Christie's to sponsor Robert Walpole's art collection

KOLKATA: From May 17 to September 29, 2013, the magnificent art collection amassed by Great Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, will be reassembled in its original home of Houghton Hall for the first time in over 200 years. The most celebrated British collection of the 18th century, it was acquired in 1779 by Catherine the Great in a landmark private sale negotiated by James Christie, founder of Christie's. The core of the collection went on to adorn the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Christie's is proud to sponsor Houghton Revisited which will include paintings from the English, French, Italian, Flemish and Spanish schools, with masterpieces by Van Dyck, Poussin, Albani, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez and Murillo. The public exhibition will see all of the paintings hung in their original positions in the State Rooms, precisely recreating the collection's splendour.

Houghton Hall, now the family seat of Sir Robert Walpole's direct descendant, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, is considered one of the country's finest Palladian houses. The Hall was designed to house Walpole's prized collection of Old Master paintings, and the magnificent interiors and furnishings designed by William Kent are also still intact.

Steven P. Murphy, CEO of Christie's, said in an email statement: ""We are proud and honoured to be sponsoring this exhibition and applaud the efforts of everyone who has been involved in this hugely ambitious and exciting project. The Walpole Collection is legendary and one of the greatest endeavours of art collecting. It is also part of Christie's history having been sold to Catherine the Great by our founder, James Christie, in 1779, in what remains one of the most significant private sales of all time. As we see a significant cultural shift with more and more people globally engaging with art, at all levels, this exhibition acts as inspiration to all those who admire art and who curate these wonderful objects. Christie's is proud to be a part of the history of the Walpole Collection once again.""