multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink, SUSTAINABILITY AND FUNDRAISING 76 x 90cm. EA2007.28 34 Gold stater of Alexander COVER Rembrandt van Rijn Staff Wellbeing...... 41 Retail and Brand Licensing...... 44 the Great from the Amphipolis (1606–69), Self-Portrait in Last Supper in Pompeii...... 12 Mint, 336–c.323 bc. Volunteers...... 41 Catering...... 44 a Cap, 1630. Etching and Young Rembrandt...... 14 drypoint on laid paper, 10 Sustainability...... 42 Membership...... 45 5.2 x 4.7 cm. WA1855.368 Modern and Contemporary...... 16 In Memoriam...... 43 Philanthropy...... 45 10 Gallery view of the OUR PROGRAMME Acquisition Highlights...... 18 Benefactors, Gifts and Legacies...... 46 Ashmolean’s Last Supper Caring for the Collections...... 25 in Pompeii exhibition, Financial Highlights...... 48 25 July 2019–12 January 2020 legacies of empire, given renewed with our collections, we can restore FOREWORDS urgency by the forceful re-ignition of the , reconnect and unify our Black Lives Matter and, within , communities and rebuild the the Rhodes Must Fall movements, have framework of our culture. all demanded that we re-examine what Over the past few years significant we do and how we do it. work across GLAM has been undertaken For me these questions reinforce the to develop our capability to share our XA STURGIS importance of our five-year strategy, digitised collections and to expand DIRECTOR Ashmolean For All. Launched in 2018, our offer across all platforms, reaching it focuses on improving the way we out to existing and new audiences, from serve and represent as wide and diverse here in Oxford to around the world. Happily, as I write, the Museum has shed Near East Gallery, and to Barrie and It was all going so well. Looking back an audience as possible – seeking to The Ashmolean’s current part in a pilot its chrysalis and re-emerged, re-opening Deedee Wigmore for their support over the year from this uncertain vantage welcome and engage all our visitors study with the Oxford Internet Institute with new measures in place, such as a during the current crisis; your generosity point, it is strange to think how things while recognising the need to give and Department of Psychiatry, funded social distancing system that accepts goes beyond measure. looked as we entered 2020. Visitor voice to different perspectives on our by the University’s Covid-19 Research just over 5,000 visitors a week, instead numbers were breaking all records, collections and their histories. Achieving We are extremely fortunate to be Response Fund, to study the effects of the previous 20,000. thanks in no small part to the beautiful these goals in a sustainable way in a a part of the ’s of online cultural experiences on and engrossing Last Supper in Pompeii; world of social distancing and financial As our doors open again, we simply Gardens, Libraries and (GLAM). mental health is testimony to the future we had just celebrated the tenth constraints will require sureness of LORD LUPTON must build on the important work that Their contribution towards our core direction of our wider engagement. anniversary of the Ashmolean’s purpose and more of the adaptability CHAIRMAN has already been achieved towards funding enables us to carry out our Such projects show how we can transforming redevelopment and and creativity that the Museum BOARD OF VISITORS securing the Museum’s endowment leading work in teaching and research, continue to support mental wellbeing welcomed Lord Lupton as our new has demonstrated over the last campaign to safeguard our future as well as developing our strategy to through the engagement of our Chairman. At the end of February we six months and to which this report When I was fortunate enough to take as a world-class museum and the enhance our engagement with the cultural assets online. opened Young Rembrandt to critical so amply testifies. over from Bernard Taylor as Chairman greatest university museum of local community and wider public. acclaim and (astonishingly in retrospect) Now is the time to look at how we tell of the Board of Visitors on 1 January and . Crises such as the Over its 337-year long history, the even in early March were confident it the stories of our collections. Through 2020, the Museum was in a flurry of one we are living through often reveal Ashmolean, Britain’s first public would break its ambitious visitor targets. interpretation and intervention, we activity preparing for the major Young the depth of character and resilience museum, has held fast, always can question, debate and showcase Rembrandt exhibition, charting the of a community, and indeed a nation. By 17 March we were closed and evolving and responding to the different perspectives. meteoric rise of the Dutch Master. I would like to call out and thank, on remained closed until early August. state of the world and the changing It was a joy to see the teams at work behalf of all of us who care about There is much to regret about having We have learned a great deal more in needs of its audience. I strongly putting on a show of this scale, the Museum, the Ashmolean’s staff to shut our doors to visitors at a moment recent months regarding the potential believe that the Ashmolean’s beauty and significance. and volunteers for ensuring that of national crisis when so many of us of animating our museum programmes reputation, its stunning objects, its the Museum could provide a source were in need of the very things that and collections in the digital world. That was then. Now, just a few highly-motivated staff, the support of PROF. ANNE TREFETHEN of inspiration and learning throughout museums and art can offer; escape, With that renewed focus and insight, months later, we have to deal with the University and of our supporters, PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR these past months. enjoyment, inspiration, but perhaps we can adapt to the post Covid ‘new the considerable challenges which big and small, mean that we will UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD above all a sense of community and normal’ and continue to deepen our have hit the world as a result of the We are so grateful to our supporters navigate these choppy waters (GLAM) connectedness. But while our doors connection with, and commitment to, Coronavirus pandemic. Like many for helping us to continue to preserve, successfully. Please do consider closed much of our work continued, an Ashmolean for All. other countries, the UK’s financial enhance and share our collections and helping us along our journey. and I remain in awe of the nimble, Oxford University’s Gardens Libraries outlook is uncertain, as we face the knowledge. In particular, we would like creative and flexible way in which our and Museums (GLAM) present some greatest challenge to our economy to thank Mr Hiroaki and Mrs Atsuko Namikawa Yasuyuki staff managed and responded to the of the most important collections since the Second World War. The Shikanai and The Shikanai Foundation Female figurine, (1845–1927), Vase with Cyclades, crisis; adapting ways of working and in the world, spanning all areas of impact of Covid-19 is scarring the for the exceptional gift of £1 million Waterfall Over Rocks, c.2800–2300 bc. endeavouring to continue to serve human study and history. Welcoming 1910–15. Metal with cultural fabric of our society. to endow the Japanese Collection; Marble, traces all our communities in the new reality. over three million visitors a year, they silver wire and this includes the ongoing care of paint, 30 cm. Closionné enamel, In the months since lockdown was play an intrinsic role in carrying out and management of the collections, AN1896–1908. This has been a time of reflection and 24.9cm x 6.2cm x imposed countrywide, the Museum AE.178 teaching and research, as well as ensuring they are shared with the innovation. New opportunities have 8.5cm. EA2002.177 went into suspended animation. When introducing a large public to the widest audience through a strong arisen. The quick and imaginative my family and I went round it shortly academic work of the University itself. public programme, as well as taking development of our digital programmes before re-opening in early August, it on Lead Support of the 2021 Tokyo and resources meant we continued to In the wake of the seismic events that had a melancholic, haunting beauty, exhibition. We are therefore delighted engage existing and new audiences, we as a society have recently faced, accentuated by the eerie silence and to announce the naming of the two as well as highlighting areas of potential the role of our museums and public total absence of people. Museums new Shikanai Galleries of Japanese Art. growth. At the same time the collections as safe, welcoming places demand the social buzz of the sudden and dramatic collapse of all that unite our audiences by providing enquiring public whom we serve. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the visitor-driven income; the social and solace and inspiration has become Sarikhani family for their support economic impact of Covid-19; and the more relevant than ever. By continuing of the refurbishment of the Ancient continuing re-examination of the to build on the public’s engagement

02 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 INTRODUCTION | FOREWORDS 03 A YEAR AT A GLANCE: 1 AUGUST 2019 – 31 JULY 2020

AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY

Pakistan-based Prue Leith and International artist The Ashmolean Heston Lord Lupton Council Coronavirus Ashmolean From New online art Oxford Preparations for artist Ali Kazim Mary Beard visit Cai Guo-Qiang celebrates tenth Blumenthal takes on the renews pandemic strikes Home presents competition researchers win reopening the undertakes a Last Supper in attends opening anniversary of the premières his Chair of the the Ashmolean’s the UK with new online Artists in Covid-19 research Ashmolean on residency at the Pompeii to film of his solo show opening of its Pompeiian feast Board of Visitors. status as an devastating programme for Residence grant to develop 10 August, after Ashmolean for Front Row Late Gunpowder Art. new building, at the Ashmolean Accredited impact; the audiences to documents the a study with the 146 days of closure, Gandhara for BBC 2. designed by Rick Dining Room. Last Supper in Museum. Government enjoy remotely. public’s response Ashmolean on begin with new Connections, One tonne of clay Mather Architects. Pompeii ends announces to Coronavirus. the effects of signage for face supported by the is presented on with a total of Young nationwide 400,000 viewers online cultural coverings, 2-metre Bagri Foundation. the forecourt 8,160 visitors 87,280 visitors, Rembrandt lockdown. tune into The Ashmolean experiences on social distancing for Clay Live, attend the One becoming the opens to the watch Young becomes the mental health. and one-way The family activity a day-long World Festival, most visited public and On 17 March Rembrandt first museum to systems. Roman Holiday celebration bringing together exhibition in receives stellar the Ashmolean as part of BBC create bespoke Voices in the runs throughout of ceramics. different faith Ashmolean reviews across temporarily Arts’ Culture in Instagram filters, Gallery wins August offering communities history. national media. closes to the Quarantine. featuring works Vice-Chancellor’s food and drink The Ashmolean from across public. Staff from the Education Award. Installation of themed crafts, launches . 03 Installation are sent home, Young Rembrandt the major new storytelling, Chromotope, a of the exhibition the lights are is recreated online, Ashmolean exhibition Young Young Rembrandt. dressing-up multi-institutional American artist turned off and featuring videos, From Home Rembrandt © Emily Jarrett and role play. research Philip Guston begins. the collections gallery shots, releases new partnership is the focus of 04 Entry to Artists In go under cover. digital images of online exhibition Residence Competition. exploring the the exhibition the artworks and Mediterranean 01 One World Festival. © Samantha Varney © Ian Wallman Victorian Colour Locating the On 19 March accompanying Threads. Ashmolean Revolution. Image and the 05 #Isolation texts. 02 Marble statue collections undercover of Bacchus with a Slade Lectures; during lockdown, Creations is up 04 panther, ad 50–150. the opening is March 2019. and running with Ashmolean hits Museo Archeologico attended by the © Ian Wallman daily challenges collections. target of digitising Nazionale di Napoli artist’s daughter across social 190,000 objects, Musa Meyer. media. 25 per cent of the collections, The Western substantially 01 03 Art Print Room increasing online records the access to art and highest monthly archaeology attendance ever across the with 659 visitors. Museum.

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04 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 ASHMOLEAN FOR ALL

Our Strategy Ashmolean For All places equity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, enabling us to improve the way the Museum represents, engages with and includes all communities and individuals, from existing visitors to new audiences. Ashmolean For All is underpinned by the following principles, which are embedded in every aspect of our work:

PRESERVING, ENHANCING AND This past and unprecedented year and films made by young people SHARING OUR COLLECTIONS has accentuated the public benefits from Eritrea, South Sudan and We will continue to care for our of a museum. Culture sustains people. Syria with Ashmolean gallery staff, OUR STRATEGY collections, enable their growth And in times of crisis this is increasingly reflecting on and responding to and share them worldwide. Ranging evident. In the light of recent world objects from the Ancient Near East. from prehistory to the contemporary events our strategy, now in its third On receiving the Vice-Chancellor’s world, these internationally significant year, has gathered momentum and Education Award, the judging panel collections are the foundation of a sense of urgency. The Ashmolean praised the Museum for ‘making all that we do. has a social and civic role to play powerful use of learners and staff in retelling the stories of the past, as co-creators, genuinely changing INSPIRING OUR AUDIENCES ensuring that we represent and the way the Museum’s objects are We will ensure that our audiences’ remain relevant to all our audiences exhibited. The panel feels there is encounters are inspiring, meaningful by creating a safe space to explore wide applicability for this project’s and enjoyable by developing the and discuss these issues. approach across the museum Ashmolean onsite, offsite and online sector, and hope that the team In March, prior to lockdown, the as a place of discovery, emotional might consider sharing their Ashmolean was on course to receive engagement and lifelong learning. work widely in the future’. one million visitors for the 2019/2020 We are listening to our visitors to year. In addition to our core learning create inclusive, relevant content and engagement work with schools, across all our programmes and Object handling, families, communities, adults and Voices in the Gallery. platforms, making the Museum a older people, we introduced the © Ian Wallman more welcoming and social place following range of new initiatives while connecting more deeply to widen access to the Museum: with our local communities. — AshPass : a pilot membership A WORLD-CLASS CENTRE FOR scheme for young people aged RESEARCH AND TEACHING 16–19, offering special benefits to We are dedicated to furthering the encourage independent visits to understanding of the world through the Ashmolean, was launched in the material and visual evidence Cheney School and Oxford Spires of art and archaeology, and providing Academy. Due to its success we intellectual leadership in research will roll out the scheme to more and teaching-related areas covered schools next year. by our collections and research — Voices in the Gallery: a partnership resources across the disciplinary with Oxford Spires Academy to range for the University. co-create a set of audio recordings

OUR STRATEGY | ASHMOLEAN FOR ALL 07 — In October the Older People’s The One World Festival — Our work with GLAM Community Action Team – our newest has been an absolute success. Engagement has continued with EXHIBITIONS, FREE EXHIBITIONS, co-producing group, recruited This has brought together Along for the Ride, a co-curated through our Meet Me at the the rich religious, cultural and community exhibition for World SPECIAL DISPLAYS AND Museum sessions for isolated ethnic diversity of our beautiful Mental Health Day. Working in TOURING EXHIBITIONS older people – met for the first county. Through the process partnership with The Mill, a local time. In considering the stages wellbeing hub supporting people’s of organising the event, many of ageing to understand how mental health, participants were of the organising team, drawn to unpick stereotypes and make inspired by visits to the Print Room improvements for older audiences from our diverse communities, to create a display at the Ashmolean. visiting the Museum, the group have got to know each other, They oversaw the process from has advised on social, physical built strong working relationships inception to installation, including and cultural activities to increase and gained understanding about the exhibition’s theme ‘Along for engagement to the Museum for each other’s communities and the Ride’ to explore journeys and all older people. cultures. All this was made mental health. possible through the dedication EXHIBITIONS TOURING EXHIBITIONS — The One World Steering Group — Furthermore, the Community and professionalism of the FROM THE ASHMOLEAN met regularly, furthering connections Engagement team supported two LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII Ashmolean staff and volunteers, 1,098,679 between Oxford’s different faith members of Oxford’s Syrian Kurdish 25 July 2019 – 12 January 2020 PAINTING FACES: for which my gratitude groups and sharing knowledge community to advocate, network THE ART OF FLATTERY unique visitors to our website of different cultures in the city. and thanks. and help deliver workshops for the YOUNG REMBRANDT 17 May – 8 September 2019 The theme of this year’s One World city’s Middle Eastern communities. 27 February – 1 November 2020 Broadway Museum and Art Gallery IMAM MONAWAR HUSSEIN Festival was to welcome new arrivals The workshops fed into the planning to Oxford, especially refugees from and content development of a DIMENSIONS: THE MATHEMATICS Syria and other war-torn areas of the forthcoming exhibition about the FREE EXHIBITIONS OF SPACE AND SYMMETRY 14 September – 19 December 2019 551,250 world, to a free weekend of activities, creation of countries in the Middle A.R. PENCK: I THINK IN PICTURES performances, talks and crafts. East following the First World War. Broadway Museum and Art Gallery 28 June – 3 November 2019 visitors to the Ashmolean — More recently, we launched Artists JAPANESE GHOSTS AND DEMONS CAI GUO-QIANG: in Residence, a competition with 21 September – 1 December 2019 GUNPOWDER ART the Oxford Times inviting people to Derby Museum submit artworks created during, and 24 October 2019 – 13 September 2020 in response to, their experiences in THE YOUNG TURNER: 223,992 PHILIP GUSTON: lockdown. We have received over AMBITIONS IN ARCHITECTURE LOCATING THE IMAGE 1,100 creative and moving submissions AND THE ART OF PERSPECTIVE visits to exhibitions 23 November 2019 – 8 March 2020 from across Oxfordshire. Selected 28 September 2019 – 12 January 2020 at the Museum entries have been printed weekly Museum in the Oxford Times and the winners SPECIAL DISPLAYS will be displayed at the Ashmolean. REMBRANDT IN PRINT Important work such as this continues FEED THE WORLD: 1 June – 15 September 2019 to broaden our audiences and to FOOD AND MONEY Lady Lever Art Gallery, The Wirral 87,280 30 July 2019 – 1 March 2020 encourage as many people as 4 October 2019 – 5 January 2020 visitors attended possible to reap the benefits Holburne Museum, Bath LASERS, HOARDING of visiting a museum. Last Supper in Pompeii AND ROMAN GOLD COINAGE 18 January – 2 August 2020 7 March 2020 – March 2021 North Hertfordshire Museum

FROM ISTANBUL TO OXFORD: MAKING AN IMPRESSION: THE ORIGINS OF COFFEE PRINTS BY MANET, PISSARRO DRINKING IN ENGLAND AND THEIR CONTEMPORARIES 8,312 28 September 2019 – 15 March 2020 8 January – 10 March 2020 visitors attended 15 May – 7 June 2020 A NICE CUP OF TEA? Young Rembrandt ZAMEC Cultural Centre COMMUNITY-LED INSTALLATION Poznan, Poland 23 May 2019 – May 2021

SKYSCAPE One World Festival, 11 January – 18 March 2020 November 2019. Petworth House © Ian Wallman

08 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR STRATEGY 09 The success of our exhibition programme draws on every area and department of the Museum. Founded on curatorial research, it calls on the expertise of conservation and art handling, public engagement, commercial and fundraising activities, as well as front of house operations. The past year has presented some of the greatest exhibition successes the Ashmolean has had to date, together with the most challenging experience of responding to the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

A visitor enjoying the Young Rembrandt exhibition. © Emily Jarrett OUR PROGRAMME

OUR PROGRAMME 11 One of the Exhibition’s most creative Back in our vaulted Café, our catering LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII: partnerships was the collaboration partners Benugo transformed the EXHIBITION with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. space into the Taberna Ashmolean. ORGANISATION 25 JULY 2019 – 12 JANUARY 2020 Following a visit to the Museum, the Enhanced by reproduced images from AND SUPPORT famous chef created his own unique the show and a menu reflecting the Organised in collaboration with interpretation of a Roman feast; he flavours of Pompeii, its popularity the Ministero dei Beni e delle provided guests with a taste of history, resulted in a 25 per cent increase in Attivita Culturali e del Turismo, immortalised by the ash of Vesuvius. sales. We continued the customer Italy; Il Parco Archeologico di His special menu previewed at the experience into the commercial Pompei; Museo Archeologico Ashmolean Dining Room to a select spaces. Four hundred retail products Nazionale di Napoli; and Parco group of journalists and donors in were built around the themes of Archeologico di Paestum, the December 2019. It then launched Gardens, Life and Death and Food exhibition triumphed in all aspects. Last Supper in Pompeii told the story of the Roman love affair at Dinner by Heston in January 2020, and Drink. Items sourced from Italy with food and wine, and its influence on every aspect of Roman alongside a competition with the became bestsellers, while bespoke It ignited the interest of supporters Ashmolean, offering the chance product development was also from across the world, including life. Fittingly for the Ashmolean and Oxford University, the to win a unique dining experience commissioned, using the striking Intesa Sanpaolo, lead supporter, exhibition was a fusion of art and archaeology. at his London-based restaurant. images across a range of stationery who praised the significant and homeware products. In total the scientific contribution to the exhibition shop generated sales of study of Italian history and culture. Beginning in Pompeii before its In the process the stories of how the between GLAM and Iffley, a special I have always had a fascination £230,000, an increase of 78 per cent Other generous donors comprised destruction in ad 79, a fresco of diners objects were made, used and repaired academy for children and young with the gastronomy of the past from last year’s exhibition shop sales. The Ruddock Foundation for and a statue of the wine god Bacchus have been revealed, forming part people with special educational and the food we serve at Dinner by the Arts, The William Delafield set the tone, while fascinating Greek, of the exhibition’s narrative. needs and disabilities, has provided In the show’s final weeks tickets Heston in London is inspired by the Charitable Trust, Stockman Family Etruscan and Italic objects reminded opportunities for both Museum staff sold out, concluding in the highest Rich in research, lessons were many inventive and creative chefs Foundation and the Museum’s us of earlier influences on Roman and students to develop new skills exhibition visitor figures ever seen conducted within the exhibition by from Britain’s culinary history. When Patrons, as well as The Helen Roll culture. Visitors were then brought and build strong relationships. at the Museum. curators, teachers and learning staff the opportunity came along to work Charity, Professor Gillies McKenna into the home and the heart of the for members of diverse disciplines With star objects, accessible themes with the team at the Ashmolean and Professor Ruth Muschel, exhibition, the dining room. Its across the University. The themes will and the intrigue of a lost city, the Museum, I leapt at the chance to Charles and Alison Young, the late Greek-inspired decoration included serve as content for future teaching, abundant source of stories enabled uncover the incredible food stories Miss Cecil Western, Mr John and mosaics such as the incomparable fish reinforced by the accompanying our public engagement team to from Pompeii. The passion and Mrs Margaret Leighfield and Audley mosaic, the most photographed catalogue. Designed as a legacy create widespread media coverage knowledge that Paul, Theresa and Travel. As a result the Museum was object in the show, and the skeleton publication, it brought together a in the local, national and European all the team shared was infectious able to meet the ambitions for the mosaic with its macabre reminder to dozen expert contributors from press and digital media. and fascinating, and the menu we exhibition, including the additional us to seize the day. At the end came Pompeii and Oxford, incorporating created with their help has brought commission of an audio guide, the stark reality of the eruption of new material that extended beyond a new avenue of storytelling to with support from The Lucinus Mount Vesuvius. The resin cast of a the exhibition. The 296-page Dinner. I look forward to further Trust, which presented the outcome victim brought to life the human story exhibition catalogue became the collaborations and more edible of the conservation work. behind these objects, reminding us bestselling product of the year. Fresco with Bacchus and historical discoveries very soon. of the tragic events that made their Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii IX 8, 6, Our thanks go out to HM preservation possible. The exhibition generated an ad 60–79. Museo Archeologico HESTON BLUMENTHAL Gallery View of Last Government, the Department for unprecedented demand for group Nazionale di Napoli CHEF Supper in Pompeii Digital, Culture, Media and Sport The exhibition showcased new research bookings and exhibition tours. For (DCMS) and and conservation throughout. In families, our summer activities were for making this exhibition possible preparation, a pioneering collaboration themed around Roman food and through the British Government with the Ashmolean and Il Parco mythology, while the family trail Indemnity Scheme. Archeologico di Pompei oversaw received continuously positive the conservation of 37 copper alloy, feedback. Shortlisted for a Museum ceramic and glass vessels excavated and Heritage Award, our partnership at Pompeii. in the ruins of with Iffley Academy presented Last a tavern, these objects had been Supper in Pompeii as a source of untouched since their first excavation inspiration for students to develop in the 1950s. They went on show fully their own work in an exhibition conserved for the first time after 2,000 at school. This featured Lego hours of painstaking work, including interpretations of Pompeii and Mount visits to Pompeii by Ashmolean Vesuvius as well as the students’ own conservators to liaise with senior mosaics, drawings and artworks. Since conservator Dr Giuseppe Zolfo. 2016 the Ashmolean’s partnership

12 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PROGRAMME | LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII 13 Moving beyond online programming, It was not until July, after almost 21 YOUNG REMBRANDT: we worked with GLAM Community weeks of closure, that we could advise EXHIBITION Engagement to take Young Rembrandt lenders that we would reopen to the ORGANISATION 27 FEBRUARY – 1 NOVEMBER 2020 into communities with restricted public on 10 August. AND SUPPORT digital access by commissioning The experiences of European Young Rembrandt is supported local community artist Dionne museums who reopened ahead by The William Delafield Charitable Freeman to create resource packs, of us informed our planning for the Trust, Edward Speelman Ltd, the including sketchbooks, materials and reopening, as we also considered the Friends of the Ashmolean and the activity sheets, for adult and teenage specifics of our building and in-town Patrons of the Ashmolean. The audiences at the Oxfordshire Hospital location. To facilitate a safe but catalogue received support from School, MIND at the Mill and SMART. enjoyable visit, exhibition tickets have The Michael Marks Charitable More than ten years in the making, Young Rembrandt was This was further developed by a series been reduced to 30 per cent of the Trust, with additional support from of short activity films for our website, developed in partnership with the Ashmolean and the Museum normal capacity. Visitor routes have the circle of Young Rembrandt, providing a valuable learning resource been planned as part of a one-way Charles and Alison Young, De Lakenhal, Leiden. The exhibition drew on the strengths of the for everyone to enjoy beyond the system and while entry continues Amb. J. William Middendorf II, course of the exhibition. Museums’ respective collections: the Ashmolean’s outstanding to be free, general ticketing for the Sotheby’s, The Catherine Lewis group of prints and drawings, and two of Rembrandt’s earliest Following correspondence with Museum itself and the permanent Foundation, Janice and Brian paintings from the Lakenhal. museum colleagues and private collections is now in place. Capstick, Susan and Matthew lenders in April an extension of the Weatherbie, the Thriplow

loans was confirmed. To facilitate this Charitable Trust and the Embassy Initial negotiations to borrow the most Ambassador. The exhibition received an immediate spike in our online Rembrandt van Rijn agreements had to be reviewed, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. prized drawings, prints and paintings remarkable critical acclaim across the traffic and one of the largest Twitter (1606–69) Self-Portrait, export licensing and Government 1629. Oil on oak panel, from international lenders were led national press. responses the Ashmolean has ever The exhibition has been made indemnity extended, and insurance 15.5 x 12.7 cm. Bayerische by co-curators Professor Christopher had, with hundreds of people possible as a result of the British But, on Tuesday 17 March, the doors arrangements re-considered. Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Brown CBE, Director-Emeritus of the praising the programme. Alte Pinakothek, Munich Government Indemnity Scheme. of the Ashmolean were forced to close Simultaneously we planned for Ashmolean, and Christiaan Vogelaar, Our thanks go to HM Government, as the nation entered lockdown. The worst-case scenarios for when Curator at Museum De Lakenhal. An View of exhibition Young the Department for Digital, Culture, show came to a standstill after only we could reopen and created Van Camp joined the project in 2015 Rembrandt is loved, Rembrandt under cover Media and Sport (DCMS) and nineteen days, during which it had contingency plans for the exhibitions during lockdown, March 2020. as the Ashmolean’s new Curator generation after generation, Arts Council England. received 8,312 visitors – a great that were to follow Young Rembrandt. © Ian Wallman of Northern European Art. testimony to its potential. for his capacity to depict the Preparations in the two years leading whole of humanity with the Within a few days staff had started up to the exhibition comprised keenest and kindest of eyes. working from home and measures budgeting, managing loan agreements We look to him for empathy, were put in place; heightened security and transportation, developing the understanding and pure joy on site, exhibition lighting switched narrative and design of the galleries at his astonishing abilities. off to reduce exposure and works and producing the catalogue and covered with tissue and Tyvek for Right now, we could all do public programme. The exhibition protection. Regular checks were with a bit of Rembrandt. first opened in Leiden in November conducted throughout lockdown 2019 under the title Rembrandt: SIMON SCHAMA by conservators and security staff. Rising Star to commemorate the ART HISTORIAN AND PRESENTER 350th anniversary of the artist’s Ambitious in our approach, we death, before travelling on to Oxford. continued to engage new visitors with Young Rembrandt through a Almost 140 works from across the variety of platforms. Themed videos globe – from Moscow to Los Angeles were released across our social media – have been generously lent to the channels and we produced an online exhibition by over 40 museums and tour of the exhibition, accompanied private collectors. Together they tell by an introductory film: both received the incredible story of Rembrandt as over 122,000 views. Our Press Office he transforms from an inventive and moved quickly to incorporate Young ambitious teenager into one of the Rembrandt into BBC Arts’ Culture in world’s greatest artists. Quarantine series. Broadcast on Young Rembrandt opened to the BBC 4 in April, the documentary media on 24 February, followed by was presented by Simon Schama; a preview for Friends and a Private it attracted 400,000 viewers, a figure View hosting our Dutch colleagues, that increased through use of the lenders, supporters and HE the Dutch BBC iPlayer. Its release caused

14 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PROGRAMME | YOUNG REMBRANDT 15 SPECIAL DISPLAYS Following on from Ibrahim PARTNERSHIPS WITH MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY The Lewin Gallery (Gallery 62) has El-Salahi’s exhibition in Gallery 8 in CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS featured new acquisitions, such as 2018, we were delighted to acquire Aside from collecting contemporary Desmond Morris’s surrealist painting four of his works. These feature in art, we have also enjoyed collaborating The Dove, 1948, along with the new a special display in the Ancient with contemporary artists. Most recently, IN FOCUS series, currently presenting Sudanese Gallery in juxtaposition during the outbreak of Covid-19, we portraits and nudes by Egon Schiele with ancient Sudanese objects, produced the online feature Ashmolean (1890–1918) on loan from a private on view until November. Artists at Home. In this a number collection. Displayed in rotation of the artists represented in our Furthermore, with support from alongside works from our collections, collections – including internationally the New Collecting Award by the the series offers fresh perspectives on acclaimed artist as well as the Contemporary European modernism for our regular described their work and life Art Society, we researched and The significance of our growing programme of modern and visitors to enjoy. Despite his short life during lockdown. acquired works on paper from Schiele became an icon of modernism contemporary art is reflected in the breadth of our activities. the 1980s by German ‘Neue Wilde’ and is now regarded as one of the artists, including Elvira Bach, Ina These range from exhibitions and special displays to acquisitions most important painters of the human Barfuss, Salomé and Rainer Fetting, and projects with contemporary artists from all over the world. figure in the twentieth century. The to complement our existing holdings I’ve thought about the Black Ashmolean is the only museum in of ‘Neo-Expressionist’ prints. the UK where work by Schiele is on Death and what I learnt about EXHIBITIONS different times and cultures. They and the inspirations that he drew from long-term public display, providing A gift of drawings by important that from the time I worked in During the course of the past year succeeded in attracting over 20,000 and art history. Guston’s art a rare and ongoing opportunity ‘Expressionist’ artists, among them our series of free exhibitions, each visitors each. was shown alongside works from our . It arrived in Europe by to see his work. works by Egon Schiele and Ernst accompanied by a catalogue and a collections, ranging from prints by boats from Asia docked in A.R. Penck: I think in Pictures, Ludwig Kirchner, has enabled us to public programme, featured one of to drawings from the supported by Galerie Michael Werner, ACQUISITIONS give our visitors a taste of European Messina, Sicily. And I’ve thought the world’s most ground-breaking Song Dynasty. The exhibition was Märkisch Wilmersdorf, London, was Our vision to expand our collections Expressionism and provide a historic about Egon Schiele and Gustav artists, Cai Guo-Qiang (b.1957, accompanied by Professor Karen the first museum show dedicated to efficiently is guided by the background to our ‘Neo-Expressionist’ Klimt, both of whom died from Quanzhou, China), in the Chinese Lang’s 2020 Slade Lectures at the the German artist in the UK for over Ashmolean’s Collection Strategy of works. These drawings were generously Painting Gallery (Gallery 11). University of Oxford. It has continued the Spanish flu. All of history 30 years. The exhibition highlighted Modern and Contemporary Art, which donated by Cleo Kedros. the Ashmolean’s series of high-profile seems to have come into view. Famed for his gunpowder explosions his dynamic style and prolific output, focuses on a small number of art American exhibitions, following on staged at museums and in public as well as marking the thirtieth movements and themes that enable ‘Work and keep working, don’t from America’s Cool Modernism spaces worldwide, and his anniversary of the end of the Cold us to open up dialogues with, and put anything off, do it now...’ in 2018 and at the contribution to the Beijing 2008 War. In succession Philip Guston: make connections to, the historic is what I’ve told myself. And Ashmolean in 2019. Olympic Games where he treated Locating the Image, supported by collections. Concentrating on selected make the work good… viewers to possibly the greatest Hauser & Wirth, presented the areas, we acquire in-depth groups of fireworks show in history, the renowned American artist in a new Gallery 8 during the exhibition works with the aim of creating more JENNY SAVILLE exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Gunpowder light, focusing on his works on paper A.R. Penck: I think in Pictures representative and inclusive narratives. RA Art, supported by the Denys Firth Family Foundation, attracted over 32,400 visitors. It represented Cai

Guo-Qiang’s profound interest with Elvira Bach (b.1951), Untitled, both Western history and Chinese 1982. Oil, pastel and gouache artistic traditions and materials on paper, 50 x 35 cm. WA2020.15 © Elvira Bach including paper, porcelain and silk, from his first explosions on paper Salomé (b.1954), Dusche III, through to recent engagements in 1987. Chalk and gouache on responses to El Greco and Pompeii. paper, 71 x 84 cm. WA2020.8 © Salomé Building on the success of our new exhibition programme which launched in 2018 in Gallery 8, we staged two monographic exhibitions of the internationally acclaimed and politically engaged artists A.R. Penck (1939–2017) and Philip Guston (1913–80). Both shows demonstrated our approach to displaying modern art in a historic museum context by creating new dialogues between

16 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PROGRAMME | MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY 17 Our commitment to expanding the Ashmolean’s collections ensures their international significance and maintains our relevance as one of the leading university museums in the world. This year a total number of 328 acquisitions were made before the Museum closed on 17 March. The items comprised paintings, graphic works, coins and textiles through the schemes administered by the Arts Council England, the Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance in Lieu of Inheritance Tax, together with a range of gifts, bequests and purchases.

Detail of Élisabeth Sonrel (1874–1953), Les Rameaux (Palm Sunday), 1897. Watercolour and graphite on laid paper, 53 x 91cm. Purchase with support from Art Fund and funds from the Needle Brown Bequest. WA2020.16 ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS ACQUISITION

OUROUR PROGRAMMES PROGRAMME | ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS 19 FOUR ACQUISITIONS BY IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI The Ashmolean has acquired four works by Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930), an Oxford-based resident and one of the most important figures in Sudanese art . A pioneer of African and Arabic modernism, his work features in collections worldwide, from the Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi to MOMA, New York and Tate Modern, London. The acquisitions received the support of the Art Fund, Arts Council England / V&A Purchase Grant and a friend of the Ashmolean. Produced at different times in his life using a range of techniques, the four works depict El-Salahi’s diverse practice. They range from the early two-dimensional figurative style that combines Christian iconography with Sudanese visual culture, as seen in an untitled Christmas card print. Untitled from 1957, to the lively calligraphic LES RAMEAUX A MINUET DANCED abstract Untitled from 1965, which Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930), (PALM SUNDAY) Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo IN A BALLROOM oscillates between ornamental detail from Untitled, (1727–1804), A Minuet Danced 1957. Zincographic print BY ÉLISABETH SONREL in a Ballroom, c.1790–1804. Pen BY GIOVANNI pattern and a map. These early works 22.5 x 29.5 cm. WA2019.81 With support from the Art Fund and and brown ink with grey wash DOMENICO TIEPOLO are complemented by the recent pair © Ibrahim El-Salahi. over black chalk on laid paper, the generous bequest of Noelle This scene of a couple dancing Pain Relief, 2017, consisting of a tiny All rights reserved, 37.5 x 50.4 cm. Accepted by Brown, a former colleague and in the company of gossiping and drawing on the back of a medicine DACS/Artimage 2020 HM Government in lieu of longstanding friend of the Ashmolean, Inheritance Tax on the estate flirtatious figures was made as an packet that El-Salahi made when of John Green and allocated Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930), the purchase of this impressive and independent work of art. It is one suffering from physical pain, and a to the Ashmolean Museum, Pain Relief, 2017. Pen and moving watercolour enriches our of a series of over 90 ‘Scenes of large-sized screen print from 2019. 2019. WA2019.88 ink on medicine packet, holdings of works by women artists. Contemporary Life’ that move El-Salahi has emphasised how the 13 x 7 cm. WA2019.131 Signed and dated in 1897 by the between affection and cynicism, concentrated drawing process forms © Ibrahim El-Salahi. Élisabeth Sonrel (1874–1953), French artist Élisabeth Sonrel, created late in the artist’s life for a major part of the Pain Relief series: All rights reserved, Les Rameaux (Palm Sunday), DACS/Artimage 2020 Les Rameaux (Palm Sunday) is 1897. Watercolour and graphite his own pleasure. Domenico’s superb ‘It is like a form of meditation; on laid paper, signed and dated, an ambitious work by a brilliantly handling of the ink and wash achieves I don’t feel the pain at all. It is 53 x 91cm. Purchase with Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930), talented painter and designer who, radiant effects, as his animated touch a kind of medicine’. support from Art Fund and Untitled, 1965. Rubbing although widely recognised during funds from the Needle Brown lends sparkle to the figures. This is from etching plate, crayon her lifetime, has largely been forgotten. Bequest. WA2020.16 one of a group of outstanding works on paper, 57 x 30 cm. WA2019.82 © Ibrahim of art – including another drawing To be appreciated by an El-Salahi. All rights reserved, by Domenico, The Bird Fanciers, DACS/Artimage 2020 institution as famous as the from the same series, and paintings by Michele Marieschi and Roelant Ashmolean is a great honour. Savery – that came to the Ashmolean I am delighted that some through the Acceptance In Lieu scheme of my works are now in the from the estate of John Green. Museum’s permanent collection, in my adopted hometown. It is particularly pleasing that they are displayed alongside the Museum’s collection of ancient Nubian relics of Sudan, as I think they relate to each other.

IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI

20 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PROGRAMME | ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS 21 DOUBLE GOURD VASE WITH GOATS’ HEADS In 2019 Barrie and Deedee Wigmore generously presented an exceptional collection of late nineteenth-century British ceramics and metalwork. The collection had first been loaned to the Museum in 2016 for display in the new Deedee Wigmore Gallery of 19th Century British Art. The collection comprises over 30 pieces by makers including Wedgwood, Minton, the Martin Brothers Linthorpe, William Ault, James Dixon & Sons and Hukin & Heath. It is particularly rich in pieces designed by Christopher Dresser (1834–1904), often regarded as a pioneer of modern design. The gift has transformed the Museum’s collection of Victorian decorative PORTRAIT OF GIUSEPPE STILL LIFE WITH ROSES arts and will form a focus for KATY TALATI COLLECTION ANTINOUS OSIRIS FRANCHI WITH A BUST IN A CHINESE VASE further acquisitions in the future. OF CHINESE PAINTINGS The cast was made for the OF HOMER BY ANTON BY SAMUEL JOHN PEPLOE Katy Talati (1923–2015) grew up British Museum’s 2008 exhibition MENGS in Beijing. Here as a young woman Hadrian: Empire and Conflict and A Scottish artist largely based in Mengs painted this compelling image Edinburgh, Peploe studied art in William Ault Pottery (1883–1930), she studied painting with Pu Quan, shown in the Ashmolean’s recent of the sculptor Giuseppe Franchi Paris in the 1890s, looking especially after Christopher Dresser a cousin of China’s last emperor exhibition Antinous: boy made god. (1834–1904), Double gourd vase (1731–1806) in Rome, evoking their at the work of Manet and Cézanne. and a highly regarded painter in the The statue represents Antinous, with goats’ heads, c.1892–6. classical tradition. When Katy moved the boy-favourite of the emperor shared passion for classical art. The By the 1920s his main concern was Lead-glazed earthenware, 26 cm close friendship is conveyed through with painting the perfect still life, high. Presented by Barrie and to England in 1948, Pu Quan gave her Hadrian, as an Egyptian god, wearing the naturalism and psychological featuring recurring elements such as Deedee Wigmore. WA2019.56 a large number of his paintings which a pharaonic headdress and loincloth. penetration of the portrait, as well Chinese porcelain, roses and fruit in she generously bequeathed to the Antinous holds a short sceptre as through the visible brushwork carefully composed arrangements. Ashmolean, along with several in both hands, associated with which adds to the air of intimacy. The vivid colours, thick impasto and works by other artists. After retiring roles of authority and used for This informality is distinctive, since fluid handling are typical of his work. to Oxford in the 1990s she contacted ceremonial purposes. Pu Quan’s daughters in Beijing and Mengs’s portraits are notable for The figure is one of five sculptured Hong Kong. The result was the their urbanity and polished finish. portraits of Antinous as an Egyptian

As a rare masterpiece by an artist 2005 exhibition Pu Quan and his Samuel John Peploe (1871–1935), god, two of which were found Generation: Imperial Painters of whose paintings and writings on art Still Life with Roses in a Chinese at Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. They Twentieth-Century China, comprising changed the course of art history, Vase, signed. Oil on canvas, represent the boy in the form 51 x 40.7 cm. Accepted by HM early works lent by Katy and works the painting was accepted under the of the god Osiris, who according Government in lieu of Inheritance Cultural Gifts Scheme and allocated from his career in China after 1949 Tax from the estate of Lady Bates to the Egyptians, drowned in the lent by his family. The collection to the Ashmolean in memory of the and allocated to the Ashmolean Nile on the same day of the year includes work on silk from the discerning collector Robert Berg. Museum, 2019. WA2019.117 as Antinous. The original statue Imperial Palace painting and found at Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, calligraphy supplies. is in the Vatican Museum (inv. 22795). Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779), Portrait of Giuseppe Franchi with a Bust of Homer, 1772–3. Oil on canvas, 72.3 x 56.4 cm. Accepted by HM Government under the Cultural Gifts Scheme and allocated to Detail of Pu Quan Antinous Osiris, the Ashmolean Museum, (1913–1991), Hidden Beauty 2008. Resin cast of a 2019. Presented in memory among Mountains and Rivers, statue in Parian marble of Robert Berg from the Beijing, 1948. Ink on silk, (ad 130–50). Donated collection formed by Robert 44 x 858 cm. Bequeathed by the British Museum and Gillian Berg. WA2019.83 by Katy Talati. EA2020.1 in 2019.

22 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 23 ONE HUNDRED VIEWS OF NEW TOKYO CARING FOR (SHIN TOKYO HYAKKEI) THE COLLECTIONS With the support of the Art Fund, Arts Council England / V&A Purchase Grant and the Story Fund, the Ashmolean was able to acquire One Hundred Views of New Tokyo (Shin Tokyo Hyakkei), a series of 100 woodblock prints published between 1929 and 1932. A collaboration between eight Japanese artists from the Creative Print movement, the series set out to celebrate the A meticulous programme of conservation underpins our collections and energy and dynamism of Tokyo as multilayered schedule of exhibitions, events and loans, study visits and teaching it recovered from the devastating to ensure the highest level of care. This work ranges from the analysis and earthquake of 1923. No more than 50 editions were printed, several treatment of an individual Old Master drawing to the design of a large which are believed to have been new University facility for Collections Teaching and Research (CTRC). destroyed during the Second World War. Only three complete sets are Last summer, as part of an An innovative project to develop a This involved looking meticulously kept in museums around the world unprecedented collaboration with shared methodology for studying the for pests and any signs of damage and the fourth, acquired by the Il Parco Archeologico di Pompei we technology and authenticity of mina’i or equipment failure that might affect

ADES FAMILY Ashmolean, is the only complete completed the three-year preparatory ceramics from twelfth-century Iran the collections and works on loan. GIFT OF MEDIEVAL Maekawa Senpan (1888–1960), Subway, 1931. Colour woodblock set in the UK. conservation for Last Supper in Pompeii. also started this year, working closely Lights were turned off sensitive objects, PERSIAN CERAMICS print, 20.5 x 26.8 cm. Purchased Every aspect of the show, including with, and supported by, the Sarikhani while temperature and humidity The Ades Family gift, made under with the assistance of the Art the lighting, the materials, the family. In addition, 25 textiles were readings from over 200 telemetric Fund, the ACE/V&A Purchase the HM Government’s Cultural Gifts environment and the mounts, was investigated and recorded in preparation monitors were accessed online as Grant Fund and the Story Fund, Scheme, comprises eight medieval 2020. EA2020.108 individually assessed and selected, for the publication Aegean Legacies: part of a daily routine to check the Persian ceramics. Varying in technique with the handling and installation Greek Island Embroideries in the performance of air handling units and size, these objects add to the planned and carried out to the Ashmolean Museum. The book is and local controls for optimum Museum’s already strong holdings smallest detail. Investigation continued a compendium to the exhibition temperature and humidity. Care of of ceramics from twelfth- to after the opening of the exhibition on Mediterranean Threads: 18th and 19th the collections on site was paramount thirteenth-century Iran, especially a number of vessels from excavations century Greek Embroideries premièred during this time, requiring a strong in relation to lustreware. These at Pompeii. Scientific collaboration as an online display during lockdown collaboration between the Conservation, objects were part of a large cache with the Department of Chemistry, as part of the Ashmolean From Security and Facilities teams. of medieval vessels probably buried Professor Mark Robinson of Oxford Home Programme. by a merchant in Gurgan (south-east University Museum of Natural History At the same time we have contributed of the Caspian Sea) before the Mongol and others uncovered new discoveries Checking for pests in the towards bringing the designs of the invasion of 1220. The objects were such as traces of urine in the waxy galleries during lockdown. major new Collections Teaching and © Sue Stanton found intact in the early 1940s. Acquired residue on a vessel, confirming its use Research Centre to RIBA stage 4, by N. E. Ades and his brother Clement, as a chamber pot, and the identification enabling work to start on site in July. the ceramics have been extensively of bitumen as a surface coating. Careful CRTC brings together substantial published and exhibited since. They examination of corrosion products on areas of GLAM’s collections within remained in the family until their recent another bowl uncovered and identified the new Reuben College building, donation in 2019 to the Ashmolean minute traces of insects captured located at the centre of the University; and other UK museums. in their last moments. it also creates a state-of-the-art Other projects include the conservation conservation laboratory, as well

of drawings and letters by William as other facilities. This unique space Bowl with pseudo-inscription, Holman Hunt and Edward Burne-Jones, provides exceptional facilities for Iran, twelfth to thirteenth century. generously supported by the Elizabeth teaching, research and digitisation, Fritware, with painting in black Cayzer Charitable Trust, and a and is due to open in October 2021. under a turquoise glaze. paper copy of a tomb painting at Accepted by HM Government With the sudden closure of the Museum under the Cultural Gift Scheme Hierakonpolis, 5 metres in length this spring, however, our attention from the Ades Family Collection and made by F. W. Green c.1899, focused on implementing a regular allocated to the Ashmolean supported by the Friends of . Museum, 2019. EA2019.60 regime of inspections.

24 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PROGRAMME | CARING FOR THE COLLECTIONS 25 The important strategic aim to develop the Ashmolean’s online presence – by increasing digital access to the collections across a range of platforms and transforming the Museum into a virtual source of discovery – was reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past few years we have prioritised the digitisation of our collections, provision of online learning resources and growing our social media content and audiences, making tremendous progress during this time. The period of temporary closure from March to August 2020 has revealed the Museum’s strengths and the opportunities for growth, as well as testifying to the benefits online culture has on our wellbeing.

ONLINE COLLECTIONS and functionality upgrades have Collection Online saw a In July 2020 we reached our also been made to the Collection record-breaking increase of ambitious target of publishing 25 Online website to improve the 100 per cent in site visits by April, per cent of the Ashmolean’s objects user experience. double the traffic from the same on Collection Online. Over the past period in 2019. These statistics This core undertaking has been five years since the project started, demonstrate the value of online made possible through the generous the Digital Collections team has collections in providing continuous, support of donations, including delivered a staggering 33 projects, global access to our world-class Members of the Ashmolean Museum including 24 digitisation and 9 collections for research, learning and this year’s Annual Appeal infrastructure projects. Supported and public enjoyment. Welcoming the World, which focused by collection managers, study room on opening up our digital collections supervisors, curators, interns and to international communities. volunteers, over 190,000 objects from

DIGITAL MUSEUM DIGITAL During lockdown, a web-based app across the Museum are now available on collections.ashmolean.org. Some featuring digital images of the portrait Hong Tao (b.1948), exciting recent additions include prints from the Hope collection was Galloping Rhythm, 2000. Multi-block woodcut, Predynastic material and Coptic quickly developed to overcome the printed with oil-based ink, challenges of remote working. This textiles from the Egyptian collection, 76 x 90cm. EA2007.28 Creswell’s photographs of Islamic enabled more than 50 e-volunteers

to contribute to the Museum’s Architecture and a large number Collection Online offers of portrait prints from the Hope digitisation efforts from their own multiple views of one object collection. Our virtual visitors can homes, resulting in an impressive as demonstrated by Roof Tile in the Form of a Horse, 1601–1700. now search across the collections 5,000 inscriptions being transcribed Stoneware, modelled with purple in three months. using the interactive timeline or and turquoise alkaline glazes, specific criteria. A range of design 26x32.5x12.5cm. EAX.1744

DIGITAL MUSEUM 27 ASHMOLEAN FROM HOME ONLINE WELLBEING It was intriguing to learn that engaging Following the closure of the schools Online access to the Ashmolean has with the Ashmolean online imparted Ashmolean Museum in late March, we quickly issued a proved to be a tonic for many during similar benefits to a physical visit @AshmoleanMuseum lockdown special digital newsletter the pandemic, resulting in a significant to the Museum. 3,000 #IsolationCreations, but make it fashion. 21,833 to direct teachers and parents to increase in online engagement. This woven silk jacket comes from late our online learning resources and Research funding from the University DIGITAL LEARNING individual creative responses 18th-century China. If you look closely, you became the highest Beyond the creation of digital content, can see the detailed dragon roundels and a the Museum’s social media activity. enabled the Museum to work with the were submitted to Isolation brilliant blue wave border. You know the drill! recorded number of plays we continue to spearhead new projects A new online jigsaw collection, Department of Psychiatry and the Creations; each object on our YouTube channel representing objects from Ancient Oxford Internet Institute to study the that use digital technology as a creative posted reached an average in the month of May and Greece, was developed impact of online cultural content on medium. Our Learning team formed to support Key Stage 2 history themes. people’s mental wellbeing. The first a key part in the recent GLAM Digital of 39,000 accounts daily Downloadable activities ranged from phase of the research included an Makers project. This partnership with 10 Things to do with a Landscape online survey to which 1,000 people the , supported by to Colouring Sheets from Oxford contributed; half of them agreeing the Oxford IT Innovation Challenge, Doodle Club. to be involved in follow-up research. ran from June 2019 to February 2020. Defined as ‘learning about technology Alison Bowyer Alison Bowyer Appealing to broader audiences, through making with it’, digital making @alisonbowyer @alisonbowyer our Digital Communications team One positive aspect of this comprises computer coding, visual A little sea dragon... #IsolationCreations To be honest, I don't know the drill, created a series of Instagram filters 28,000 terrible pandemic is that colleagues arts, photography and music, alongside but will this do? based on objects from the collections, in both clinical service and the the integration with electronics or people played our online and the Animal Crossing game imported University’s museums and libraries crafts activities. Digital Makers brought jigsaw puzzles the Museum’s treasures as miniature have responded creatively using together staff from the Ashmolean, artworks through the use of QR codes. digital technology to maintain, and the Bodleian and Makerspace at These were complemented by the even increase, engagement with Oxfordshire County Library and highly successful social media the community. The funding we have . Together participants campaign Isolation Creations, which received will kick-start our evaluation explored the potential of digital challenged audiences to send in their of these innovations – which could making by developing and testing creative responses to the collections. 38,000 be a really powerful way of helping activities with a range of audiences From doodles to knitting projects, people to manage mental including families, young people, people used our new haikus and baked goods, over health problems. library students, conservation staff Instagram filters the course of a month we saw an and trainee teachers. The project eighteenth-century Chinese silk jacket PROFESSOR JOHN GEDDES highlighted that digital making inspires reproduced on a banana peel, the HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY people to explore their creativity and photoshopped onto a it showcased the scope for integration flatbread and an Egyptian siltstone Participants reported that the within the families programmes to figurine recreated in Blu-tack. The Ashmolean online and other cultural support the National Curriculum's campaign received 3,000 responses 86,466 content was calming, inspiring and emphasis on computing. from the public across Instagram, 190,000 helped them feel connected with Twitter and Facebook, creating a visits to the Collection others. Some of the feedback from strong sense of community; new Online website in April participants has included: works now available to search and study audiences tuned in from all corners 2020, which was an of the world. Due to its popularity, increase of 100 per cent in Collection Online, attracting 22,000-page Isolation Creations was widely #IsolationCreations was Different, fun, mind-boggling, compared with April 2019 views in a single week reported and images were published regularly in the Oxford Times. fantastic and engaged me when so much science / IT / maths, I really felt hopeless. They were very 21st century, fascinating… For a more engaged audience, fun, the curator responded, you will need a lot of slots Stories presented a host of articles Oscar Beighton and I am grateful. as these are going to be @OscarBeighton and short videos led by our curatorial very popular team, highlighting themes as diverse SURVEY PARTICIPANT Didn’t have any yellow paper as Indian Deities Protecting us from PARENT AT FAMILIES EVENT Pandemics to Slow Art. 247,523

followers on social media with an increase of 15,163 new followers during lockdown

28 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 DIGITAL MUSEUM 29 Our mission is to increase knowledge and understanding by delivering world-class teaching and creating transformative academic experiences for University students while also presenting a learning offer for all age groups at all educational levels. In so doing we serve the needs of the University, our family audiences, school students and further education learners.

CURRICULAR TEACHING During my MSt at Oxford Our collections and exhibitions Our curators have made vital University (2017–18) I catalogued are catalysts for teaching projects. contributions to curricular teaching nineteenth-century photograph Regular collaborations take place across the University during the past albums of Indian sites and landscapes, between curators, staff and students academic year (2019–20). Complete and went on to use these objects to support course goals, such as modules in the Humanities (HUM) as the basis of my research. This Theory and Methods in the History and the Social Sciences Division (SSD) experience had a significant impact of Art. taught primarily around the Ashmolean on my choice of career as a cataloguer In response to Covid-19, curators collections, including The Body and at a major auction house. Not only taught online courses in preparation Adornment: Material Culture of Later did my object-based study at the for exams and final assessments Medieval Britain, Roman and Greek Museum contribute to my desire to where photographs replaced object Coinage, Islamic Art and Archaeology, work closely with art and artefacts handling. Although no substitute for Ancient Near Eastern Artefacts, Trade after university, but it also continues handling an object in person, such and Exchange in South Asia, Ancient to influence me in how I look at online courses reiterated the value Egypt and Mesopotamia, Painters on and study works of art. My time of our digital assets and the vital Painting in China and Encountering at the Ashmolean showed me the contribution of museum-based

TEACHING MUSEUM TEACHING South Asian Sculpture. Using our rich history that could be gleaned teaching to the University. collections to facilitate object-based from the careful study of individual learning to drive intellectual inquiry, objects, alone and in conjunction Our curators also supported other four courses featured material with other artefacts, and how higher education institutions (HEI) drawn from our holdings of art valuable the Museum’s role is delivering object-based teaching and archaeology. Several of our in recording this research. and research across multiple Museum-based courses supported disciplines in institutions such as the student call to diversify Eurocentric FRANCES BELSHAM Oxford Brookes, University College FORMER STUDENT Oxford curricular and reading lists London, Basel, Bristol, Cambridge, by developing an understanding Gloucester, Leicester, Reading of the material culture from Egypt, and Warwick Universities. Iraq, India and China.

Being able to handle objects and walk around the Ashmolean collections during classes provided an invaluable learning experience. The ability to see the details up close meant that any research we conducted subsequently was enriched by an unparalleled understanding of the nuance of each piece.

SEHRISH JAVID GRADUATE STUDENT

TEACHING MUSEUM 31 UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT Krasis, now in its third year, has LEARNING FOR EVERYONE programme of sessions across programme offered activities PROGRAMME (UEP) brought together undergraduates Our Learning programme is designed Classics, Art & Design, History spanning talks, workshops, tours This year marked the final chapter and researchers in 18 disciplines from to transport all participants to an array of Art and Creative Writing. and study room visits, animating of our grant from the Andrew W Mellon 24 colleges for a unique series of of times, places and cultures through the themes of the collections and 31,335 A-level Study Days have also Foundation, which has funded the UEP interdisciplinary symposia. We have memorable encounters based on our exhibitions programme. One of the continued, attracting input from children and young for more than eight years. This grant supported and trained participants in collections. Over the past year we have highlights was the Clay Live Festival, partner teachers and GLAM people from early years has transformed our relationship with the continuing series of research-led focused on developing targeted in partnership with the Craft Potters colleagues. Fully booked Study the University and diversified our rich gallery talks, now in its fifth iteration, partnerships with organisations Association, which saw a mass – and to A-level and FE took Days have explored Chaucer’s and productive contribution to under the heading Talking Emotions. from the local community to create messy – practical workshop on the part in Ashmolean World, the Renaissance, Classics teaching and learning at Oxford. meaningful relationships that we Museum forecourt. Bespoke visits to The Andrew W Mellon Foundation’s and History of Art. learning programmes can build on, well into the future. exhibitions and events were organised In the past year the UEP team accounted support has empowered the Museum Our work with secondary students for groups, clubs and societies, for close to 50 per cent of all the to expand vastly the volume of its FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS was recognised by the University with requests for group visits to Ashmolean’s academic activities in teaching. It has increased the diversity For families, our varied and playful with two prestigious Vice Chancellor’s Last Supper in Pompeii breaking the University. As well as delivering of the Museum’s interaction with the programme has welcomed over Education Awards for Voices in the all records. curricular teaching – providing University both within and without the 5,700 people throughout the year Gallery, a unique collaborative project 1,400 courses, classes and lectures at curriculum, enabling the Ashmolean who have taken part in our weekly with Oxford Spires Academy, and ASHMOLEAN TEACHER TRAINING undergraduate and Masters-level to engage with an academic community different objects Baby Ashmoles sessions, used our Classics in Communities, a partnership We have continued to work with for faculties as diverse as English, far wider than any since the Museum’s were the focus across family activity packs and been a with the Classics Department. Higher Education institutions such Neuroscience, German and Psychiatry founding in 1683. And just as the part of our targeted community as Oxford University, De Montfort over 50 University – the UEP has developed programmes UEP has sought to establish the engagement with our key partners University and Nottingham Trent of Oxford courses to increase the breadth and depth Museum as an inclusive, accessible, across the city. Among these partners The Vice-Chancellor’s award University. This year we worked with of dialogue between Museum and interdisciplinary resource for Oxford, is Peeple, an Oxford-based charity for the superb Voices in the Gallery Oxford Brookes University to deliver University beyond the curriculum. so Oxford – in all its intellectual that supports parents and children. project means a lot to students and a three-day training course at the richness – has become a key resource The oversubscribed ‘Eloquent staff at Oxford Spires Academy. Ashmolean on teaching Arts and for us as we seek to understand, Beyond the core primary schools Things’ course, training early-career The students involved were forced Humanities using Museum objects interpret and share our remarkable programme, we collaborated with researchers and faculty members migrants and new to learning English; and the ‘Take One’ approach. Ninety 1,000+ collections. For all this we are specific schools on a broad range in object-centred teaching, is now they valued the opportunity to first-year BEd students came for students and faculty profoundly grateful. of projects. One such was Digital established within the Humanities engage with, and learn about, objects a one-day workshop, using the Portraits, which involved 60 Year Six members were hosted and Social Sciences Divisions. in the Museum, to talk with curators collections to inspire music, art and children from Rose Hill Primary School by UEP. They collaborated The Faculty Fellows scheme has and to produce podcasts of real dance, while fifteen third-year BEd in East Oxford working with an artist to extended its reach, for example quality. They very much enjoyed students attended a four-day training with colleagues, students create art inspired by the collections. into the departments of Education the experience of choosing and course. We were delighted to host Rose Hill Primary School. Workshops took place at both the and researchers in 26 and Musculoskeletal Medicine. © Rachael Lowes connecting with an object in the Dr Nigel Fancourt from Oxford school and the Museum, culminating subjects, from 36 of the collection and exploring links to University’s Education Department in a public exhibition at the Ashmolean 44 colleges and halls their own cultures of origin. Their for a term as part of the Ashmolean’s during the summer of 2019. of the University pride in their achievement was University Engagement Programme touching, and the recordings showed Faculty Fellows initiative. We are also the potential of the young people regular contributors to the training We had a very emotional we welcome to our city. programme for the Oxfordshire Year Six leavers’ assembly Teaching Schools Alliance based today – I think the Digital HEAD OF SIXTH FORM at School. Here we run OXFORD SPIRES ACADEMY 1,000 Portraits will be one of their a half-day training session for eight most memorable and trainee English teachers and a hours were spent by creative memories. whole day for 80 trainee teachers curators teaching University YOUNG PEOPLE AND from across a wide range of classes and giving tutorials SUE VERMES HEADTEACHER ADULT PROGRAMMES secondary subjects. ROSE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL CREATIVES is a group for 17–19-year All of this resulted in nearly 1,000 olds. It provides a unique insight into Higher Education students and The Ashmolean has continued how a museum works through monthly researchers receiving direct to strengthen its relationships with meetings where the group learn about engagement with the Ashmolean secondary schools and Further the Museum, staff and collections. Learning team. 200 A total of 648 young people took part Education institutions. We worked graduate teaching sessions closely with colleagues in key city in sessions led by our Learning team. and 240 undergraduate schools, Oxford Activate Learning (FE), Meanwhile, over 7,988 adults took part Oxford University and Oxford Brookes in other programmes and activities. teaching sessions were held University to run a strong ongoing Of these, our public What’s On

32 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 TEACHING MUSEUM 33 As a University Museum we strive to produce world-class research, either in collaboration or individually, to complement our teaching offer. Our research ranges from conventional books and articles to excavation reports and catalogues, innovative research projects and major web-based digital platforms. Curatorial staff supervise doctorates, including students studying at other Universities through the Arts, Humanities and Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership, and we also host early-career researchers.

EXHIBITIONS AND RESEARCH explores the non-imperial coinage As an early career researcher, Our exhibitions programme is an of the Romans, shedding light on I have worked on coins struck important source of new research, local identities and histories through in ancient Spain to those of as seen in the catalogue for Young a combined catalogue of the ten Queen Anne, adding over Rembrandt and the pioneering leading collections in the world. The 3,500 coins to our online project is of interest both to collectors collaboration between Il Parco collections. Recently I have Archeologico di Pompei and the and the scholarly community. Now edited a volume of new Ashmolean in connection with the available as a web app, the site receives research on the coinage Last Supper in Pompeii exhibition. two million-page views a year. The new five-year research project of Alexander the Great and written a book, Money and Chromotope, a partnership with the Sorbonne University and funded by (1827–1881), Power in Hellenistic Bactria, the European Research Council (ERC), The Great Bookcase, 1859–62. featuring coins from Hellenistic Pine, carved, painted and gilded, started in October 2019 and will Central Asia, which will be 317.5 x 173.9 x 49.5 cm. WA1933.26 underpin our future exhibition The published later this year.

Colour Revolution: Turner to Whistler. Roman hoard from This is the first academic study into the Mecklenburg-Volpommern, SIMON GLENN change in attitudes towards colour in fifth century ad, Germany RESEARCH FELLOW the nineteenth century. It will examine how the ‘chromatic turn’ of the 1850s mapped out new ways of thinking

RESEARCHING MUSEUM about colour in literature, art, science and technology throughout Europe. The project includes a Conservation post to investigate the use of colour on William Burges’s The Great Bookcase (1859–62).

DIGITAL RESEARCH Home to two leading online coin projects, our digital research has flourished during lockdown. Treasure catches the public imagination, and through the online Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire project, funded by The Augustus Foundation, we have led an extensive international collaboration to make this form of national heritage freely available to all. Already online are 15,000 hoards containing an astonishing five million coins. Roman Provincial Coinage Online

RESEARCHING MUSEUM 35 RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS Ian Hicks, the first of two Ashmolean- PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 01 We also take pride in the support Getty Paper Project Research Fellows, AND RESEARCH we give to research in other parts worked as part of the Italian Drawings As part of Last Supper in Pompeii of the world. The India-Oxford Project to catalogue our rich collection, we collaborated with The Oxford Initiative, now hosted by the Museum, preparing entries to appear online. Research Centre for the Humanities is an exciting mechanism for the The Fellowship supported research (TORCH) to stage Carpe Diem – £3,808,900 University of Oxford to share, promote in public and private collections a late-night event timed to coincide and build on its diverse range of in Europe and North America and with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius collaborations and partnerships with collaboration with visiting experts. which began on 24 October ad 79. is the total value of the 16 research projects the Indian subcontinent. Research Ian also engaged diverse audiences Oxford students continue to run running during 2019-20 in which the Ashmolean and academic activities of the Initiative with his research, including presentations Uncomfortable Ashmolean Tours, fall under the umbrella of Overseas in the Print Room to Ashmolean donors, exploring the colonial links and is leading or in which it is involved Development Assistance, funded Oxford faculty and students, and the other, previously hidden, stories in our through the University’s Global general public. collection. The launch of Our Museum: Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Our Voices has paved new ways for 02 Angelamaria Aceto is the Research Strategic Funds. previously overlooked and under- Assistant on the Italian Drawings represented groups to find themselves Elsewhere, the Cast Gallery has Project, funded by the Tavolozza in the Museum through gallery 4,631 been involved in partnerships Foundation and the Wolfgang Ratjen interventions and an online exhibition in archaeological excavations at Foundation. Her focus on the visitors used the Print devised by students and early-career Aphrodisias, south-western Turkey, remarkable and underexplored Room and Study Rooms researchers from the University. By researching the changing character collection of architectural and across the Ashmolean curating a series of alternative labels, of Greek city life from the Roman ornament drawings from the fifteenth they have enabled perspectives that between 1 August 2019 period into late antiquity, and at to the eighteenth centuries has led have historically been marginalised and 17 March 2020 Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli, Italy, studying to many new discoveries. in our public galleries to become the the private culture of a great imperial central focus – in this year’s project retreat in the second century ad. INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH their own diverse ethnicities and 03 Meanwhile, a collaboration with the Over the year we have produced 47 LGBTQ+ identities. We hope in future Art Institute of Chicago oversaw the individual research outputs. Individual years to expand the programme to full-scale reconstruction of the plaster research is remarkably diverse. To amplify and listen to other previously cast of Ludovisi-Chicago Antinous. give a flavour, current research in the unheard voices – not only within our Using digital scanning and three- Department of Antiquities, one of the £327,670 academic community but from the dimensional printing, two separate Museum’s six research departments, city, region and beyond. parts belonging to the same original embraces an Upper Palaeolithic flint sculpture were pieced together. group (12–13,000 bc) from Guildford, is the total value awarded to 6 new research THE PRINT ROOM Subsequent improvements have Sir ’s discoveries at AND STUDY ROOMS projects funded in 2019–20 which the Ashmolean recently been made to create , the culture and archaeology Our dedicated Western Art Print a more accurate version of the of Cyprus in the Archaic period, is leading or with which it is involved Room and other Departmental Ludovisi-Chicago bust, and this daily life in ancient Italy, 3D imaging study rooms offer an opportunity for will soon go on display in Chicago. (photogrammetry) of the Arundel researchers, University teaching and Collection of Roman sculptures and Closer to home, following receipt members of the public to come face 04 inscriptions, the archaeology of of an award from Oxford’s Higher to face with the Museum’s collections. emotion in the later medieval period 8 Masters & Education Innovation Fund allocation and the Reverend William MacGregor, Over the past year 2,309 visitors from Research England, we have a major nineteenth-century collector attended the Western Art Print Room 13 Doctoral supported an Early-Career Research of Egyptian material. and 1,596 visitors attended the Fellow to engage with the history of Eastern Art Study Room, comprising students were the Indian Collection at Powis Castle individuals and groups from across supervised by curators and reinterpret the collection. The the academic community and broader Italian Drawings Research Project, at the Ashmolean public. Meanwhile 7,248 objects were funded by a major grant from The studied in the Heberden Coin Room, Getty Foundation (The Paper Project), while over 2,300 objects were used has also involved curatorial training. for teaching and research purposes 01 03 Detail of William Burges (1827–1881), Raphael (1483–1520), Studies of two in the Antiquities Study Room. The Great Bookcase, 1851–62. Pine, Apostles and of their hands, c.1519–20. carved, painted and gilded. WA1933.26 Black chalk over pounced underdrawing

with some white heightening on laid paper, View of excavations at 02 AND 04 49.9 x 36.4cm. WA1846.209 Aphrodisias, South-western Krasis symposium and Medical students Turkey 2019. © Prof. Bert Smith in the Western Art Print Room. © Jim Harris

36 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 RESEARCHING MUSEUM 37 NATIONAL AND 113 45 07 02 16 09 works went on tour works went on loan to research projects across Europe research projects in works went on loan to works went on loan INTERNATIONAL REACH in Degas to Picasso: Restoring the Minoans since 2016: the Middle East between The Blue Road, Liang to exhibitions in Japan Creating Modernism at the Institute for the 2016 and 2020: Yi Museum, Hong Kong including 2 in Stradivarius, Chromotope: An Exploration into in France to Milwaukee Study of the Ancient Mori Arts Centre, Tokyo Colour in the 19th Century, supported The Nahrein Network: World; 27 works went by European Research Council (ERC) New Ancient History on loan to Michelangelo Research for Education at the Metropolitan Archaeological Excavations at The Ashmolean’s national and international programme in Iraq and its Neighbours, Museum of Art, New York Aphrodisias, Turkey and Hadrian’s supported by Global of research, loans and touring exhibitions continues Villa at Tivoli, Italy Challenges Research Fund to expand across the world. Since we started mapping Ancient Coinage as Cultural Heritage, Divination and Art in the our research partnerships in 2016, the statistics below supported by AHRC JPICH 02 Islamic World, supported capture the impact of the Museum’s national and Oxford–Paris Alexander Project, by the Leverhulme Trust works are on long-term supported by AHRC international reach over the past four years. loan to the Metropolitan Museum, New York Transforming our Understanding of Raphael with Eloquence in Drawing, RESEARCH PROGRAMME supported by the Leverhulme Trust

275 research partnerships were conducted Italian Drawings Project, part of in 36 countries, including 172 project 102 the international Paper Project collaborators across 146 institutions worldwide. programme funded by The Getty works went on tour in Foundation from 2018 Freepik.com. This map has been designed using resources from Freepik.com LOAN PROGRAMME Great British Drawings to Princeton University MAP: 1,054 objects have been lent to 270 exhibitions Art Museum across the across the world. 48 objects are on long-term loan to 4 museums in Finland, Italy, the USA and the Netherlands and 344 objects are on long-term loan to 18 museums across the UK.

TOURING EXHIBITION PROGRAMME 18 exhibitions have travelled to 3 international venues and 23 UK venues.

Map highlighting the breadth of the Ashmolean’s international reach with examples from its research, loan and touring programmes between 2016–2020.

55 34 23 45 36 35 43 01 works went on works went on tour including works went on loan works went on loan to works went on works went on loan to works are on research project tour including the Making an Impression: to Codebreakers Pissarro à Eragny, Musée loan to Life at the Raphael: The Drawings, long-term loan at in Australia in 2020: Watlington Hoard to Prints by Pissarro, Manet Groundbreakers: du Luxembourg, Paris Dead Sea, Museum The Albertina, Austria the Archaeological The Wonders that Basham University of Nottingham and their Contemporaries From the Enigma Codes of Archaeology, Museum, Cori, Italy Saw – Australian National Museum; and Jorvik to Broadway Art Gallery and to the decipherment Chemnitz, Germany University, Global Research Viking Centre, York Museum; Wolverhampton of Linear B, Fitzwilliam Partnerships Scheme Art Gallery; ZAMEK Culture Museum, Cambridge Centre, Poland

38 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 RESEARCHING MUSEUM 39

The Ashmolean’s staff and volunteers remain at the heart of our ability to fulfil our educational and research objectives and to offer our visitors, Members and supporters an excellent and memorable experience of the Museum.

We are incredibly thankful to all VOLUNTEERS I am proud that GLAM has our staff, volunteers, benefactors We saw a significant increase in supported and trained up colleagues and Members for their support of volunteers at the Ashmolean, with a to be Mental Health First Aiders. the Ashmolean this year. Their efforts total of 142 new volunteers recruited Obviously now more than ever people have enabled us to ensure the security to the team in 2019 from a broad are suffering with mental health issues of the building and collections, as well range of ages and backgrounds. and the fact that they have a point as their conservation and maintenance We have more than doubled the of contact for support and guidance throughout lockdown. Our thanks go number of young volunteers aged is essential in these testing times. SUSTAINABILITY to the Government for giving our staff 18-24, with these roles offering Sometimes it is just the fact that the opportunity to take part in the the first opportunity to gain work someone listens to you. Awareness

OUR PEOPLE AND furlough scheme which generated a experience in a museum. These roles that we all, at times, suffer with mental £500,000 saving, making a significant have included public engagement health and the fact that there are contribution towards the Museum’s such as supporting object handling people who will listen, offer guidance financial stability. sessions for visitors and giving and encourage the person to seek lunchtime tours of the galleries, help or encourage others to support STAFF WELLBEING as well as extending to behind the them is the key to being a MHFA. Over the last year we have been scenes work in documenting and working to embed the wellbeing digitising the collections. CHRISTOPHER DOOGUE initiatives developed in response MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDER (MHFA) AND ADMINISTRATOR, DEPARTMENT to our staff survey. We ran our OF WESTERN ART second six-week mindfulness course and continued to offer online mindfulness and mental health awareness courses, yoga classes and training for a network of Mental Health First Aiders. To complement the support available, we now have access to an Employee Assistance Programme, which offers physical and mental health support, counselling, self-help and legal advice free of charge 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Vincent Gill, Visitor Experience Assistant (VEA) in the Ashmolean’s galleries. © Emily Jarrett

OUR PEOPLE AND SUSTAINABILITY 41 SUSTAINABILITY: IN MEMORIAM OUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT

the first ever exhibition on In 1999 Mark was appointed to Dora Carrington; his recent major lead the new single Conservation exhibition was devoted to Stradivarius. Department, bringing together Characteristically, after his retirement conservators from five curatorial Jon continued to work on the departments as one. This proved an collections he had done so much to opportunity for him to address the To further our commitment to embedding sustainable considerations The Museum’s Environmental shape, completing before his untimely needs of the collections as a whole. reducing the environmental impact in purchasing decisions throughout Sustainability Committee is made up death a catalogue of French paintings. The 2004–2009 redevelopment and of our activities, our Environmental our supply chain; making strides of a group of passionate, thoughtful His spirit remains with us as a beloved innovative thematic redisplay of Sustainability Committee has towards achieving Fairtrade members of staff who are united in colleague and exemplary curator. the Ashmolean’s collections was identified a number of priority areas. Foundation Accreditation. the belief that the Ashmolean has a a tremendous logistical as well as These include the reduction of our Our staff and volunteers have moral imperative to act in response conservation challenge. Many of the energy consumption and carbon engaged and worked proactively, to the current environmental crisis. 1945–2020 most fragile and complex objects footprint, either by reducing use or with the Committee’s support, In our first year, we have formulated were now displayed for the first time. finding sustainable alternatives; a With his conservation team Mark towards implementing more a robust sustainability policy and Jon Whiteley, Assistant Keeper of commitment to choosing low-impact worked tirelessly, leading on the sustainable practices across outlined the key projects that we Western Art at the Ashmolean from travel options; new ways to reduce decant of 500,000 objects, testing the work of the Museum. want to focus on to ensure the 1978 to 2014, and subsequently waste and promote recycling across 450 cases, providing support for Ashmolean meets its targets in Honorary Curator, was exceptional all facets of the Museum, from food 39 new galleries, overseeing the this area, and we look forward in every way. Jon was a generous waste to exhibition materials; refurbishment of 17 existing galleries to taking these forward. colleague and mentor, a distinguished promoting re-use of single use and developing six new stores. Two art historian, a brilliant lecturer and an plastics; investing in research and permanent galleries on the theme EMILY JARRETT extraordinarily modest and honourable optimisation of our limited green CHAIR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL of Conservation remain unparalleled individual. The fame of the Ashmolean’s MARK NORMAN space to support biodiversity; SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE in the country; they are a testament Western Art Print Room as a welcoming 1949–2019 to Mark’s commitment to conservation place for study and enjoyment is largely and public engagement. due to the standards Jon set over his 36 Mark Norman, much loved former years as a curator, through his dedication Head of Conservation at the Improvement in the conservation, care to public service and to sharing his Ashmolean, sadly and unexpectedly and understanding of the collections profound understanding of art. died of a cardiac arrest in Guernsey, through major redevelopments, his place of birth, on 27 October 2019. pioneering environmental monitoring The son of two schoolteachers, and control, investigative approaches Jon was passionate about education, Mark joined the Museum in 1985 as to conservation and state-of-the-art helping to set up in 1981 what is now Chief Conservator in the Department conservation facilities are all legacies our Learning Department. Obituaries of Antiquities. He demonstrated his of Mark’s 31 years at the Museum. He in the national press emphasised his passion for the Egyptian collections was immensely proud of his team and unusual career trajectory as an early on, conserving the largest single their new home, retiring as Head of award-winning child film star. This object in the Museum, the seventh- Conservation in 2016. As a colleague early experience was formative: in century bc Nubian Shrine of , and friend he was approachable, kind his public talks Jon inhabited the part, with the conservator Seamus Hannah. and always on side, giving his team bringing the Pre-Raphaelites, French This began Mark’s longstanding unwavering support. Outside Oxford Impressionists, musical instruments contribution to understanding the his influence was widespread, and his or ceramics to life for his audience. conservation of Egyptian objects and breadth of knowledge and capacity Renowned for his breadth of knowledge his pioneering work on the history for detail was legendary. and depth of scholarship, Jon was an of conservation, which uncovered inspirational teacher to Oxford students a wealth of information on the way and a curator of memorably beautiful these objects have been treated and exhibitions. In his early career at Christ used as well as the people involved. Church Picture Gallery, he organised

42 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 OUR PEOPLE AND SUSTAINABILITY 43 MEMBERSHIP PHILANTHROPY Japanese and Middle Eastern COMMERCIAL AND FUNDRAISING Our Membership reached Philanthropy plays a vital role in Collections. We are profoundly 9,000 Members, following on-site enabling the Museum’s strategic aims. grateful to all our supporters this year, recruitment during the Pompeii Little did we know how relevant our from our Group Patrons exhibition. Further improvements Welcoming the World fundraising to individual benefactors, trusts and were introduced to the Membership’s appeal to support the digitisation foundations. All of them underpin support systems: real-time direct of the collections would become, our ability to safeguard our treasures debit went live in November 2019, just as it successfully concluded in and to share them with the world. streamlining a faster sign-up process, early March. While the pandemic has The challenges the Museum has faced removing paper forms and facilitating undoubtedly affected our fundraising, have underlined the importance of To ensure a sustainable business model, our commercial enterprises are focused on membership retention. Members’ Week with many donors and funders our campaign to continue to expand in November 2019 was well attended, hesitant regarding their own enhancing the customer experience and growing our earnings. This year we delivered the Museum’s endowment. In doing offering a range of events. Of these investments in light of the financial a net profit of £517,150 from Retail and Brand Licensing, Catering, Venue Hire, Corporate this we seek to ensure that future behind-the-scenes tours proved impacts of Covid-19 and their ability and Friends Membership, Picture Library and Publishing. Before the Museum closure in changes to our funding from the the most popular, with many sessions to engage with the Museum through University, or to our commercial March, the commercial arm had been performing strongly with a net profit of £590,000, fully booked in advance. Members’ lockdown, we have also found our income, do not limit our ability to 13 per cent ahead of the previous year and on track to exceed £1m net profit. Week led to an increase in commercial closest friends only too eager to help share our collections and expertise benefit from our shops and catering the Museum weather the storm. Some with the world. Our ongoing attention RETAIL AND BRAND LICENSING In January we appointed Start CATERING outlets, where Members receive of our most loyal supporters have is focused on transformational Our strategy to strengthen the Licensing as our exclusive brand Over the past year we have sought discounts as part of their come forward to make gifts, including endowment gifts that will ensure themes of the exhibitions and licensing partner to build the income to animate the Ashmolean Café and benefit package. a very generous donation from steady support for our most collections within our commercial from our commercial portfolio. Rooftop Restaurant. The success Ashmolean Fellows Barrie and We continue to value the support important activities. spaces, as demonstrated by the Income from licensing more than of the Café’s transformation into Deedee Wigmore. Our Patrons have of our twenty Corporate Members, broad product range in our doubled this year, with the addition the Taberna Ashmolean during remained steadfast in their support 65 per cent of whom have been a Exhibitions Shop during Last Supper of new partners such as Treccani, Last Supper in Pompeii, for example, with renewals coming in on schedule, part of the membership for over six in Pompeii, generated sales income an Italian publisher, who produced a was followed by a similar take-over despite global events. years. This year we were delighted across our retail businesses and online limited-edition boxed set of facsimile for Young Rembrandt. Curated events to welcome five new member Our special thanks go out to Mr of close to £830,000. By March 2019 drawings from our Raphael collection. such as our Gin ’n’ Jazz evenings on organisations to the scheme. and Mrs Shikanai and the Shikanai our retail income was 23 per cent Following several visits to the Print the Rooftop Terrace, as well as the Annual Patrons Dinner, Foundation, and the Sarikhani family, November 2019. ahead of the previous year and our Room, these prints have been introduction of special exhibition for their respective support of the © Martin Phelps online business sales were up 35 painstakingly rendered as close packages combined with afternoon per cent year on year, with the to the originals as technology will tea or lunch, also enhanced our priority categories of stationery, allow, including using overlaid customer offer. books, jigsaws and gift jewellery. paper for authenticity.

44 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 COMMERCIAL AND FUNDRAISING 45 BENEFACTORS, GIFTS AND LEGACIES

BENEFACTORS Italian Cultural Institute in London Mr Charles and Mrs Alison Young Ian and Caroline Laing THE TRADESCANT PATRONS FELLOWS OF THE J Paul Getty Jr General Charitable Trust Zurcher Trust Fund John and Margaret Leighfield Adrian Swire Charitable Trust Malcom and Susan Bannister ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM The John S Cohen Foundation Mrs Edmée Leventis A G Leventis Foundation Mr Peter and Dr Susan Burge Mary Ellen Johnson and Richard Karl Goeltz Catherine Lewis Foundation Mr Nicholas Barber CBE The Al Tajir Trust THE 1683 SOCIETY Arabella and James Campbell Mr Chris Jones and Ms Sara Everett The Linbury Trust The late Mrs Joyce von Bothmer The Andrew W Mellon Foundation Bernard and Ilse Colman Ms Cleo Kedros The Loveday Charitable Trust Professor Christopher Brown CBE Walter G Arader IV Mr Nicholas Barber CBE Mr Nicholas and Mrs Josephine Cross Ms Latifa Kosta James and Béatrice Lupton The Clore Duffield Foundation Arts Council England Mr Thomas Brown ACIB Ms Miranda Curtis Ian and Caroline Laing Mr and Mrs Julian Mash Mrs Mica Ertegun Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund Professor Gerald Cadogan Dr Harry A Dickinson Mr John and Mrs Margaret Leighfield Professor Richard Mayou The Garfield Weston Foundation The Art Fund Mrs Lucy Carter Lord and Lady Egremont The Catherine Lewis Foundation Mrs Lois Moore Mr Stephen Gosztony Association for Roman Archaeology Dr David Chambers Alun and Hilary Evans The Linbury Trust Gordon and Dena McCallum The late Mrs Jaleh Hearn The Atlas Fund Mrs Sarah Coe John and Susan Farnell Mr Matthew and Mrs Frances Lindsey-Clark Mr Scott and Mrs Claire McGlashan The Lady Heseltine The Augustus Foundation Caroline Pinder Cracraft MBE Lord and Lady Fitzroy The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust Professor Ruth Muschel Mr Yousef Jameel Hon LHD The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust Lady Davson Jean Flemming The Luscinus Trust and Professor Gillies McKenna Mr Daniel and Mrs Gry Katz The Bagri Foundation Dr Harry Dickinson Mr and Mrs John Fox The late Mr Mike Malone Mr Nicholas Nops Mr Neil Kreitman The Barakat Trust Mr Richard Falkiner Mr Peter and Mrs Susie Furnivall Mr Grier H Merwin Iliane Ogilvie Thompson Ian and Caroline Laing Mr Stephen and Mrs Kimiko Barber The Lady Heseltine Mr David H Gye The Michael Marks Charitable Trust Jane and Mike O'Regan Mrs Edmée Leventis Dr John and Dr Carol Barton Mrs Eunice Martin Simon Hogg The late Mr Brian Donald Hewens Miller Dr Stephen Page and Anthea Morland Mr Christian Levett Bei Shan Tang Foundation Miss Sara Selvarajah Mrs Irene Hopton Scott The National Lottery Heritage Fund Mr and Mrs Charles Park Leon Levy Foundation Robert and Gillian Berg and all those who wish to remain anonymous. Jeremy and Teresa Irwin-Singer Mr Nicholas Nops The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes CH Mrs Ofra Meitar Birkelsche Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur Mrs Stephen Jakeman The late Miss Ursula Overbury and Lady Patten The Michael Marks Charitable Trust S and A Jeffreys Blavatnik Family Foundation OxFORD Asset Management THE ELIAS ASHMOLE GROUP Mark and Jill Pellew The Andrew W Mellon Foundation Dr Martin Kenig Mr Dennis Britton P F Charitable Trust Cecilia Akerman Kressner Michael and Sue Pragnell The Rt Hon the Lord Powell of Bayswater KCMG Mr and Mrs L E Linaker The Bulldog Trust Pew Charitable Trusts Richard and Diana Allan Mr and Mrs Michael Priest The late Professor Hans Rausing KBE Mr Anthony and Mrs Jennifer Loehnis The late Mrs Elizabeth Burchfield (née Knight), Pictet & Cie Mr Peter and Mrs Rosemary Andreae Mrs Yvonne Pye and Mrs Märit Rausing Lord and Lady Marks of Henley-On-Thames widow of Dr Robert Burchfield Mr Philippe Pieters Sue and Sandy Arbuthnot Mrs Margaret Riley Dr Angelita Trinidad Reyes Mrs E J Martineau Peter and Sally Cadbury Michael and Sue Pragnell Mr Stephen and Mrs Kimiko Ms Virginia Ross The Robert and Rena Lewin Charitable Trust Dr Thomas Parry Janice and Brian Capstick Sir John Ritblat Mrs Gillian Berg Mr and Mrs Simon Ryde Mr George Robinson Mrs S Peach Lord and Lady Carrington ESG Robinson Charitable Trust Per and Louise Berggen Dame Theresa Sackler The Ronus Foundation Lord and Lady Phillimore The late Ms Pamela Carr-Taylor The Ronus Foundation Mrs Zara Bone The Rt Hon the Lord Sainsbury of The Rt Hon the Lord Rothschild OM GBE Mr and Mrs Mark Phythian-Adams The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust Ms Virginia Ross Mr David and Mrs Melanie Boyle Preston Candover KG and Lady Sainsbury Dame Theresa Sackler Mr and Mrs Simon Polito CHK Charities Limited The Rothschild Foundation Professor Christopher Brown CBE Mrs Ina Sandmann The Rt Hon the Lord Sainsbury Mrs Dinah Reynolds Dr Nicola Coldstream Royal Archaeological Institute and Mrs Sally Brown Mr Ali Sarikhani and Mrs Sabine Sarikhani of Preston Candover KG Mr L C C Reynolds The CPF Trust The Ruddock Foundation for the Arts Giles and Vanessa Campion Mr John Scott and Mrs Penny Scott The Rt Hon Sir Timothy Sainsbury Mr David Rowe The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Bonnie M. Sampsell Lord and Lady Carrington James and Shirley Sherwood Mr Timothy and Mrs Damaris Sanderson Adrian Sassoon Mr Richard de Unger The Sarikhani Family Mr and Mrs Mark Chambers Mr and Mrs Michael Simpson Mr Bernard and Mrs Lisa Selz Dr and Mrs Timothy Schroder The Poleberry Foundation and Martin Dunphy John and Penelope Scott Dr Nicola Coldstream Sir Martin and Lady Smith Mr Hiroaki and Mrs Atsuko Shikanai Professor William and Dr Julie Scott-Jackson The Elias Ashmole Trust The Selz Foundation Mrs Gisela and Mr Charles Cooper David Stern and Lélia Pissarro Mr Hugh Sloane Alan Smith James and Vanessa Emmett Ms Priscylla Shaw Joan and Colin Crouch Lady Juliet and Dr Christopher Tadgell Mr Stephen W C Stow C D and P J Stockwell Lord and Lady Farmer Mr Hiroaki and Mrs Atsuko Shikanai Mr Geoffrey and Mrs Caroline de Jager Helen and Tim Throsby Mr Carl Subak Mr and Mrs Nicholas Strathon The late Ms Irene Finch and the Shikanai Foundation Professor Sir John and Lady Elliott Mrs Kathryn Uhde Mr Bernard Taylor CBE DL Ms Kay Symons and Mr Graham Harding Denys Firth Family Foundation The late Dr Ann M Soutter, née Ridler James and Vanessa Emmett Sir Christopher and Lady White Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza Jean Thompson Mr Martin Foley Edward Speelman Ltd Lady Fergusson Charles and Alison Young The Wellby Family Dr Jennie Turner Dame Helen Ghosh Sir Hugh and Lady Stevenson Denys and Victoria Firth and all those who wish to remain anonymous. Mr Barrie and Mrs Deedee Wigmore Professor David and Dr Mary Warrell Mr C M Gorman-Evans Mr Stephen W C Stow Dr Peter and Mrs Jessica Frankopan The William Delafield Charitable Trust Henry and Rosamond Warriner The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Ms Kay Symons and Mr Graham Harding Mr Robin and Mrs Camilla Geffen Winton Capital Management Mr David and Mrs Rosemary Wharton The late Miss Hazel Grinyer Tavolozza Foundation Mary Ellen Johnson and Richard Karl Goeltz Lady Wolfson of Marylebone Sir Martin and Lady Wood GRoW @ Annenberg The Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art Mr Stephen Gosztony and Ms Sue Butcher and all those who wish to remain anonymous. Colonel Tom Hall Thriplow Charitable Trust Peter Grendelmeier (Switzerland) The Headley Trust Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza Dr Christoph and Mrs Katrin Henkel Thomas and Linda Heagy Mr Anthony Walker Lord and Lady Heseltine The late Mrs Jaleh Hearn Mrs Nicola Walton Ms Beatrice Holland Mr Malcolm Herring Mr Chris and Mrs Wendy Ward Lady Hornby The Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine, CH John Warner Mr and Mrs M Houghton-Berry and Lady Heseltine Susan and Matthew Weatherbie Mr Guy A Ingram Michael Hue-Williams Michael Werner Charles and Frances Jackson The Huo Family Foundation The late Miss Cecil Western Mr Chris Jones and Ms Sara Everett Ms Alice Yin Hung White Rainbow Mr Daniel and Mrs Gry Katz Ian Mactaggart Trust Mr Barrie and Mrs Deedee Wigmore Lise Keil Intesa Sanpaolo The William Delafield Charitable Trust Professor and Mrs David Khalili Ishibashi Foundation Richard and Jacqueline Worswick Ms Latifa Kosta

46 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 COMMERCIAL AND FUNDRAISING | BENEFACTORS, GIFTS AND LEGACIES 47 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

TOTAL INCOME 2019–20 INCOME (£M)

Total income received in the year was 4.5% £11.1 million, down £0.9 million on the 3.6% University of Oxford net £2.1m previous year, mostly as a result of H igher Education Funding 8.1% a decline in self-generated income 18.9% Council for England £2.2m caused by the reduction in visitor S elf-generated income £2.8m footfall following the Covid-19 related Research grants £0.2m closure of the Museum. This also Philanthropy £2.0m impacted on philanthropic income, 18% £11.1m which was down £0.7 million on the 19.8% Arts Council England £0.4m previous year, reflecting changes to Endowment £0.9m the exhibition programme, shortfalls Furlough income £0.5m on unrestricted core development 25.2% targets and reduced visitor-based donations. Income drawn from 1.8% Endowments was lower by £0.2 million due to the delay in associated projects. 2019–20 EXPENDITURE (£M) These shortfalls have been partly offset by the receipt of £0.5 million 3.5% of furlough income. Administration and infrastructure: £2.1m 12.2% 18.3% As the impacts of Covid-19 work C are of the collections through the economy, especially and research: £3.7m the public purse and visitor economy, P ublic Programmes, including all sources of Museum funding continue teaching and exhibitions: £3.9m £11.5m to be under great pressure. Thus G allery projects and building our endowment, fundraising acquisitions: £0.4m and public donations continues to 33.9% Trading, including cost 32.2% be vital for the Ashmolean’s financial of goods sold: £1.4m resilience. We are very grateful to all donors and supporters who are so resolutely supporting our cause.

TOTAL EXPENDITURE Total expenditure in the year was INCOME £M 2018/19 RE-STATED 2019/20 RESTATED VARIANT PUBLISHED 2018/19 TO PRIOR YEAR £11.5 million. This was £0.5 million less than the previous year. The savings University of Oxford net 2.0 2.0 2.1 0.1 flowing mostly from our exhibition Higher Education Funding and public programming costs, which 2.2 2.2 2.2 0.0 were impacted by cancellations and Council for England Self-generated income 3.5 3.6 2.8 -0.7 delays relating to Covid-19. Museum The Ashmolean Museum is supported by: expenditure on gallery projects and Research grants 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 acquisitions was £0.1 million higher than in 2019/20. Philanthropy 2.7 2.6 2.0 -0.7

NB In 2018/19 funding for the University Arts Council England 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.0 Engagement Programme was categorised as ‘Self-Generated Income’. However, in 2019/20 Endowment 1.1 1.1 0.9 -0.2 this income is included within the heading of Design: blast.co.uk ‘Philanthropy’. Please refer to the restatement Furlough income 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 Unless otherwise stated all images © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. Every effort has been made of the 2018/19 financial numbers to support the to locate the copyright owners of images included in this report and to meet their requirements. The publishers TOTAL 12.0 12.0 11.1 -0.9 year-on-year comparative in adjacent table. apologise for any omissions, which they will be pleased to rectify at the earliest opportunity.

48 ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20 For further information please contact:

The Ashmolean Museum Oxford OX1 2PH

T: +44 (0)1865 278000 E: [email protected] W: ashmolean.org