Editor's Letter
In this letter we have, over the years, discussed collectors. But what about the power of the patron? In this issue of the magazine, we have a number of stories in which an influential supporter changed an artist’s or designer’s life. Take the American artist, James McNeill Whistler. He had a peripatetic childhood – diplomat father and all that – but one of the turning points of his life was a chance meeting in Paris with the young and rich Lucas Ionides, the son of the fabled merchant and collector, Constantine Ionides. A friendship developed and a commission to paint Luke’s portrait followed. It was Whistler’s first commission and undoubtedly set him on the path to solvency and general acceptance in London’s salons. Christopher Newall writes about how the portrait – to be offered in September’s 19th Century Sale in London – sealed the bond between the pair and how it set Whistler on the path to success.
In another sphere, and another century, the spotlight falls on a dress. When Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis in Skorpios, no one could have been more surprised than the Italian fashion designer Valentino. He woke up to the news in the papers and lo! Jackie O – as she had become – was wearing one of his creations, an ivory lace knee-length dress with bishop sleeves to be precise. At that moment, as Stellene Voulandes, writes, “a dress from a landmark collection already destined for fashion history, now became part of the history of the world”. In the feature And the bride wore, Stellene charts how this came to pass – and how Valentino shaped the transition of Jackie Kennedy to Jackie Onassis.
In October, Bonhams is also offering another item belonging to a legend: the 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by Rory Gallagher, almost certainly the most famous Strat in the world. The Irish musician was hailed as one of the greatest-ever guitarists by Jimi Hendrix no less. And since his untimely death in 1995, aged 47, Gallagher's reputation has – if possible – only increased. His beloved guitar, estimated at £700,000 - 1,000,000, is "an icon of rock history" as Neil McCormick, the celebrated music critic, describes it, and Gallagher bestowed a greatness upon it.
Elsewhere in the issue, there's a story about the patron of the most extraordinary mosque lamp - a tour-de-force of art in glass; the collector who hunted down 300 pieces of Victorian fairground carvings and backstory of two astonishing paintings by modern masters Chaim Soutine and René Magritte. Enjoy the issue.
Lucinda Bredin, Editor, Bonhams Magazine
Contents
Portrait of an artist
Chaim Soutine was, by all accounts, dishevelled, sociophobic and a bit mad. Mark Hudson looks at the life of an artist who, for all his faults, made an indelible mark on 20th century art
Guitar hero
Rory Gallagher was shy and soft-spoken and dressed like an agricultural hippy. But he also had the magic, says Neil McCormick, and the magic began with his Strat
And the bride wore...
Valentino. Stellene Volandes tells the story behind Jackie Onassis's epoch-making wedding dress
A glittering star
Mosque lamps serve practical and spiritual purposes, says Robert Hillenbrand. They light up an interior – and the word of God. And few are more magnificent than the Sarghitmish lamp
Roll up! Roll up!
All the fun of the fair is to be found in Ross Hutchinson's unparalleled collection of carousel figures. Philippa Stockley hops on for the ride
Bond of brothers
James McNeill Whistler was a struggling artist when he met the son of wealthy art patrons in Paris, says Christopher Newall. The meeting changed both their lives
Sunny with occasional showers
The mercury has climbed throughout the 21st century, but dramatic weather events have also increased. What does this mean for Bordeaux and Burgundy? Margaret Rand reports
Bonhams unveils its new Asia Headquarters in Hong Kong. Winnie Tang reports from the front row
Zoute alors
Zoute is Belgium's tres chic festival of cars. Simon de Burton is in pole position
Contributors
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick is a journalist, broadcaster and author. Former contributing editor at British GQ, he has been chief music critic for The Daily Telegraph since 1996. Growing up in Dublin, Neil was a close associate of U2 and was ghostwriter of U2 By U2, the band’s best selling 2006 autobiography. His memoir I Was Bono’s Doppelgänger, 2004, was adapted as the 2011 film Killing Bono and 2018 musical play Chasing Bono. Neil looks back to where the magic of Rory Gallagher began, with his beloved Stratocaster.
Stellene Volandes
Stellene Volandes is an internationally recognised expert on the history of jewellery, and Editor-in-chief at Town & Country magazine. She has published two books, including Jeweler: Masters and Mavericks of Modern Design (Rizzoli), which focuses on the expertise of contemporary jewellers. Volandes headlines a series of jewellery lectures at The 92nd Street Y. In this issue, she tells the story behind Jackie Onassis's epoch-making wedding dress.
Philippa Stockley
Award-winning journalist, novelist and artist Philippa Stockley is the author of Restoration Stories: Patina and Paint in Old London Houses. For a decade, she was deputy editor of the Evening Standard's Homes & Property. As an artist who has created set designs, murals and furnishings since her childhood, Philippa celebrates the nostalgic joy of the fair in Ross Hutchinson's unparalleled collection of carousel figures.
Alastair Smart
The former Arts Editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, Alastair Smart is a freelance journalist, consultant and art critic. He has written for The Independent and The Mail on Sunday, among other publications. In this issue, he writes about René Magritte, the artist who set the world alight.
Mark Hudson
Mark Hudson is an award-winning writer, journalist and art critic, and the art critic of The Independent. His most recent book, Alan Davie in Hertford, concerns the maverick Scottish painter's life in a quiet market town. Previous books include Titian: The Last Days, The Music in my Head and Coming Back Brockens. Mark looks at the life of Chaim Soutine, an artist who, for all his faults, made an indelible mark on 20th century art.
Christopher Newall
Christopher Newall is a freelance art historian, exhibition curator and lecturer specialising in 19th and 20th century British art. He has curated and co-curated exhibitions including Leighton (Royal Academy, London, 1996) and Pre-Raphaelite Vision: Truth to Nature (Tate, London, 2004). He has lectured many notable institutions, including the National Gallery, London. Christopher reveals the important friendship behind an early portrait by James McNeill Whistler.
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