Cecil Beaton at Home -
Ashcombe and Reddish
Friday, May
23, 2014 to Friday, September 19, 2014
Booking: No
booking required.
Cost: Normal admission charges apply.
Following
sellout shows on Whistler and Constable, Salisbury Museum
Against
re-creations of his extravagant interiors, Beaton’s private life unfolds – the
unique talent for self-promotion, desire for theatricality and his uncertain
pursuit of love.
This
exhibition brings together original photographs, artworks and possessions from
both houses with insightful local anecdotes, to present a fascinating picture
of Beaton's extraordinary life.
If you
would like to walk in the Beaton landscape, please visit
www.discoverchalkevalley.org.uk for suggested walks in the areas surrounding
Ashcombe and Broad Chalke.
Curated by
Andrew Ginger of Beaudesert Ltd, in collaboration with Salisbury Museum
For a sneak
preview of the exhibition and to hear what Hugo Vickers, Cecil Beaton's
biographer, has to say, watch our YouTube clip.
A new
exhibition of photographs from The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s,
curated by Jasper Conran, opens at Wilton House on the 18 April 2014.
This
exhibition has been kindly supported by Quilter Cheviot, Savills, Sotheby's and
Wiltshire Council.
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The Wiltshire homes and lifestyle of Sir Cecil Beaton are the focus of a new exhibition which opens in the spring. Shown top, is a painting of Ashcombe by Rex Whistler, in the 1930s – once home to Sir Cecil, and now owned by film director Guy Ritchie. Pictured above, is a photograph of Dorian Leigh in the sitting room of Reddish House, in the 1950s – Sir Cecil transformed this building to one of artistic excellence. He died here in 1980
Sir Cecil Beaton exhibition
By West Country Life | Posted: February 15, 2014
He photographed everyone from Winston Churchill to Mick Jagger, and turned one corner of the West into the party retreat for the world's A-list celebrities.
And now a generation after the death of Sir Cecil Beaton, a new exhibition is revealing for the first time how his private life in Wiltshire shaped his ascent to become the pre-eminent portrait photographer, designer and artist of the 20th century.
Beaton took up residence at Ashcombe House in Wiltshire in 1930 and spent 15 years there, entertaining many notable figures of the time.
The house, which is now owned by film director Guy Ritchie, with pop queen Madonna living there for a time before their split, became the place for 1930s celebrities to spend their weekends, at Beaton's sometimes lavish events.
After the war, he ended the lease, and three years later, he bought Reddish House, five miles east of Broad Chalke in south Wiltshire. The house became his own sanctuary from a stellar career which saw him photograph virtually every beautiful famous woman, film star, actress or singer, as well as notable royalty and politicians.
Everything Beaton did, he did with greatness – he turned his hand from portrait photography to set and costume design on Broadway and in
He transformed Reddish House from a brusque gentleman's country pad into a place of artistic excellence.
Those Oscar-winning costumes for the likes of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins were stored in Reddish's upper floor, in cages that were installed at the turn of the century for indoor illicit cock-fighting.
Awarded a knighthood in 1972, he passed away at Reddish in 1980, leaving behind an unrivalled legacy of portrait photography, art and design.
Now, the nearby
Curated by Andrew Ginger, the exhibition aims to reveal Beaton, the man behind the camera, through his life in Wiltshire.
The exhibition will go as far as recreating the extravagant interiors and gardens of his Wiltshire creations, unfolding his private life, his unique talent for self-promotion, his uncertain pursuit of love – he struck up relationships with a string of men, as well as many of the beautiful women he photographed – notably Greta Garbo.
"Beaton's two houses near
"Beaton described his life in the country as 'an oasis of luxury and civilisation,' which was both restorative and inspirational to his work. The design of his home was approached with the same attention to detail as any theatrical production," he added.
Cecil Beaton was just one of the extraordinary creative talents that have lived, and continue to live in the
Highlights of the exhibition include a show-stopping recreation of Beaton's "circus bed" complete with unicorns, sea horses,
Pages of Beaton's visitors' book will reveal a dazzling list of royalty, artists and other guests who enjoyed Beaton's lavish hospitality. Beaton's love life is sympathetically handled, including his complicated affair with Greta Garbo, and his only live-in partnership with Kin Hoitsma, the athletic 30-year old Californian academic who Beaton met when he was 60.
The supportive roles of his mother Esther and secretary, Eileen Hose, are given equal prominence.
But the exhibition will give a new insight into how his home life, lavish and stunning homes and the entertaining he did in Wiltshire shaped his stellar career.
"Reuniting many previously unseen photographs, artworks, furniture and possessions from both homes, the show offers fascinating insights into Beaton's interior life and creative inspirations," said Mr Green.
"Sir Cecil was one of
"His iconic portraits and fashion photography for American Vogue, his Oscar winning sets and costume, as well as theatre, ballet and opera designs, continue to captivate and inspire generations of young designers across the world.
"Sketches of his interiors painted with the left hand after his stroke, give a poignant sense of the hidden vulnerabilities and willpower of the man," he added.
"Beaton also made exquisite paintings of local children, which will be on display alongside listening stations where locals recount first-hand memories of their talented neighbour. Sculptures, paintings, fancy dress costumes, vintage photographs, original letters, diaries, decorative elements, catalogues, scrapbooks and press cuttings will also be displayed to create a truly immersive experience within the museum's galleries.
"Exhibits include loans from the
His portfolio of portrait photographs reads like a 'Who's Who?' of art, film, royalty and beauty of the middle 50 years of the 20th century.
From a portrait of Lady Diana Cooper in 1928, which established him as a photographer of note, he went on to capture some prominent names during the 1930s, from Pablo Picasso to Aldous Huxley and Salvador Dali. After Lillian Gish in 1929, he probably made his name as a photographer of beautiful women with the famous portrait picture of Marlene Dietrich in 1935, and of royalty with Helen of
Within two years of the start of the war, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle had posed for portrait photographs, and within two years from the end of the war, a new generation of
In the two years after being the official photographer for the Queen's Coronation, he'd photographed Grace Kelly, Joan Crawford and also taken perhaps his most enduring image – that of Marilyn Monroe in 1956.
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