Annual Review 2011 – 2012
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AnnuA l Review 2011 – 2012 Dulwich Picture Gallery was established more than 200 years ago because its founders believed as many people as possible should see great paintings. Today we believe the same, because we know that art can change lives. I w hat makes us world-class is our exceptional collection of Old Master paintings. I england – which allows visitors to experience those paintings in an intimate, welcoming setting. I w hat makes us relevant is the way we unite our past with our present, using innovative exhibitions, authoritative scholarship and pioneering education programmes to change lives for the better. Cover image: installation view of David Hockney, Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, 1970-71, acrylic on canvas, 213 x 304. Tate, Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1971 © David Hockeny / Tate. Dulwich Picture Gallery is built on history. Picture Our From our founders’ wish to have an art Future: The Campaign for Dulwich Picture recognises a number of things of which gallery ‘for the inspection of the public’, Gallery has begun. Alongside my co-chair artists and scholars, aristocrats and school of the Campaign Cabinet, Bernard Hunter, particularly to celebrate our long-time children have come by horse, train, car we look forward to working with all of the Trustee and supporter Theresa Sackler, and bicycle to view our collection – Van Gallery’s supporters to reach this goal. who was recently awarded a DBE Gogh walked from Central London to view in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, the Gallery in 1873. The paintings and The position we start from is a strong adding even more lustre to the Prince of building are a monument to the tastes of one: against the background of a troubled Wales’ Medal for Philanthropy which was two centuries ago, yet it is a testament world-economy, the Gallery exceeded its awarded to her in 2011. to the timeless quality of great art that fundraising targets for 2011-2012, broke A Message they remain as relevant today as they did records for shop sales, and enjoyed its Dulwich Picture Gallery is built on history, but it is also built on people, and it has from the honour to take up the chairmanship of this been my pleasure over the past few Chairman great institution, particularly during such ended his chairmanship of the Gallery months to meet and get to know them: an exciting time for the Gallery. in 2011, and was awarded a CBE in the the volunteers, teachers, technicians, of the 2012 New Year’s Honours List for his conservators, staff and of course the Trustees Our Bicentenary in 2011 was a time to philanthropy. For fourteen years as a Friends who commit their time, energy celebrate our past, but our 201st year is and passion into making this Gallery what about building for the future, and we look has advised and overseen the Gallery it is. My sincere thanks to all of them as we with ambition at the new goals ahead through considerable changes, including look to our 201st year and beyond. a major refurbishment, a huge swell in to be awarded a £2 million Catalyst: visitor numbers, and a boom in education Simon Freakley Endowment grant from the Heritage initiatives and fundraising activities. Lottery Fund/Department for Culture Media and Sport Catalyst: Endowment fund. For us to access this funding we Endowment, and they continue to support must raise a matching £4 million by 2016. us. My sincere thanks to them both. The gauntlet has therefore been thrown 1 a message from the chairman of the trustees Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cambridge visit Dulwich Picture Gallery for the Great Art Quest, in association with The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts a message from the chairman of the trustees 2 A Message A new Chair of the Friends of Dulwich Page, a bicentenary gift from the Art Fund. The Friends made a special Bicentenary from The St Cecilia by Sackler an unknown Bolognese artist, which was unveiled in November. Conservation funding Director engagement came with two awards from the was provided by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project to conserve the Gallery’s great paintings by Murillo. importance of our Good Times programme for the elderly and isolated in the community; A remarkable year was marked by other clear the second was shared with the Oxford indicators of success. 149,000 visitors came, the second highest number ever (after last Celebration, SuCCeSS of that programme, entitled ‘This is Living’. year’s record). 38,000 of those came via and reCognition departing Chair of the Friends of Dulwich Meanwhile, the Friends’ excellent magazine the education department, a remarkable Picture Gallery, was similarly honoured InView, edited by Peter Belchamber, proportion. Over £3 million was raised as with an MBE for her long voluntary service. won – again! – the award for best Friends’ part of our campaign, Picture our Future: Dulwich Picture Gallery’s bicentenary year, newsletter, 2011, from the British Association The Campaign for Dulwich Picture Gallery a year of sustained celebration, success was awarded a CMG for services to British of Friends of Museums. – exceeding our target, an achievement all and recognition for our engagement with business interests in Asia and Australasia. the more remarkable in a year of such global the community. Two people have been mentioned already in the Chairman’s the welcome form of support: Good Times: as if to underline these successes, the shop statement: our departing Chairman of Freakley, CEO of Zolfo Cooper Ltd, comes to Art for Older People is being presented by broke every conceivable record consistently us with a long history of engagement with The M&G Group for a further three years, over the year. CBE for his services to the Gallery; and one the arts, having served on Boards of The of our longest-serving Trustees, Theresa Grange Opera, the Folger Library and the donation to cover education department Sackler, was awarded the prestigious Prince English National Ballet. We look forward salaries. Meanwhile, the W D Foord Charitable including two Friends’ Gala Dinners and of Wales Medal for Philanthropy, and later, to a long and happy relationship with our Trust sponsored lighting for our beautiful some memorable Private Views, the St Luke’s in the Birthday Honours List, a DBE. Our new Chair. sculpture, Walking the Dog 3 a message from the sackler director Lupton, revitalising a 19th century tradition El and a brilliant Canadian artist-in-residence, Liz Magazine, the Telegraph and the Globe and Greco, the Vision of St John, to Domenichino’s Mail in Canada helped ensure unprecedented Adoration of the ShepherDs, from the National Thomson and his fellow artists to a year of levels of press recognition, while a Press artists, but also provided a glimpse of some Gallery of Scotland. exciting teaching projects. Launch held at the Lanesborough Hotel in silver that belonged to our founders, Noel and November 2011 attracted more than 60 Margaret Desenfans, and fascinating archival The summer exhibition Twombly anD Poussin: Spring saw a unique and special pairing of members of the international press, despite material put together by the curatorial team. ArcaDian Painters attracted a record number vividly different shows: the perfect scholarly general strike action on that day. The ever- of visitors for a summer show: 28,000 people revelation of Van Dyck in Sicily: Painting anD the increasing importance of social media was Finally, the Gallery was honoured to receive a came to see this extraordinarily beautiful Plague (part of ReDiscovering OlD Masters: The demonstrated by the role of Twitter in helping and challenging juxtaposition. The sad death of Melosi Series), which, in a coup of research by Painting Canada achieve its spectacular word of Wales, accompanied by the Duchess of former Arturo and Holly Melosi Chief Curator of mouth success. Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge. This after the opening, turned this lovely show at Dulwich, Dr Xavier Salomon, shed light on a was to inspect educational work carried out in into a different kind of celebration, but one virtually unknown but fascinating episode in Van Our commitment to improving the experience collaboration with the Prince’s Trust, the visit that did justice to both masters. Tacita Dean’s Dyck’s career; this was paired with Ragamala of all our visitors was demonstrated by several culminating with an exhibition of children’s self- Paintings from InDia: Poetry Passion Song, an successful improvements to our facilities: the portraits made of felt, produced as part of the moving and poignant counterpoint. provision of a ramp for movement-impaired visitors, the upgrading and renovation of The show after that, Painting CanaDa: Tom Meanwhile, the Gallery was graced by the our public toilet facilities, the renovation of engagement with ViSitorS Thomson anD the Group of Seven, again Sacraments from our exhibitions rooms and the installation of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s engagement with curated by myself, took many by surprise Nicolas Poussin’s original, seminal series of our esteemed curatorial team in new, less its visitors was led by a typically varied and as they watched it turn into – by Dulwich’s cramped accommodation in Chapel Cottage. fascinating programme of exhibitions and standards – a veritable blockbuster, with Meanwhile, for our ever-growing online displays within the Gallery. over 41,000 visitors over its short 11-week audience, a new online ticketing service was run, with queues forming all the way down for scholars of the Baroque. launched in February 2012, to become fully Masterpiece a Month: PresiDing Genius, operational in time for AnDy Warhol: The curated by myself, continued to tantalise symposium attracted a full house of fascinated Engagement with another very crucial Portfolios in Summer 2012.