Acquisitions and displays
Kimberley Series 2 (2008) by Pippin Drysdale (Born 1943)
I can't remember when I first became aware of the Australian artist Pippin Drysdale's work but it was some time during the summer of 2008.
The first images of this group were shown to me by Joanna Bird who has advised the Duchess and me on contemporary ceramics for the past few years. She had selected them for her stand at the big New York craft fair. These extraordinary vessels bowled me over from the moment I first saw the photographs, indeed they have been the screen saver on my laptop ever since.
The Kimberley Series, of which this is a part, is a group of works made in 2008 based on this artist's experience of travelling in the north-west region of Western Australia, a place I have yet to visit. If it is anything like the porcelain that it has inspired, it must be remarkable.
I find the grouping of the work very satisfying although each piece is beautiful in its own right and alone. I have stood one or two of the pieces on a smaller table and looked at them alone for a few days. They worked very well as single objects but they were devised to be shown together and have greater power and interest as a group.
Joanna Bird came to Chatsworth to help us lay out the arrangement. I hope you enjoy this most recent addition to our collection of contemporary ceramics.
The Duke of Devonshire
Chinese Ladders by Felicity Aylieff
This monumental vase, made from glazed porcelain and painted in 'modern' blue cobalt oxide, crosses the boundaries of ceramics and sculpture. Positioned in the 1st Duke's Painted Hall, it serves as a contemporary take on the Baroque tradition of blue and white oriental porcelain.
Series of portraits by Lucian Freud
Three family portraits by Freud are now on display in the window wall of the Red Room West:
- Woman in a white shirt (Portrait of Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire)
- Portrait of a man (Portrait of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire)
- Head of a woman (Portrait of Mary Cecil, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire)
Series of paintings by Kitty North
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire acquired this series of paintings by Kitty North in 2008. They are on display in the Carriage House restaurant. The paintings are all 5 x 6 foot, oil on canvas.
Wall of Light Red Day Leaving 2005 by Sean Scully
This large oil painting was purchased by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire for their personal collection, and is on view in the Chapel Corridor.
