2009-
Oct 5 |
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The English country house lies at the very heart of England’s history and cultural life. That it continues to be a source of dreams and aspiration owes much to Country Life, which, since it was established in 1897, has featured a different country house in each weekly issue and advertised more in its property pages. In her lecture, architectural historian Mary Miers will explore the architecture and interiors of some of the stunning country houses, in a range of architectural styles spanning seven centuries, brought to life through the photography library of Country Life and illustrated in her new book The English Country House (Rizzoli, 2009). She will show the details of the exquisite interior decoration of these homes, many still privately occupied by descendants of the families that built them, and discuss how most of these houses were built as an expression of status, many interpreting the mainstream architectural trends of the day with their own distinctive provincial character and regional traditions of craftsmanship.
TICKETS: LA and SF $25 members, $35 non-members; NY $30 members, $40 non-members
LA LOCATION: UCLA Faculty Center, 480 Charles E. Young Drive East
SF LOCATION: Metropolitan Club, 640 Sutter Street - Formal Business Attire required, no cell phones
NY LOCATION: The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street (between Park and Madison, north side of block)
A joint program of the Royal Oak Foundation with the Soane Foundation, Rizzoli, English-Speaking Union San Francisco Chapter (SF), National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA (SF), The Decorative Arts and Design Council of Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LA), The American Friends of the Attingham Summer School (LA/SF).
Please contact the Royal Oak Foundation for tickets or go online to http://www.royal-oak.org/lecture_heinz.html |
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2009-
Oct 8 |
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Join us for an enlightening description of the architectural and social development of this summer resort town, the nexus of wealth and fashion at the end of the nineteenth century. To accommodate their entertaining in “cottages” that ranged from thirty to seventy rooms, Newport’s elite engaged the country’s most accomplished architects. This period is the subject of Mr. Kathrens new book Newport Villas: The Revival Styles 1885-1935 (W.W. Norton, January, 2009); his previous book was The Great Houses of New York.
TICKETS: Free for members of the Soane Foundation and the ICA&CA, $10 for the general public.
Space is limited; Please reserve at 212-730-9646, ext 109 | 1.5 AIA / CES LUs (Theory)
LOCATION: Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, NYC(south side of block, bet. Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
A program is presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America with the Soane Foundation. |
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2009-
Oct 30 |
The 19th-century English Regency style looked to Egyptian and Greco-Roman
antecedents. Showing examples from her book Regency Redux: High Style Interiors:
Napoleonic, Classical Moderne, and Hollywood Regency (Rizzoli, 2008), Eerdmans
will trace this taste from Thomas Hope’s iconic “Egyptian Room” to Oliver
Messel's lavish sets for the 1945 film “Caesar and Cleopatra.”
In collaboration with The Royal Oak Foundation and Sir John Soane’s
Museum Foundation.
TICKETS: $15 in advance. Please purchase through the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show brochure PDF
LOCATION: Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
 Brochure
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2009-
Nov 4 |
Rosslyn Chapel is one of the most famous medieval chapels in the world, and recently was popularized from its appearance in the book and movie The Da Vinci Code. The chapel was founded in 1446 just outside Edinburgh, Scotland, by Sir William St Clair, first Earl of Caithness and the third and last St Clair Prince of Orkney. Designed to be part of a larger church located near the Castle, the larger building was never completed after Sir William’s death in 1484. It fell into disrepair during the Reformation and it was abandoned as a place of worship. Today, what remain are the extraordinary choir and Lady Chapel—restored at the behest of Queen Victoria—with its elaborate and fanciful decorative carving that has astounded visitors. Indeed, Rosslyn’s symbolism realized in stone has been celebrated in literature and art by Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, and many others. From the so-called Apprentice Pillar with its legend of a jealous murder to over 100 carvings of “Green Men” in and around the Chapel, decorative motifs with Christian, Pre-Christian, Pagan and Arabic symbolism abound. Whether or not carvings look like corn, which was unknown in Europe in the 15th century, or if the 213 patterned stone cubes protruding from the pillars and arches form a musical score are a few of the questions that have been debated by scholars in recent years. The myths surrounding the chapel and St. Clair family, including the link to Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, remain romantic legends celebrated in both fiction and film. Helen, Countess of Rosslyn will examine the architectural history of this fascinating and remarkable building, discuss a few of the myths and stories associated with the Chapel and outline the current plans for its $18 million conservation project.
SF TICKETS: $25 members, $25 non-members | Dinner reservations, 415-362-6985 by Oct. 25th.
SF LOCATION: Metropolitan Club, 640 Sutter Street - Formal Business Attire required, no cell phones
A joint program of the Royal Oak Foundation with the Soane Foundation, English-Speaking Union San Francisco Chapter, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, The American Friends of the Attingham Summer School.
LA TICKETS: $50 members, $60 non-members - both include lunch
LA LOCATION: Beverly Hills Women’s Club, 1700 Chevy Chase Drive, Beverly Hills
A joint program of the Royal Oak Foundation with the Soane Foundation, Beverly Hills Women’s Club, Virginia Robinson Gardens,
The Decorative Arts and Design Council of Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Please contact the Royal Oak Foundation for tickets or go online to http://www.royal-oak.org/lecture_heinz.html
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2009-Sep 25
2009-Sep 23
2009-Apr 27
2009-
Apr 29
2009,
Apr 21
2009-Apr 15
2009-Mar 23 |
Tim Knox will discuss Sir John Soane, the idiosyncratic eighteenth-century architect of such extraordinary buildings as the Bank of England and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Soane was a prickly, difficult man, but capable of deep friendships and great generosity. His devotion to architecture and collecting is best commemorated by his former London home — the Sir John Soane Museum. Knox will draw upon Soane’s own archive to paint a fresh picture of this strange, tormented genius of British architecture.
LOCATION: The Boston Athenaeum, 10 ½ Beacon Street, Boston (just down from the State House)
A joint program of the Soane Foundation, the Royal Oak Foundation and The Boston Athenaeum. |
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This exhibition will explore the life, world and work of Mary Delany, née Mary Granville (1700 – 1788). Though best known for her almost one thousand botanical "paper mosaics" now housed in the British Museum, which she began at the age of 72, Mrs. Delany used her craft activities to cement bonds of friendship and negotiate complex, interlinked social networks throughout a long life passed in artistic, aristocratic, and court circles in Georgian England and Ireland. Mrs. Delany and Her Circle has been co-organized by the Yale Center for British Art and Sir John Soane's Museum.
Information: www.ycba.yale.edu |
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| LOCATION: Exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art, 1000 Chapel Street, New Haven (corner of York Street) |
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A Soane Seminar of the “Thoroughly Modern Soane” Richard H. Driehaus Series
Monday, 18 May 2009 – 6:30pm
Please take a look at the Soane Seminars page for details on this next session.
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at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 101 Newbury Street, Boston
presented by the ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION with co-sponsorship by the SOANE FOUNDATION, the
ICA&CA BOSTON CHAPTER, and THE FRIENDS OF THE ATTINGHAM SUMMER SCHOOL
TICKETS: $25 members | $30 General admission |
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at the Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York City
presented by the ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION with co-sponsorship by the SOANE FOUNDATION
Professor Vaughan Hart (B.S., B.Arch., University of Bath; M. Phil., Ph.D., University of Cambridge). Dr. Hart is Professor of the History of Architecture at the University of Bath. He has lectured widely throughout Europe and the United States and is the author of numerous books including Art and Magic in the Court of the Stuarts; St. Paul’s Cathedral; Sir Christopher Wren, Palladio’s Rome; Paper Palaces, Nicholas Hawsksmoor: Rebuilding Ancient Wonders and editor of the treatises of Sebastiano Serlio. His most recent book is Sir John Vanbrugh: Storyteller in Stone, published by Yale University Press. Storyteller in Stone: Sir John Vanbrugh - Sir John Vanbrugh (1664–1726) was a businessman, soldier, playwright, and (despite lacking either training or qualifications) the architect of some of the most important country houses of his era. His first commission was Castle Howard, where he worked with the more experienced Nicholas Hawksmoor. At Blenheim, where Vanbrugh was charged with building a monument to the Duke of Marlborough, he evoked the military triumphs and legend of the Duke in his architecture. Architectural historian Professor Hart examines Vanbrugh’s surviving, destroyed, and unrealized buildings—among them Seaton Delaval and Grimsthorpe—outlining the contemporary political and social events that influenced their design and showing how these strikingly original buildings can be interpreted through reference to classical mythology, Renaissance fortifications, and medieval houses. John Soane called Sir John Vanbrugh "the Shakespeare of architects" as Vanbrugh attempted to celebrate the character and achievements of his patrons through his architecture and ornament, allowing visitors to read the character of the house’s owner through narrative and the iconography of the house.
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at the Library at the General Society, 20 West 44th Street, New York City
presented by the INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE AND CLASSICAL AMERICA (ICA&CA) with co-sponsorship by the SOANE FOUNDATION
John Saladino’s new book, Villa, published by Frances Lincoln (March, 2009), is a master class in interior and garden design by one of the world’s most respected architectural designers at work today. Join the ICA&CA and the Soane for an insightful talk with Mr. Saladino as he discusses how his principles and passions guided the reconstruction and restoration of a 1920s house and its garden. |
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Presented by the Royal Oak Foundation with co-sponsors:
Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation;
The Decorative Arts and Design
Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
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2009-
Mar 29 |
Presented by the Royal Oak Foundation with co-sponsors:
Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation;
English-Speaking Union - San
Francisco Chapter
Tim Knox and his partner, landscape historian Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, live in Malplaquet House in London, a 1740 four-story town house with 20-plus rooms originally built for a wealthy merchant. During the 19th century, the old mansion fell into disrepair, was badly damaged in the Blitz, and was abandoned —serving as the premises of an auto repair shop and a metal foil manufacturer. In 1998, Knox and Longstaffe-Gowan bought the dilapidated property and transformed it into a house of wonder, full of quirky collections that range from a rare double portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, a death mask of Napoleon, and a tile from Beijing’s summer palace, to portraits of nuns, a sedan chair, and massed architectural models. Displayed against a backdrop of original 18th century painted paneling, cabinets groan with shells and natural curiosities, while marble busts peer out from every corner. Mr. Knox will tell of the dramatic rescue and revitalization of Malplaquet House, which now serves as a setting for this modern-day ‘cabinet of curiosities’.
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2009-
Jan 26
2009
Jan 13
2008
Oct 20
2008-
Oct 21 |
at the Brown Auditorium, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
This event is sponsored by the Decorative Arts and Design Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Tim Knox will discuss Sir John Soane, the idiosyncratic eighteenth-century architect of such extraordinary buildings as the Bank of England and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Soane was a prickly, difficult man, but capable of deep friendships and great generosity. His devotion to architecture and collecting is best commemorated by his former London home — the Sir John Soane Museum. Knox will draw upon Soane’s own archive to paint a fresh picture of this strange, tormented genius of British architecture. |
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A Soane Seminar of the “Thoroughly Modern Soane” Richard H. Driehaus Series
Tuesday, 13 January 2009 – 6:30pm
Please take a look at the page for details on this next session.
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presented by the SOANE FOUNDAITON with co-sponsor YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART
Architectural models have long been used to help resolve structural problems,
and also for presentation, as three-dimensional records, and for decoration.
Referencing the collection of miniature buildings accumulated by the architect
Sir John Soane, Knox will describe the range of collectibles.
Monday, October 20, 6:30 p.m.
Union Club, 101 East 69th Street - Attire: Jackets and ties required for men |
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Soane Museum Director Tim Knox to participate in this upcoming Bard Graduate Center program:
Symposium sponsored by The Bard Graduate Center Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Table, after a design published by Thomas Hope, ca. 1802, courtesy of the Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum |
illuminates Hope’s multiple roles as a designer, patron, and author with a passion for the antique. The exhibition demonstrates his singular contributions to architecture, interior decoration, furniture, metalwork, and costume design in Regency England. This symposium further examines the interpretation of ancient Greece and Rome by architects, designers, and writers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Distinguished scholars will address Thomas Hope’s legacy and related themes, such as the Society of Dilettanti; Percier and Fontaine and the French Empire style; and the drawings of antiquarian and designer C. H. Tatham. Speakers include Barry Bergdoll, John Hardy, Jason Kelly, Tim Knox, Tessa Murdoch, Tania Buckrell Pos, Robin Middleton, and David Watkin. This symposium has been organized by the Department of Exhibition-Related Education at the BGC, in association with the Museum of Arts and Design.
Location: The Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York City
Advance registration required: $50 general | $35 seniors and students
For a complete schedule and to register,
please call 212.501.3011 or email Sarah Wilson at wilson@bgc.bard.edu
Bard Graduate Center ▪ 18 West 86th Street ▪ New York City
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2008-
Oct 23 |
Tim Knox, Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum, London
Architectural models have long been used to help resolve structural problems,
and also for presentation, as three-dimensional records, and for decoration.
Referencing the collection of miniature buildings accumulated by the architect
Sir John Soane, Knox will describe the range of these collectibles.
In conjunction with Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.
Thursday, October 23, 10:30 a.m.
San Francicso Fall Antiques Show Brochure |
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2008-
Oct 22-24 |
Please contact Chas Miller for further up-to-date details…
Wednesday, 22 October - Opening Reception of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show (SFFAS) benefitting Enterprise for High School Students
Thursday, 23 October:
- Buildings In Miniature, presented by Tim Knox
That afternoon we have a very special visit to the home of Ann and Gordon Getty, one of four sons of J. Paul Getty, are longtime patrons of the arts and sciences. A world-renowned art and antique collection is housed in their San Francisco Pacific Heights mansion, designed by architect Willis Polk in 1913. Through the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, they donate millions to arts organizations around the country and are active in numerous philanthropic endeavors.
In the evening we will enjoy cocktails at the Nob Hill apartment of Scott and Terry Gross which was designed in association with Tom Kligerman of Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects and Ann Getty.
Friday, 24 October:
10:30am - private curator tour with Martin Chapman of the Legion of Honor of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Martin is curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture.
Visit to private collection of miniature rooms.
Visit two special design shops: Urban Chateau and Ed Hardy's Venetian villa inspired antique gallery; then we head to Ed Hardy’s new hill-top Italian villa with fantastic views of the city and bay.
Heading south to Palo Alto, we will enjoy cocktails at a family compound near Stanford University, which is the home of Cynthia and John Gunn
Saturday, 25 October:
10:30am - SFFAS Lecture - Lifestyles of the Rich and Roman: Luxury Arts in the Villas of Pompeii and Environs, presented by Kenneth Lapatin, Associate Curator of Antiquities, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Visit to the new building by Herzog & de Meuron of the de Young - Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and across the street to the just opened California Academy of Sciences building by Renzo Piano
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we head to Mill Valley for afternoon tea at the home of Paul Wiseman and Richard Snyder, a Craftsman-Mission style cottage built in 1886 as a summer house set in the redwoods and built of redwood.
Cocktails at the Neo-Classical styled offices of Grant K. Gibson Interior Design |
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Soane Patrons' Circle members are a group of supporters that provide donations of $1,000 to $2,000 or more. Participation in the Soane Francisco events has it's own price per person which will include event and lecture tickets, museum admissions, some local transportation, etc. Please contact the Soane office for more details.
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Monday, 27 October 2008, 6:30pm
at the Union Club, 101 East 69th Street - Attire: Jackets and ties required for men
Please go to the Soane Seminars page for more details.
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2008-
Apr 23 |
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2008-
Apr 21 |
Monday, 21 April 2008, 6:00pm
at The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street
and presented by the
ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION
with co-sponsors
SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM FOUNDATION
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Tim Knox, Director of the Sir John Soane Museum, London and his partner, landscape historian Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, live in Malplaquet House in London, a 1740 four-story town house with 20-plus rooms originally built for a wealthy merchant. During the 19th century, the old mansion fell into disrepair, was badly damaged in the Blitz, and was abandoned —serving as the premises of an auto repair shop and a metal foil manufacturer. In 1998, Knox and Longstaffe-Gowan bought the dilapidated property and transformed it into a house of wonder, full of quirky collections that range from a rare double portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, a death mask of Napoleon, and a tile from Beijing’s summer palace, to portraits of nuns, a sedan chair, and massed architectural models. Displayed against a backdrop of original 18th century painted paneling, cabinets groan with shells and natural curiosities, while marble busts peer out from every corner. Mr. Knox will tell of the dramatic rescue and revitalization of Malplaquet House, which now serves as a setting for this modern-day ‘cabinet of curiosities’.
TIM KNOX (Courtauld Institute, University of London) is the Director of Sir John Soane's Museum at Lincoln's Inn Fields in London, an appointment he received in 2005. Born in Africa, and brought up in Nigeria and Fiji, he studied history of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art of the University of London. He later became Assistant Curator at the Royal Institute of British Architects Drawings Collection and in 1995 joined the National Trust as its Architectural Historian. He was appointed Head Curator of the National Trust in 2002. He was one of the major champions for the Trust's acquisition of Tyntesfield, near Bristol, and was involved in such diverse NT projects as the restoration of Stowe Landscape Gardens, and the acquisition of The Workhouse in Nottinghamshire. He is a Trustee of Stowe House, of the Pilgrim Trust, and of Prehen, his ancestral home in Co. Londonderry, as well as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Palace of Versailles. He regularly writes and lectures on art, architecture and the history of collecting.
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2008-
Mar 31 |
Monday, 31 March 2008, 6:00pm - BOOK SIGNING
at The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street
and presented by the
ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION
with co-sponsors
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART
and SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM FOUNDATION |
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Robert Adam is the only architect whose name appears in the "Oxford English Dictionary" to define a distinctive style, not only of architecture, but also of furniture and interior design. Eileen Harris, the leading authority on Robert Adams's interiors, will speak about the Scottish architect and designer’s masterpieces, including his great country houses and glamorous London town houses. She will illustrate the development of his style of domestic architecture and decoration and focus on color in his interiors, furniture, and fittings. She will feature examples of his early work, such as Syon in London, Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, as well has his later work at Kenwood House in London, Osterely Park in Middlesex,Saltram in Devon, and Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, among others. She will also discuss Headfort, County Meath outside Dublin with its exceptional and colorful suite of five rooms designed by Adam in the 1770s — the remaining example of Adam's work in Ireland and now on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.
DR. EILEEN HARRIS (Barnard College; Columbia University) is an independent architectural historian and author of several books on the work of Robert Adam including The Genius of Robert Adam: His Interiors, and most recently The Country House of Robert Adam: From the Archives of Country Life (2007). She is also the author of British Architectural Books before 1780 (1997). She is Honorary Librarian and Consultant to the Adam Project at Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
Reservations are required
Country Life Article
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2008-
Mar 3 |
CLUTTER: a talk by TOD WILLIAMS and BILLIE TSIEN
Monday, 3 March 2008, 6:00pm
at The Union Club, 101 East 69th Street, New York City
Business Attire required
The Soane Foundation, in conjunction with Architectural Record Magazine, presents the 2008 Soane Seminars Thoroughly Modern Soane. Over the course of several sessions, some of the most innovative architects practicing in the early 21st century will discuss their debt to the early 19th-century architecture of Sir John Soane. The investigation is particularly apropos owing to Soane’s well-known use of simple masses, clean lines and forms, and his dramatic manipulation of light and reflective surfaces.
SESSION ONE will feature the architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, acclaimed for the American Folk Art Museum in New York (2001). Their firm was recently selected to design the new museum for the incomparable Barnes Collection, to be built on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. |
2008-
Jan 22 |
January 22nd - Tuesday, 6pm to 8pm - LECTURE
The Union Club, 101 East 69th Street, New York City – Business Attire required.
This event is presented in cooperation with Yale Center for British Art.
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This lecture will be about the relationship between John Soane (1753-1837) and J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851); near contemporaries who became lifelong friends with a shared passion for architecture. Helen’s talk will draw upon her unparalleled knowledge of the history of Soane’s collections and include an account of the large Forum Romanum for Mr. Soane’s Museum, painted for Soane but then, somewhat mysteriously, rejected by him (pictured above). This important painting, on loan from Tate Britain to the Soane Museum in early 2007, was seen for the first time ever in the building for which it was originally destined.
HELEN DOREY is Deputy Director and Inspectress of Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.
ADVANCED RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: Patron tickets at $75 per person; Regular tickets at $30 per person . Please call 212-223-2012 or email: chas@soanefoundation.com
Check out the “J.M.W. TURNER” exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC until January 6, 2008; which will travel to the Dallas Museum of Art (February 10 through May 18) and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (June 24 through September 21).
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/turnerinfo.shtm
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2008-
Jan 20 |
Piranesi as Designer
This exhibition examines the artist's role in the reform of architecture and design from the 18th century to the present. This is the first museum exhibition to show Piranesi's full range and influence as a designer of architecture, elaborate interiors and exquisite furnishings. On view will be etchings, original drawings and prints by Piranesi, as well as a selection of three-dimensional objects. In addition to his better-known architectural projects, Piranesi also designed fantastic chimneypieces, carriage works, furniture, light fixtures and other decorative pieces. The exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Sarah E. Lawrence, director, Master's Program in the history of decorative arts and design, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and John Wilton-Ely, professor emeritus, University of Hull. Please see special museum web site for full details and images on the exhibition http://piranesi.cooperhewitt.org/design
To read a recent New York Times review, check out PDF |
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Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
An Architectural Fantasy;
Rome, c.1755;
Pencil, red chalk, brown ink and ink wash
Adam vol.56/146
On loan for the exhibition by permission of the Trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Brought back to Britain by James Adam in 1763 this almost abstract fantasy is close in spirit to the Carcieri series of prints. The free use of the media gives a light and shade that suggests the overwhelming scale of Roman architecture. |
NOTE: The SOANE MUSEUM is a lender to the exhibition with 5 items. Board Member MARITA O’HARE attended one of the opening receptions and reports “…there was a nice section devoted to Soane. It’s a wonderful, not-to-be-missed, show.”
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Learn more about our past gala dinner dances
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Click dates for details on each event:
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| 2007- Dec. 4 |
MOVING ROOMS: THE TRADE IN ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGES
By JOHN HARRIS
presented by the ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION with co-sponsors
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART and
SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM FOUNDATION
at the Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, 417 East 61st Street. There will also be a book signing.
Additional funding for this R.O.F. evening has been generously provided by Lewis I. Haber and Carmen Dubroc. |
The Knightsbridge Rooms at Roberson’s London warehouse |
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JOHN HARRIS - Mr. Harris is an independent scholar and worked for the Royal Institute of British Architects for over 30 years. He now serves as Curator Emeritus of the RIBA’s Drawings Collection. He has published many books on architecture, gardens, and decorative arts, including Carlo Fontana: The Drawings at Windsor Castle (1987), The Palladian Revival: Lord Burlington, His Villa and Garden at Chiswick (1994), Sir William Chambers: Catalogues of Architectural Drawings in the V&A (1996), as well as the popular No Voice from the Hall: Early Memories of a Country House Snooper (1998). His most recent is Badminton: The Duke of Beaufort his House; and the exhibition catalogue with Robert Hradsky for the Soane exhibition “A Passion for Building: the Amateur Architect in England 1650-1850."
NEW YORK - Reservations are required. Register online at www.royal-oak.org/lectures
or call Robert Dennis at 212/480-2889, ext. 201.
Please be sure to identify that you are a supporter of Soane Foundation to get the member rate. |
| 2007- Nov 21 |
MOVING ROOMS: THE TRADE IN
ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGES
By JOHN HARRIS
presented by SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM
at the Royal College of Surgeons,
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
Following there will be by drinks at the Museum
Since at least Tudor times there have been architectural salvages: paneling, chimney pieces, doorways, or any fixtures and fittings might be removed from an old interior to be replaced by more fashionable ones. Not surprisingly, a trade developed and architects, builders, masons and sculptors sought out these salvages. By 1820, there was a growing profession of brokers and dealers in London and a century later antique shops were commonplace throughout England.
In England salvages are not only native in origin - as a consequence of the French Revolution a mass of paneling and carved woodwork poured into the London auction rooms, much of it from religious desecrations. However, during the period following the First World War, hundreds of country houses in this country fell to the demolisher’s pickaxes, and this coincided with the fashion for Period Rooms in American museums. It was the age of Moving Rooms.
In this lecture, which celebrates the publication of his Moving Rooms: The Trade in Architectural Salvages (Yale University Press), John Harris will not only speak about this phenomenon, but about the hundred thousand salvages bought by William Randolph Hearst for his houses and castles in New York, California, Long Island, and St Donat’s Castle in Wales, and the duplicity of dealers such as Charles Roberson of the Knightsbridge Rooms in the invention of rooms to suit the demands of hungry museum directors.
LONDON - Reservations: The lecture will be held at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London. Immediately following will be drinks at the Museum. Tickets cost £10.00 (£5.00 to students) and can be purchased on the door (subject to availability), or booked in advance by completing the form below. Please post your booking slip to Sir John Soane's Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP. For more information or to be added to the Museum's email mailing list please contact Bethany Kingston on 020 7440 4254. Email: bkingston@soane.org.uk |
| 2007 - Oct. 23 |
NOBLE HOUSEHOLDS: 18TH CENTURY INVENTORIES OF GREAT ENGLISH HOUSES
by TESSA MURDOCH
presented by the ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION with co-sponsors
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ATTINGHAM SUMMER SCHOOL and
SIR JOHN SOANE’S MUSEUM FOUNDATION
at The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street (between Park and Madison)
One of the most important tools scholars use to document what objects were kept in 18th century English country and town houses are the inventories, often compiled after the owner’s death. These inventories record in astonishing detail and with great immediacy the goods and chattels accumulated, inherited, or acquired for everyday use or enjoyment. They provide tantalizing insights into the taste and lifestyle of leading grandees and the households that supported them—above stairs in the grand entertainment rooms and below in the servants’ areas. For example, kitchen utensils with French names reflect the presence of a French chef and the adoption of French cooking methods while the equipment listed for cleaning reflects the community of stewards and housekeepers. These inventories record the collecting habits of leading 18th-century patrons—furniture, porcelains, silver, and books—and provide an opportunity to compare the arrangements of the interiors of the great town and country houses of the same noble families in different generations. Dr. Tessa Murdoch will lecture about some of inventories of a few houses, including Drayton House in Northamptonshire and the houses owned by the Dukes of Marlborough and Norfolk, and illustrate how the objects they describe reflect their owners’ taste and status.
DR. TESSA MURDOCH - Dr. Murdoch (University of London) is the Deputy Keeper in the Department of Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She is the recipient of the 2002 Getty Curatorial Grant for research on English giltwood furniture 1700–1750, and is currently completing a book on the subject. She is the editor of Boughton House: The English Versailles (1992). Her latest editing project, Noble Households: 18th Century Inventories of Great English Houses (2006) is published in memory of the architectural historian John Cornforth. She has also written numerous articles for The Magazine Antiques, The Journal of Decorative Arts, The Burlington Magazine and is a frequent lecturer in Britain and across the United States.
NEW YORK - Reservations are required. Register online at www.royal-oak.org/lectures or call Robert Dennis at 212/480-2889, ext. 201. Please be sure to identify that you are a supporter of Soane Foundation to get the member rate. |
2007- Aug.9 |
Our summer trip (August 9 to 23) begins
in London exploring Soane sites and then embarks
from Portsmouth for a sailing cruise on Sea Cloud
II exploring ports in England, France, Northern
Spain (Bilbao and the Guggenheim; Santiago de
Compostela), and ending in Lisbon. We will be
joining members of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
on this trip.
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| 2007 - Apr 25 |
Sir John Soane's Museum Foundation
Spring Gala, Wednesday April 25, 2007" MOOD INIGO JONES
A Gala Evening with Dinner and Dancing at the Rainbow
Room in New York which included an amazing Mini-Masque
performance created and orchestrated by Soane Foundation
President Chippy Irvine entitled “The Architect's
Apotheosis: Presenting the Life of Sir John Soane -
In five minutes...”
HONORARY CHAIRS:
Sir David Manning, British Ambassador to the United
States, and Lady Manning
INTERNATIONAL CHAIR:
Mrs. Deborah Brice
GALA CO-CHAIRS:
Joseph A. Field
Peter Pennoyer
Mrs. Stanley DeForest Scott
Kathleen E. Springhorn
Paul V. Wiseman
SOANE FOUNDATION HONORS
David Macaulay |
Richard H. Driehaus |
Our evening celebrated Sir John Soane’s
dedication to architectural education by honoring two
remarkable individuals who have followed in his foot
steps through their outstanding contributions to architectural
education today. The first Soane Foundation Honors were
presented to:
David Macaulay, a hands-on educator and
prolific author/illustrator, is internationally acclaimed
for his best selling books and PBS series about architecture
and design, including Cathedral, City, Pyramid, Castle,
Mosque and The New Way Things Work. Mr. Macaulay has
been the recipient of Caldecott Medals and numerous
other book awards, and was named a 2006 MacArthur Fellow
by the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation. He is currently working on a book about
the human body called The Way We Work to be published
in the fall of 2008.
Richard H. Driehaus, philanthropist and
investor extraordinaire, is the founder of Driehaus
Securities and Driehaus Capital, and, as the architect
of growth investing, was named to Barron’s “All
Century Team” of the 25 most influential individuals
in the Mutual Fund Industry in the past 100 years. Personally
and through his Foundation and Charitable Trusts, he
underwrites and presents an annual $100,000 Richard
H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture, restores
historic landmarks, and is a benefactor to cultural,
educational and social causes.
The Directors of Sir John Soane’s
Museum Foundation would like to recognize
the following corporate leaders and supporters of this
evening:
Cooper Robertson & Partners
EOS Airlines
Ike Kligerman Barkley Architects
Peter Pennoyer Architects
Taconic Builders
Withers Bergman
THE
SOANE FOUNDATION
CONGRATULATES THE WINNER OF THE
TWO-ROUND TRIP TICKETS ON EOS
The Foundation would like to thank EOS Airlines as
they have graciously provided two round-trip tickets
for the benefit of this evening.
SEE FULL STORY |
2007 - Apr 24 |
Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation is pleased
to continue providing specialized travel and educational
programs in the United States for both professionals
and laypersons to explore architecture, the arts,
design, and interiors. Complementing our Fall
exploration of the upper Hudson Valley houses
of Olana, Edgewater and Astor Courts, we will
now explore two houses in the lower part of the
valley – Boscobel and Kykuit.
|
| 2007 - Apr 23 |
a lecture featuring Soane Museum Director Tim Knox
“Regency Rivals? The Collections of
Sir John Soane and Lewis Nockalls Cottingham”
Sir John Soane is considered one of the greatest
of all British architects and his idiosyncratic
house-museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London
attests to his innovative architectural ideas,
mastery of space and light, and collecting prowess.
Over his life, Sir John Soane amassed an extraordinary
collection of paintings, sculpture, and architectural
elements so large that it fills nearly every corner
of his home. However, Regency London was home
to another great architectural collection, Lewis
Nockalls Cottingham’s “Museum of Medieval
Art” in Waterloo Bridge Road. Cottingham’s
collection, sold in 1851, was rich in specimens
of Gothic and early English architecture, and
included perhaps the earliest sequence of “period
rooms” in any museum. In this lecture, Tim
Knox, director of Sir John Soane’s Museum
in London, will compare Soane’s surviving
collection with the lost one of Cottingham, touching
upon other collections formed by architects of
the Regency era. He will also consider the question
as to why modern visitors can still enjoy the
treasury of Soane, that tormented genius of British
architecture, while Cottingham’s antiquarian
Elysium has passed into almost complete oblivion.
This lecture is presented in cooperation with
The Royal Oak Foundation. |
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| 2007 - Apr 30 |
for the NEWPORT SYMPOSIUM in Rhode Island
Tim Knox will be a featured speaker with “The
Strange Genius of Sir John Soane” |
| 2007 - Mar 12 |
Dr. Gordon Higgott will present two sessions this week
on the works of INIGO JONES
“Inigo Jones's Queen's House: a Renaissance
villa at Greenwich Palace,
1616 to 1640”
Click here for more details |
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| 2007 - Mar 14 |
Dr. Gordon Higgott
“Inigo Jones, John Webb, Sir Christopher
Wren and the London scenic playhouse, 1630 to 1675”
Click here for more details |
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| 2007 - Jan 16 |
- Tuesday, 6pm to 8pm
LECTURE ( $20 per person / $15 Students and Seniors )
Discontented Classicism: Commerce, Character, and the Career of Sir John Soane
Speaker: Daniel M. Abramson
Professor Abramson (B.A., Princeton University; M.A. and Ph.D., Harvard University) is Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History and Director of Architectural Studies at Tufts University. He is author of "Building the Bank of England: Money, Architecture, Society, 1694-1942" and "Skyscraper Rivals: The AIG Building and the Architecture of Wall Street," in addition to numerous articles and chapters in scholarly publications. Professor Abramson was also the recipient of the Soane Foundation’s Traveling Fellowship Award in 1997.
LOCATION:
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture
18 West 86th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, New York City
This event is presented by the Bard Graduate Center and the Yale Center for British Art. |
| 2007 - Jan 9 |
- Tuesday, 6pm to 8pm
PRIVATE EXHIBITION TOUR & RECEPTION ( $30 per person )
James "Athenian" Stuart, 1713 - 1788, The Rediscovery of Antiquity
LOCATION:
The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture
18 West 86th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, New York City |
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| Gouche of Athens view with Stuart sketching at right. |
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| 2006 Fall |
– Restoration: The Architecture & Interiors of the New
Old Buildings
This season we examine historic restoration on the inside
and out. We are fortunate that leading practitioners in
the field will lead sessions, each discussing a different
facet from the perspective of his or her recent work.
All sessions will be held on site so that issues and solutions
can be reviewed, explored and discussed. Each of the architects
will discuss details of history, materials, issues of
access, updating of systems, and much more – all
working to make these buildings as vibrant and relevant
as when they were first conceived. Click
for details and photos of the sites explored… |
| 2006 - Oct 21 |
– Restoration
of GREAT HOUSES & BUILDINGS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY
Speakers and Visits: SAMUEL G. WHITE, Platt Byard Dovell
White Architects LLP, on Stanford White’s ASTOR COURTS;
RICHARD PIEPER, Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, on OLANA;
plus a photo-stop to see the new Frank Gehry performing
arts building at Bard College, a visit to Richard Jenrette’s
EDGEWATER; cocktails at the home of Chippy and Keith Irvine. |
| 2006 - Jun 28 |
– GALLERY TALK: Joseph Gandy and the Poetical Myths of
Architecture, A gallery talk by Brian Lukacher,
Professor of the History of Art, Vassar College. Mr.
Lukacher is the author of the newly published book,
Joseph Gandy: An Architectural Visionary in Georgian
England, and curator of the current exhibition at Richard
L. Feigen & Co., Joseph Gandy: Visionary Architect. |
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| 2006 - Jun 15 |
– Sir John Soane’s Museum
Foundation and the Institute of Classical Architecture
& Classical America (ICA&CA) are pleased to
present a screening of the Checkerboard Film Foundation’s
2005 film Sir John Soane: An English Architect, An American
Legacy. Produced by Edgar B. Howard and directed by
Murray Grigor, the film features interviews with Henry
N. Cobb, Michael Graves, Richard Meier, Denise Scott
Brown, Robert A.M. Stern, and Robert Venturi, who talk
about how their work is influenced by the inventive
spirit of Sir John Soane. |
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| 2006 - May 14 |
– Sweden:
Travel with us for a week of architecture, art and the decorative
arts – classical to contemporary – in this land
of crystal clear daylight light and beautiful late night sunsets.
This special opportunity is reserved for up to 24 or so discerning
travelers that are looking for an amazing journey to the capital
city and surrounding countryside. PLEASE send us an e-mail
or call to let us know if you have an interest early so that
we can keep in touch as details and plans develop –
no mass mailing will be done on this so it is mostly word
of mouth that sells-out our very special trips. Take
a look at photos of possible sites to see |
| 2006 - Apr 25 |
–
Benefit Opening at Richard L. Feigen & Co. of the
special exhibition Joseph Gandy: Visionary Architect. More
info> |
| 2006 - Mar 1 |
– Entry deadline for 2006 Fellowship Submissions:
Graduate students and scholars can submit entries for the
2006 Traveling Fellowship Award of $5,000 until March 1, 2006 |
| 2006 - Feb 16 |
– THE SOANE SEMINARS:The Regency
Moment: Architecture, Urbanism, Interior Design and Furniture
During the Time of Sir John Soane
see Soane Seminars page
for more information |
| 2005 - Nov. 9 |
– 15th Anniversary
Gala Dinner in New York
– THE SINGULAR SIR JOHN SOANE:
The singular Sir John shone bright this night
as over 300 architects, designers, writers, art
collectors, Anglophiles and friends gathered to
celebrate not just the man and those he has inspired
through his work, but also the amazing legacy
he left in the creation of the Museum that bears
his name and contains some of the most extraordinary
treasures in the city of London. ( click
to view this coverage in NewYorkSocialDiary.com
)
This 15th Anniversary of Sir
John Soane’s Museum Foundation was held
in the presence of one of England’s most
accomplished contemporary designers, Viscount
Linley (David A. C. Armstrong Jones). He was
joined by her Majesty’s Ambassador to the
United States, Sir David Manning, who with his
wife, Lady Catherine Manning, served as Honorary
Gala Chairs. |
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| [Click
image to view larger] |
| Ballroom
of the Mandarin Oriental set awaiting guests |
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| [Click
image to view larger] |
Blaire
and Alistair Clark
and Melissa Gagen of Christies |
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Distinguished
guests included Tim Knox, the new Director of Sir
John Soane’s Museum in London, and Samuel
C. Miller, Cyndy Spurdle, Robert A. Silver and
Susan P. Magee, Gala Chair, all of whom are among
the original founders of the Foundation. Also with
us were Gala Underwriter Anthony Ingrao, Deputy
Consul-General John Benjamin, Michael Graves, Richard
Driehaus, George McNeely, Robert A. M. Stern, Richard
Feigen, Louis Bofferding, Alison Gowman, Alexa
Hampton, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Robert Ivy, Melinda
Papp, Susan Henshaw Jones, Dale Stott Cunningham,
Debby Brice, Britt Tidelius, Jean and Raymond Troubh,
Joan K. Davidson, James Druckman, Miguel Flores-Vianna,
Mark Gilbertson, Mercedes Mestre and Pedro Bonachea,
Jeffrey Simpson, Peter Pennoyer and Katie Rider,
Charlotte Moss, Keith Irvine, Mario Buatta, Jan
and Marcia Vilcek, Johnnie Moore and Ashton Hawkins,
Michael LaRocca, Inge Heckel, Nancy Richardson,
Robin Miller, Robert Couturier, Vincente Wolf,
to name a few. |
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| [Click
image to view larger] |
| Anthony
Ingao and David Linley |
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| 2005 - Nov. 9 |
VISIT: Museum Tower next to MoMA, the Apartment
of David Whitney and Philip Johnson. Famed architect
and Soane admirer Philip Johnson incorporated into his
New York one bedroom pied-a-terre a handkerchief dome
and wall articulations for the living room with features
and treatments found in Soane's own home. This special
visit was organized through the estate of Mr. Whitney,
and prior to the evidential sale of the apartment. |
| 2005 - Nov. 2 |
SCREENING & TALK: Michael Graves
talks at the American Institute of Architects
- New York Chapter following a private screening
on of Checkerboard Film Foundation’s Sir
John Soane: An English Architect, An American Legacy.
(this event was not done conjunction
with SJSMF) |
| 2005 - May 22 to 29 |
SOANE
TRAVELS: Berlin & Potsdam in the company of
Schinkel – A trip with the Soane:
Our group of travelers spent an extraordinary seven
days in one of the most dynamic cities in Europe
today, exploring architecture, history, art, landscape
design, along with many special visits that had
been arranged. Led by Professor Barry Bergdoll,
Chairman, Department of Art History, Columbia University,
and author of Karl Friedrich Schinkel: An Architecture
for Prussia. Some of the many sites to be visited
included… BERLIN: Altes Museum, Schauspielhaus,
Neue Wache Veterinary School, Friedrich Werdesche
Kirche, Schloss Charlottenburg, Schloss Tegel, Pfaueninsel;
lunch at Schloss Glienicke or on the canal, Schloss
Babelsberg and park; POTSDAM: Sancoucis, Neues Palais,
Charlottenhof, Court Gardener’s House, Chinese
Tea House, lunch at Drachenhaus, Holländische
Viertel, Alexandrovka Russian Colony, Russian Orthodox
Church, Pomona Temple, Cecilienhof, Church at Sacrow,
Nikolaikirche, Town Hall, Knoblesdorf House; MODERNISM
IN BERLIN: Hufeisensiedlung by Bruno Taut, New National
Gallery by Mies van der Rohe, Einstein Tower by
Erich Mendelsohn, Dutch Embassy by Rem Koolhaas,
Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind, Sports Complex
by Dominque Perrault, Reichstag Dome by Norman Foster,
and the new Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman
which had just opened the previous week.
|
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| Altes
Museum designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel
(1781-1841) |
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[Click
image to view larger]
Model of the Holocaust Museum designed by
Peter Eisenman |
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| 2005 - May 19 |
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NYC - SCREENING: "Sir
John Soane: An English Architect, An American
Legacy" Premier and gala to
benefit the Checkerboard Film Foundation of Checkerboards
the new film, produced by Edgar B. Howard, www.checkerboardfilms.org/Films/soane.html
(this event was not
done conjunction with SJSMF) shows in its
examination of the legacy of Sir John Soane (1753-1837),
English architect of rare genius whose influence
on a generation of America's foremost practitioners
is profound, among them many of the giants of
modern American architecture, including Henry
Cobb, Michael Graves, Philip Johnson, Richard
Meier, Robert Stern, Robert Venturi and Denise
Scott Brown. It is a lyrical and moving homage
to Soane's lasting legacy.
Architectural historians Charles
Jencks and Christopher Woodward lead a lively
tour through the best known of Soane's surviving
masterpieces, including his residence museum in
London and Dulwich Picture Gallery, and engage
in conversation with each of the Americans architects
in acknowledging their debt to Soane and the larger
lessons they drew from his idiosyncratic reinterpretations
of the architecture of antiquity. |
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to view larger] |
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| The
film visits Philip Johnson in his Guest House, listens
to Richard Meier as he develops the Getty Museum,
see Michael Graves' residence and visits his Newark
Museum renovation, it sees Henry Cobb's Payson Building
of the Portland Museum, and we hear Venturi and
Scott Brown discuss their Sainsbury Wing of the
National Gallery in London, each offering unique
insight into the ways in which their works reflect
the genius of Soane |
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| 2005 - May 19 |
LONDON - TALK: A Conversation Lead by Margaret
Richardson OBE and Collector Barbara Pine. |
| 2005 - Apr. to Aug. |
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EXHIBITION: Wright to Gehry: Drawings
from the Collection of Barbara Pine.
Sir John Soane's Museum holds a new exhibition
featuring original works by some of the icons
of 20th-century architecture, drawn from one of
the world's finest private collections. This exhbition,
April 21 to August 27, showcased 60 drawings including
works by such luminaries as Frank Lloyd Wright,
Mies van der Rohe, Richard Meier, Michael Graves,
Mario Botta, Alvaro Siza, Louis Kahn and Frank
Gehry. This is the collection's first appearance
in Europe. Barbara Pine serves as a Director of
the Foundation in the USA. The full color
exhibition catalogue of the exhibition is available
from the Museum
Shop. |
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| [click
to view larger] |
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| 2005 - Feb. – Mar. |
SEMINAR: Soane Seminars II: Soane and the
Sublime The winter/spring series of Soane
Seminars was held at the Union Club, New York, from February
6 through March 14th. Professor Mary McLeod, Graduate
School of Architecture, Columbia University, led the seminars
examining two aesthetic theories that were seminal to
the development of John Soane's architecture: the sublime
and the picturesque. These two theories developed out
of interest in "sensationalism: a form of empiricism
that considers sensation and sense perceptions as a source
of knowledge." Soane was a master of this "sensationalist"
architecture. The themes that he explored--the modulation
of light, shifting spatial sequences, layering, and fragmentation--continue
to inspire contemporary designers. At each of the six
seminar meetings Professor McLeod gave a short illustrated
lecture and introduced discussion and analysis of texts
and topics that included the beginnings of a theory of
the sublime; Burke and Boullee; Dance, Soane, and Ruskin;
the picturesque and the English landscape; movement and
the picturesque, Kames and Adam; fragmentation and the
picturesque, Soane. |
| 2005 - Jan. 11 |
LECTURE: Berlin and Potsdam in the Time
of Soane: Gilly and Schinkel’s Classicism for Kings
and Citizens. This illustrated
lecture by Professor Barry Bergdoll, Chairman of the Department
of Art History, Columbia University, was offered as an
educational program for the general public and as a preview
for those joining the Foundation’s trip to Berlin
andPotsdam scheduled for May 22 to 29, 2005. |
| 2004 - Dec. 1 |
LECTURE: Bob the Roman, gallery talk
and viewing of the exhibition of Robert Adam drawings
on loan from Sir John Soane’s Museum to the New
York School of Interior Design. The lecture and
guided viewing of specific drawings throughout the gallery
were presented by Stephen Astley, Assistant Curator, Drawings,
Sir John Soane’s Museum. Hosted by the New York
School of Interior Design in association with Sir John
Soane’s Museum Foundation. |
| 2004 - Sept. 29 |
EXHIBITION: Bob the Roman: Heroic Antiquity
& the Architecture of Robert Adam. This
evening, organized in association with the New
York School of Interior Design, included an illustrated
lecture by guest curator Alistair Rowan followed by a
private viewing and reception for the exhibition of seventy
18th century drawings on loan to NYSID from Sir John Soane’s
Museum and a private collection. After the reception Soane
Foundation guests attended a dinner to benefit the Soane
Museum Model Room. The dinner was held at the Union Club.
Special guests included Mr. and Mrs. Rowan and Soane Museum
staff members Margaret Richardson, Mike Nicholson, and
Stephen Astley. |
| 2004 - Sept. 18 - 25 |
SOANE TRAVELS: Vicenza, Padova and Venezia:
Architecture in Palladio’s Homeland.
The group of 19 Soane Foundation travelers visited Palladian
villas and sites in Venice and the Veneto inspirational
to Soane. The tour was organized by A Private View of
Italy and guided by art historians Wilma Barbieri and
Bruna Caruso Cherubini, as well as the private owners
of villas and palazzi. Distinguished hosts included Conte
Clemente de Thiene, Conte Jacopo Marcello, Conte Giordano
Emo Capodilista, Contessa Marina Emo Capodilista, Barone
Lorenzo Rubin de Cervin Albrizzi, and Donatella Asta.
Travelers enjoyed many beautiful meals of regional food
and wine with their hosts set in frescoed interiors of
Palladian villas or al fresco in enchanting gardens. They
sampled five wines produced on the estate at Villa Capodilista
in Montecchia. A stormy night dramatically heightened
the experience of a private evening visit to see the interior
of the Basilica di San Marco slowly illuminated. Dinner
at the elegant Palazzo Mocenigo, once the residence of
Lord Byron, provided a stunning finale. |
| 2004 - May 17 |
LECTURE: The Perfect Houses of Andrea Palladio,
an illustrated lecture by Withold Rybczynski, Meyerson
Professor of Urbanism, University of Pennsylvania. This
lecture, drawn from Professor Rybczynski’s study-in-residence
of Palladian villas in preparation for his book, The Perfect
House: A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio,
was presented, in part, as a preview of the foundation’s
trip to the Veneto in September. This event was organized
in association with and held at the New York School
of Interior Design. |
| 2004 - April 21 |
SCREENING: Soane at the Movies, “Entertaining
Mr. Soane,” a new one-hour BBC
Film on Soane with commentary by contemporary
architects and artists was presented in association with
the New York School of Interior Design.
The film was followed by a reception and private viewing
of NYSID’s exhibition, Albert Hadley: Drawings
and the Design Process. |
| 2004 - April 8 |
VISIT: Private Tour of “The Devonshire
Inheritance: Five Centuries of Collecting at Chatsworth”
This guided tour of the exhibition on loan to the Bard
Graduate Center was organized in association
with the American Friends of the Attingham Summer
School and Bard. The exhibition presented a rare
opportunity to see great works of art, including cabinet
paintings, old master and architectural drawings, masterpieces
in gold and silver, porcelains, clocks, gems, and jewelry,
natural curiosities, scientific instruments and mechanical
devices, early photographs and books and manuscripts from
one the greatest private libraries in the world. Comprising
more than 200 works of art, the exhibition featured the
family’s private collection, which is seldom on
view to the public. |
| 2004 - March 30 |
LECTURE: Architects, Aristocrats and Aesthetes:
The Influence of Patrons and Collectors on the Decorative
Arts. Using as a starting point
the revival of Palladian architecture in the 1720s, decorative
arts historian Laura Microulis presented an illustrated
lecture on the roles of the patron and collector in the
development of the decorative arts by examining specific
aspects of English country-house furniture and interiors.
She considered the significance of architect-designed
interiors, impact of the Grand Tour, changing fashions
of collecting, and formation of the country-house museum.
The lecture and reception following were organized in
association with and held at the Bard Graduate
Center. |
| 2004 - Jan. - Mar. |
SEMINAR: The Soane Seminars: Architectural
Theory in the Time of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) –
Part Two: John Soane: Classicism in an Age of Eclecticism,
1800-1850. The second series of the Soane
Seminars took place at the Union Club, New York, on Mondays
at 5.30 p.m. from January 26 to March 8 , 2004 Professor
Barry Bergdoll led the group in an investigation of Soane’s
influence on the architectural world and an examination
of his contributions thereto, in the light of subsequent
architectural theorists such as Pugin and Ruskin. Readings
included Soane’s own lectures at the Royal Academy.
Other details are as those of previous Soane Seminars
below. |
| 2004 - Jan. 13 |
VISIT: Big & Green: Toward Sustainable
Architecture in the 21st Century , Museum of the
City of New York. Susan Henshaw Jones, Museum
Director and President, who organized the exhibition,
welcomed guests and Thomas Mellins, Curator, gave a guided
tour of the exhibition. Following the tour, guests were
invited to join co-hosts Stephanie Stokes and Kathleen
Springhorn for a reception at the Stokes residence. |
| 2003 - Dec. 4 |
RECEPTION: Bringing Home the Grand Tour.
Florian Papp gallery hosted this reception and
special viewing of their enchanting exhibition of European
watercolor drawings of architecture, gardens, and interiors,
1750-1900. The event was organized by Melinda Papp for
friends of the Soane Foundation and the Attingham
Summer School and their guests. |
| 2003 - Nov. 19 |
RECEPTION: A Festive Cocktail Party at Frost
and Reed Fine Art. Directors and their guests
enjoyed this opportunity to introduce new friends to the
Foundation and to visit the newly opened New York space
of this London gallery, which was featuring paintings
by Suzanne Valadon. The event was organized by Susan Bishopric
at the suggestion of Wendy Moonan. |
| 2003 - Oct. 29 |
SCHOLAR'S LECTURE: Soane and the Sacred
Grove, an illustrated lecture by Edward
Wendt, winner of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation’s
Travel Fellowship 2002, was the seventh in a continuing
series of annual lectures by fellowship recipients. Wendy
Moonan, President of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation,
introduced the speaker. The lecture was held at the New
York School of Interior Design, the co-sponsor of the
event. Guests were welcomed by Inge Heckel, President
of NYSID. A reception and private viewing of the exhibition
The American Frame: From Origin to Originality
followed the lecture. |
| 2003 - Oct. - Nov. |
SEMINAR: The Soane Seminars: Architectural
Theory in the Time of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) , Part
One—John Soane from Enlightenment to Shadows: The
Impact of French Rationalism and Sensationalism and of
English Picturesque Theory (1750-1800),
a series of seminars coordinated by foundation director
Suzanne Stephens, with preceptor Barry Bergdoll, Professor
of Art History at Columbia University and author of Karl
Friedrich Schinkel: An Architecture for Prussia and European
Architecture, 1750-1890. The six weekly seminars, to be
followed by a second series early in 2004, were held at
the Union Club, New York, 5.30-7.30 p.m. on Thursdays
between October 2 and November 6. The autumn seminars
cover the period 1750-1800, the topics for discussion
being The French Rationalist Tradition, The Rise of an
Historical Frame for Architectural Thought, Theories of
Imitation and Invention, The Idea of Character and the
Tradition of Rhetoric, Theories of Sensation, and The
Sublime and the Picturesque. As an astute reader of architectural
and aesthetic theory, John Soane accumulated an extensive
library, which he used to explore the seminal literature
of his time. In keeping with his desire to create “an
academy for the study of architecture,” the Soane
Seminars encourage students to delve into the key texts
that influenced Soane’s thought. The investigation
allows participants to acquire grounding in landmark works
of eighteenth and early nineteenth century architectural
theory and to reflect on the role that these theories
played in Soane’s thinking. The seminars are arranged
thematically and chronologically and, following his short
illustrated lecture on the topic under consideration at
the beginning of each session, Prof. Bergdoll directs
the discussion and analysis of the various texts which
students have studied before each meeting. |
| 2003 - Sept. 14 to 21 |
SOANE TRAVELS: To Russia with Soane –
a trip to St. Petersburg. To celebrate John
Soane’s 250th birthday and St. Petersburg’s
300th, a trip was arranged to enjoy cultural events and
visit places of architectural and historic interest, including
the Hermitage, with Quarenghi’s Theatre, Malachite
Room, and the Gold Storage Room, St. Isaac’s Cathedral,
the Tsar’s Village and Pavlosk Palace, Chesma Church,
Paul’s Palace Catherine’s Palace, Amber Room,
Cameron Galleries, Baths, Agate Rooms, Marble Bridge,
Chinese village and Alexander’s Palace, attending
a Gala Dinner at the Cameron Gallery. The group also visited
Menshikov Palace, Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral,
Yusupov Palace, Spiridonov Palace (where a second Gala
Dinner was held), and during a day in the country saw
the Road Palace of Peter 1, Cottage Palace Peterhoff,
Grand Palace Grand Cascade, Monplaisir Palace, and Marly
Palace. |
| 2003 - June 26 |
RECEPTION: White Nights Cocktails,
a champagne reception held at A La Vieille Russie, New
York, in celebration of the 300th birthday of St. Petersburg
and the Soane Foundation’s trip there in September. |
| 2003 - April 23 |
LECTURE & DINNER: Model Mania 3: Architectural
Models and the Creative Process, an illustrated
lecture at the Century Association, New
York, by Frank O. Gehry. Just prior to the opening of
the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Mr. Gehry
discussed how has used various architectural modeling
techniques to design this and other award-winning buildings.
The lecture was followed by a reception, and a benefit
dinner with Mr. Gehry. |
| 2003 - Feb. 19 |
VISIT: Model Mania 2: An Evening Tour of
21st Century Architectural Models. The participants
of this highly-praised event gathered at 5.30 p.m. at
the offices of Skidmore Owings & Merrill and were
welcomed by Peter Ruggiero, who showed the group a display
of models, followed by a visit to the model shop. Participants
then went by coach to the offices of Gwathmey Siegel &
Associates, where a tour of the offices and models was
led by Thomas Levering. On the final visit of the evening,
Robert A. M. Stern architects, Robert Stern welcomed the
group warmly and gave a short slide presentation with
particular reference to Soane’s work. The group
viewed the Stern models collection, toured the models
shop, with staff present to answer questions, and enjoyed
elegant hot refreshments to close the evening. |
| 2003 - Spring |
SEMINAR: The Soane Seminars: Architectural
Theory in the Time of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) –
Part Two: John Soane: Classicism in an Age of Eclecticism,
1800-1850. The second series of the Soane
Seminars took place at the Union Club, New York, on Thursdays
at 4.30 p.m. from February 6 to March 13 , 2003. Professor
Barry Bergdoll led the group in an investigation of Soane’s
influence on the architectural world and an examination
of his contributions thereto, in the light of subsequent
architectural theorists such as Pugin, Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc.
Readings included Soane’s own lectures at the Royal
Academy. Other details are as those of the Fall Soane
Seminars below. |
| 2002 - Oct. 16 |
LECTURE: Wrenaissance: Sir Christopher Wren’s
Legacy in North America, an illustrated
lecture by Richard Guy Wilson of the University of Virginia,
which was held at the Cathedral Church of St. John the
Divine, Amsterdam Avenue, New York. The lecture was preceded
by a reception and the showing of a video on the restoration
work currently underway at St. Paul’s Cathedral,
London, introduced by Canon Philip Buckler of the Chapter
of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The event offered an opportunity
to discover more about the genius of Sir Christopher Wren
and its influence on American architecture. The lecture
was co-sponsored by St. Paul’s Cathedral
Foundation and the Institute of Classical
Architecture. |
| 2002 - Fall |
SEMINAR: The Soane Seminars: Architectural
Theory in the Time of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) - Part
One: John Soane from Enlightenment to Shadows: the Impact
of French Rationalism and Sensationalism and of English
Picturesque Theory, a series of seminars
co-ordinated by foundation director Suzanne Stephens,
with preceptor Barry Bergdoll, Professor of Art History
at Columbia University and author of Karl Friedrich
Schinkel, an Architecture for Prussia and European Architecture,
1750-1890. The six weekly seminars, to be followed
by a second series in February and March, 2003, were held
at the Union Club, New York, 4.30-6.30 p.m. on Thursdays
between October 3 and November 7. The Autumn seminars,
cover the period 1750-1800, the topics under discussion
being The French Rationalist Tradition, The Rise of
an Historical Frame for Architectural Thought, Theories
of Imitation and Invention, The Idea of Character and
the Tradition of Rhetoric, Theories of Sensation, and
The Sublime and the Picturesque. As an astute reader
of architectural and aesthetic theory, John Soane accumulated
an extensive library, which he used to explore the seminal
literature of his time. In keeping with his desire to
create “an academy for the study of architecture”,
the Soane Seminars encourage students to delve into the
key texts that influenced Soane’s thought. The investigation
allows participants to acquire a grounding in landmark
works of eighteenth and early nineteenth century architectural
theory and to reflect on the role that these theories
played in Soane’s thinking. The seminars are arranged
thematically and chronologically and, following his short
illustrated lecture on the topic under consideration at
the beginning of each session, Prof. Bergdoll directs
the discussion and analysis of the various texts which
students have studied before each meeting. |
| 2002 - June 18 |
LECTURE: Model Mania 1: John Soane’s
Collection of Architectural Models, an illustrated
lecture by Margaret Richardson, Curator of Sir John Soane’s
Museum. Soane believed in architectural models and strongly
advocated their use at a time when this long-established
practice was in decline. Models from his own projects,
as well as those by other architects and model-makers,
were carefully arranged to produce striking architectural
effects in every room of his house. Mrs. Richardson discussed
the development of this collection of over one hundred
models, which includes cork models of Roman buildings
by artist-model makers such as Giovanni Altieri, as well
as exquisite plaster-of-Paris models by Francois Fouquet.
The lecture, first in a series based on the theme of models,
followed a reception at Sotheby’s Institute
of Art, co-sponsor of the event. At the conclusion
of the lecture, the directors of Sir John Soane’s
Museum Foundation held a dinner for 40 guests and supporters
at nearby Bid Restaurant in honor of Mrs. Richardson. |
| 2002 - May 24 to 27 |
SOANE TRAVELS: Town and Country Soane and
Adam, A trip to England, in part to reunite
those who had met on the 2001 trip to Rome, Naples and
Florida. Highlights included visits to the Bank of England,
buildings on London’s South Bank including the Tate
Modern and the Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral,
the Houses of Parliament with Lord Redesdale, and Syon
House and Osterley Park (with Stephen Astley, Curator
of Drawings at Sir John Soane’s Museum), both wonderful
examples of the art of Robert Adam. Sunday was properly
spent in the country, visiting two splendid Soane buildings,
currently under restoration – Moggerhanger House
in Bedfordshire and Tyringham House in Buckinghamshire.
The group dined at Brook’s Club, in a beautiful
Adam room at Home House in Portland Square and the long
weekend culminated in a candlelight dinner at Sir John
Soane’s Museum, with the Curator, Margaret Richardson,
several of the museum’s experts and invited guests. |
| 2002 - May 4 |
TOUR: Neoclassical Harlem - A trip
uptown to Harlem with architectural historian Michael
Henry Adams, to see landmark buildings. Highlights included
Hamilton Grange, Hamilton Terrace, the Morris Jumel Mansion
and Strivers Row. The first stop was to sample Miss Maude’s
Southern Cuisine at Spoonbread Too and, following tea
and champagne at a private residence, half the group went
on to dine at Sugar Hill Bistro and rounded the day out
with jazz at St. Nick’s Pub. |
| 2002 - April 17 |
SCHOLAR'S LECTURE: The Soanean Touch: Light,
Color and Arrangement in Sir John Soane’s Museum
– some Inspirations and Legacies,
a free illustrated public lecture by Thomas Jayne, described
as the “ardent young designer with an encyclopedic
knowledge of Anglo-American decoration.” The speaker
was introduced by Peter Pennoyer of Peter Pennoyer Architects,
a director of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.
The lecture was held at the New York School of Interior
Design, who was co-sponsor of the event. Guests were welcomed
by Inge Heckel, President of NYSID. The lecture was preceded
by a reception and a private viewing in the Gallery of
Tree of Life, an exhibition of antique and contemporary
textiles. This lecture replaced the Sixth Annual Scholar’s
Lecture, to have been given by the 2002 Fellowship Award
winner, the late Mary McAuliffe (Columbia University). |
| 2001 - Nov. 27 |
LECTURE: The Genius of Robert Adam: His
Interiors, an illustrated lecture, followed
by a reception and book signing, with Dr. Eileen
Harris, author of a book by the same name (published
by Yale University Press, 2001). Eileen Harris is an architectural
historian and Honorary Librarian and Consultant to the
Adam Project at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London.
Robert Adam (1728-1792) was one of the leading British
architects, decorators and furnishings designers of the
late eighteenth century, with a stylistic influence so
great that his name has become a household word. Yet,
Dr, Harris showed, it is the original synthesis of architecture,
planning and decoration that truly defines his achievement
and only by considering all of these elements together
can the amazing breadth of his genius be fully appreciated. |
| 2001 - Nov. 6 |
VISIT: William Beckford, 1760-1844: An Eye
for the Magnificent, a private tour of the
exhibition at the Bard Center for Studies in the
Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, New York,
with project organizer Derek E. Ostergard,
Founding Dean of the Bard Graduate Center. This, the first
major exhibition on the life of William Beckford, the
preeminent connoisseur of his time and one of the most
influential collectors of the past 200 years of European
and Asian art, brought together 175 extraordinary works
of art spanning three centuries: paintings, drawings,
engravings, lithographs, European and Chinese silver and
porcelain, Japanese lacquer and English, French and Italian
furniture, drawn from private collections and from prestigious
American and British institutions. A private reception
followed the tour. |
| 2001 - Nov. 2 to 5 |
SOANE TRAVELS USA: The Best of Savannah,
Georgia, a trip to the Savannah of architect
William Jay (1792-1837), co-sponsored by Sotheby’s
Institute of Art and accompanied by foundation director
J. Thomas Savage, Jr., Director of Sotheby’s
Institute of Art. The group visited Savannah’s
most important houses, plantations and architectural landmarks,
including the William Scarborough House (now housing the
Ships of the Sea Museum), the Richardson-Owens-Thomas
House, finished by Jay in 1819 and his most intact Savannah
building, the Telfair Academy and the Andrew Low House.
Also on the tour was a visit to the John Mark Verdier
House in Beaufort, South Carolina and an informal lowcountry
dinner outdoors. Plantations visited included Auldbrass
Plantation, Yemassee, SC, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
in 1939 and purchased in 1987 by motion picture producer,
Joel Silver, and the Ford Plantation, Richmond Hill, GA,
a winter retreat of Henry and Clare Ford, which is today
a private equity membership sporting community and the
site of sensitive development under the architectural
supervision of foundation director Donald Rattner,
who guided the group through the house and part of the
1,800 acre plantation and its 4 miles of footage on the
historic Ogeechee River. |
| 2001 - Oct. 17 |
LECTURE: Fabric Fantasies: the Whole Nine
Yards, an illustrated lecture by Murray
B. Douglas, Vice President of Brunschwig &
Fils and a director of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.
The lecture, which was followed by a reception, was held
in the showrooms of Brunschwig & Fils in the D &
D building in New York. Mrs. Douglas’s lavishly
illustrated talk gave a brief history of the company’s
roots in France and compared antique fabrics, and the
decorative uses to which they were originally put, with
the treatments of their reproductions by today’s
designers. |
| 2001 - May 5 to 17 |
SOANE TRAVELS: Italy, In the Footsteps of
Soane, a lavishly praised trip to Rome,
Naples and Sicily. The group followed in Soane’s
footsteps through Italy, on an itinerary researched and
arranged, in conjunction with the foundation, by A
Private View Italy. The group visited temples,
basilicas, villas, palazzos and other places, the highlights
of which included a private tour of the Vatican Museum
and Sistine Chapel, Hadrian’s Villa, Villa d’Este,
Villa Madama, Villa Lante and Casino dell’Aurora
Pallavicini in the Rome area. Near Naples they visited
Cuma, Villa Imperiale, Piscina Mirabile, Museo Archeologico,
Museo di Capodimonte, Pompeii and Paestum. They sailed
overnight to Sicily and there visited Cappella Palatina,
Villa Palagonia, Segesta, Motya, Selinunte (where they
were able to climb up scaffolding to the top of a temple
under repair), toured Siricusa and had a memorable lunch
on the River Ciane. The tour included many other temples
and churches. They had drinks, dined or lunched with their
hosts at Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, Palazzo Massimo
di Pirro, Palazzo Patrizi, Villa Trentaremi, Villa Il
Pizzo, Palazzo Donn’Anna, Palazzo Cellammare, Villa
Spedalotto, Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, Palazzo Ajutamicristo,
Palazzo Beneventano and Palazzo Biscari. |
| 2001 - April 25 |
SCHOLAR'S LECTURE: Architecture as Text
or Map? Donald M. Rattner, Honorary Chairman;
Christopher Drew Armstrong, Speaker (Columbia University) |
| 2001 - March 20 |
LECTURE: The Grand Tour: Italy in the Footsteps
of Soane, illustrated talks by Olivier
Bernier, renowned expert on the eighteenth century,
and Prof. Barry Bergdoll, of the Art
History Department of Columbia University. Olivier Bernier
discussed what a young eighteenth century European man
would see and encounter on the Grand Tour in Rome and
Naples, from crowned heads to carriage drivers. Prof.
Bergdoll enlarged upon those things that Sir John Soane
is known to have seen in Italy between 1778 and 1780.
The lectures were held at the Union Club and followed
by a reception for all attendees. A fund-raising dinner
for 60 people was held after the reception. |
| 2001 - Jan. 31 |
LECTURE: Sir William Beckford, Sir John
Soane and the Grand Tour, an illustrated
lecture co-sponsored by the International Beckford
Society, given by Christopher Woodward,
former Assistant Curator (Education) at Sir John Soane’s
Museum, and currently Director of the Holburne Museum
of Art in Bath, England. The speaker compared and contrasted
the attitudes of two very different Englishmen towards
the Grand Tour and what they both brought back to England
(literally and metaphorically) from their experiences
in Italy. The lecture was held at the Grolier
Club and followed by a reception. |
| 2000 - Nov. 9 |
LECTURE: Robert Adam’s Instruments
for Catherine the Great, an illustrated
lecture (with a little music) at the Bard Graduate
Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, by
Professor Laurance Libin, Research Curator
in the Department of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. Prof. Libin recently identified,
from Adam drawings at Sir John Soane’s Museum
in London, the piano designed by Robert Adam for Catherine
the Great. The ornate square piano was previously
believed lost or perhaps never made, and yet survived
unrecognized at Pavlosk Palace until identified by Libin
in 1999. |
| 2000 - Nov. 1 |
LECTURE: Rome, Soane et Lumiere,
an illustrated lecture at the Union Club
given by John Saladino, foundation director
and President of the Saladino Group, on the influence
upon him of visits to Italy, and how and why the Grand
Tour to Italy over two hundred years ago influenced Sir
John Soane’s work so strongly. |
| 2000 - Sept. 26 |
LECTURE: A New Look at Soane’s Country
Houses, an illustrated lecture, co-sponsored
by Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Young British architect and author, Ptolemy Dean,
who is a fellow of Sir John Soane’s Museum, spoke
on Soane’s country houses, all of which he visited
and recorded in his sketch books, and brought together
in his remarkable book “Sir John Soane
and the Country Estate”. The lecture
was preceded by a reception and booksigning. |
| 2000 - Sept. 24 |
VISIT: Robin Hill, A Private Luncheon,
a visit from New York to John Saladino’s
house, Robin Hill in Norfolk, CT. Guests were welcomed
to Robin Hill with champagne cocktails and a tour of the
magnificent house, whose enfilade runs from the drawing
room, through the octagonal entrance hall to the breakfast
room, drawing the eye to the octagonal silver and cobalt-blue
glass lantern hanging above the breakfast table. Luncheon
was followed by a walk around the grounds, which include
the “Appian Way”, a 200 foot long new/ancient
street. |
| 2000 - May 19 to 23 |
SOANE TRAVELS: Adam Buildings in Scotland
and England, a trip to the UK to visit Adam
buildings, culminating in Adam in Scotland,
an illustrated lecture at Home House in London by Ian
Gow, Curator of the National Trust for Scotland,
followed by a candlelight dinner at Sir John Soane’s
Museum, hosted by Curator Margaret Richardson.
The Scottish part of the tour included Culzean Castle
on the coast of Ayrshire, where General Eisenhower was
a frequent visitor, a day visiting houses in and around
Edinburgh, William Adam’s The Drum, dinner at Blair
Adam House, still the home of the Adam family and Mellerstain
Hall and its magnificent Library. South of the Border
the group toured Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, dining
with Sir Reresby and Lady Sitwell at nearby Renishaw Hall,
and touring the lovely house and gardens. |
| 2000 - April 8 |
SOANE TRAVELS USA: Trip to Philadelphia
to see The Splendor of 18th-Century Rome
at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with co-curator Joe
Rishel. Most members went by coach from New York.
Lunch was from the Artist’s Table buffet in a private
room at the Museum and was followed by a visit to Mount
Pleasant in Fairmount Park, a house owned and
furnished by the Museum. On the way back to New York a
tour of Andalusia, the Biddle house on the Delaware River,
was followed by a reception and a short talk from James
Biddle. |
| 1999 - Nov. 11 |
LECTURE: John Soane: An Accidental Romantic,
an illustrated lecture at the House of the Redeemer,
New York City, by Gillian Darley on the
subject of her recent book of the same name, published
by Yale University Press. The evening was co-sponsored
by Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative
Arts and the lecture was followed by a reception.
Ms. Darley, a writer and broadcaster, is Chairman of the
Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings. |
| 1999 - Oct. 18 |
LECTURE: John Soane: In and Out of Context,
an illustrated lecture at Christies’s
by Robert Rosenblum, Professor of Fine
Arts at New York University, on Soane and his stormy relationships
with the artists and architects of his era. The evening
was presented in conjunction with Christie’s and
a reception followed the lecture, with a dinner in Christie’s
Board Room for Board Members and other Foundation supporters. |
| 1999 - Sept. 15 to 19 |
SOANE TRAVELS: London Trip
to attend a Private View at the Royal Academy of Arts
in London of the exhibition John Soane, Architect:
Master of Space and Light. Several Board
members and other Soane afficionados journeyed to the
UK and as well as visiting the Royal Academy they spent
time at the Houses of Parliament, took a hard-hat tour
of the new Tate Gallery (to be called the Tate Modern),
a tour of Greenwich, in particular the National Maritime
Museum, led by project architect Gavin Miller from Rick
Mather’s office, enjoyed a candlelight
dinner at the Museum, and visited several Soane houses
in the Norfolk area, including the Old Rectory at Saxlingham,
Letton Hall, Wimpole Hall, Shottesham Hall and the rarely
visited Music Room at Earsham. |
| 1999 - May 11 |
LECTURE: George Washington, Architect.
An illustrated lecture at the Harvard Club
by Allan Greenberg, with Harrison
Ford as Honorary Chairman, on George Washington’s
preoccupation with architecture in the creation of his
house, gardens and farms at Mount Vernon and his collaboration
with Peter Charles L’Enfant in developing a master
plan for our nation’s capitol. The lecture was a
joint venture with the Harvard Club. |
| 1999 - March 4 |
TALK: Architecture as Identity: The Future
of Classicism. A panel discussion at the
Union Club on the issues raised by the
question of the viability of the classical style, designed
to explore whether the classical and modern approaches
to architecture can coexist successfully. Robert
Venturi was Honorary Chairman, Paul Goldberger
was Moderator and the panelists were Paul Byard,
Allan Greenberg, Charles Gwathmey
and Donald Rattner. The discussion was
followed by a reception and dinner. |
| 1999 - Jan. 27 |
LECTURE: Keepers of the Flame: A Celebration
of Classicism in America. Beyond Style: Sir John
Soane and the Bank of England. An illustrated
lecture given by Daniel Abramson, Soane
Fellowship recipient, at the New York School of
Interior Design on Sir John Soane’s work
at the Bank of England, a definition of his style and
its manifestations in American architecture and interiors,
followed by a reception . This was a joint event with
the New York School of Interior Design,
with Stuart Wrede as Honorary Chairman
and Robin Middleton as Honored Guest.
A private supper party was given for Board members and
special friends by Colin and Mary MacLachlan
at their home. |
| 1998 - Nov. 19 to 21 |
SOANE TRAVELS USA: Keepers of the Flame:
A Celebration of Classicism in America. Manifestations
of Classicism in our Nation’s Capitol.
A trip to Washington, DC, including: a reception and private
view of Robert Adam: The Creative Mind
at the Octagon, private tour of Blair House, tickets for
Van Gogh’s Van Goghs luncheon with Sir Christopher
Meyer and Lady Meyer at the British Ambassador’s
residence, private tour of the Department of State Diplomatic
and Reception Rooms, formal dinner at the National Museum
for Women in the Arts, breakfast with Allan Greenberg
to discuss Washington’s Mount Vernon, and a private
tour of Mount Vernon. |
| 1998 - Jan. 16 |
SYMPOSIUM: Chunnel Vision: France and England
and the Reciprocity of Taste, 1763-1851.
An all-day Symposium held at Alliance Française
in cooperation with The Bard Graduate Center for
Studies in the Decorative Arts and with Christie’s.
Then a reception and Gala Dinner at the Union Club, New
York with distinguished speakers, including J. Carter
Brown and the Countess of Rosebery. |
| 1997 - Dec. 15 |
EXHIBITION: Robert Adam - The Creative Mind:
From the Sketch to the Finished Drawing,
a selection of 66 drawings and watercolors by Robert and
James Adam and artists from their studio, on loan from
Sir John Soane’s Museum, London. Opening reception
planned by The Fellows of The Frick Collection
at One East 70th Street, New York. |
| 1997 - 1996 |
UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE SOANE MUSEUM SERIES:
Four evening presentations, followed by Receptions and
Dinners, investigating Sir John Soane’s ideas and
collections to uncover hidden meanings and the significance
of his architecture and artifacts.
June 11, 1997 - Sir John Soane’s Imprint
on the Twentieth Century: An Exploration of
Soane’s Continuing Influence on Contemporary Architecture
and Design. Brendan Gill, Honorary
Chairman Jaquelin Robertson, Moderator.
Michael Graves, Thomas Beeby,
Keith Irvine, John Saladino,
Panelists. A Panel of architects and designers discussing
the current significance of Soane’s seminal work.
April 10, 1997 - Soane’s Hogarths:
The Avid Quest of a Resolute Collector. Eugene Thaw,
Honorary Chairman. Ronald Paulson,
Speaker (Johns Hopkins University). To mark the occasion
of Hogarth’s tercentenary, this presentation explored
the attraction of Hogarth’s work to Soane and
others who collected it during the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries.
January 21, 1997 - Sir John Soane: Enlightenment
Thought and The Masonic Movement.
Christopher Monkhouse, Honorary Chairman.
David Watkin, Speaker (Cambridge University).
An exploration of Enlightenment thought and its connection
with the Masonic movement with regard to their effect
on Soane and his circle.
October 16, 1996 -The Architectural Interior:
Collectors, Architects and Visionaries from Walpole
to Soane. Albert Hadley, Honorary Chairman.
Stephen Calloway, Speaker (Victoria
& Albert Museum). An illustrated presentation showing
how the architectural interior was transformed by contact
with ancient civilizations during this period of intense
archeological excavation. |
| 1996 |
COLLECTORS AND COLLECTING SERIES. This
series took its focus from the exhibit entitled Soane:
Connoisseur and Collector, shown at The Frick Collection
from April 30 until July 7, 1996.
May 22, 1996 - Margaret Richardson, Curator
of Sir John Soane’s Museum and Helen Dorey,
Inspectress and Deputy Curator, Sir John Soane’s
Museum. A free illustrated lecture at The Frick Collection
on Soane as a collector of works of art and antiquities
was given by Helen Dorey: Margaret Richardson discussed
Soane as a collector of drawings. The lectures were followed
by a dinner to commemorate the Foundation’s fifth
anniversary.
April 24, 1996 - Private View of the Exhibition,
Soane: Connoisseur and Collector.
A preview of the first traveling exhibition from Sir
John Soane’s Museum on view at The Frick
Collection, April - July 1996. A fund-raising
dinner followed the preview.
March 14, 1996 - A panel discussion
exploring different aspects of the ethics of collecting
with John Harris, Architectural Historian,
Phyllis Lambert, Director, Centre Canadien
d’Architecture, George Ortiz,
Collector of Antiquities, Eugene V. Thaw,
Honorary Chairman and Moderator.
|
| 1995 - Oct. 20 to 22 |
SOANE TRAVELS USA: Jefferson’s Virginia.
A trip to Albemarle County Virginia to explore Jefferson
as an architect, designer of interiors and horticulturist.
The trip included visits to Monticello, the University
of Virginia, Poplar Forest and private Jeffersonian houses
and collections. |
| 1995 - 1994 |
SOANE AND JEFFERSON SERIES. Four evening
presentations exploring the careers of Sir John Soane
and Thomas Jefferson. Each presentation was followed by
a reception and dinner.
April 26, 1995 - Mark Hampton, Mark
Hampton, Inc.; Keith Irvine, Irvine
& Fleming, Inc.; J. Carter Brown,
Honorary Chairman. An analysis of Jefferson’s
and Soane’s innovative contributions to the decorative
arts and interior design with an emphasis on their use
of space and light.
February 15, 1995 - Richard Guy Wilson,
Commonwealth Professor, Chair of Architectural History,
University of Virginia; Damie Stillman,
Chair and John W. Shirley Professor
of Art History, University of Delaware; Allan
Greenberg, Honorary Chairman. An examination
of Soane’s and Jefferson’s attitudes toward
the urban milieu and the natural landscape, and, the
physical and symbolic roles their buildings played in
these settings.
November 16, 1994 - Barry Bergdoll,
Architectural Historian, Department of Art, Columbia
University; Wendell Garrett, Senior
Vice President of American Decorative Arts, Sotheby’s,
and Editor-at-Large, Antiques; Douglas
Lewis, Curator of Sculpture and Decorative
Arts, National Gallery of Art; Suzanne Stephens,
Honorary Chair and Moderator. An exploration of the
work of certain architects in Germany, France and Italy
as well as in the United States and England during the
late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and
how their works and writings may have contributed to
the architectural development of Jefferson and Soane.
October 26, 1994 - Jaquelin T. Robertson,
Partner, Cooper, Robertson & Partners; Robin
Middleton, Professor, Dept. of Art History,
Columbia University; Philip Johnson,
Honorary Chairman; Peter Thornton,
Honored Guest, Curator of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
An assessment of Jefferson’s and Soane’s
architectural legacies in the light of their influence
on architects in the twentieth century. |
| 1994 - June 25 |
VISIT: Philip Johnson. A tour led by
Mr. Johnson of his celebrated home, The Glass House, in
New Canaan, Connecticut including a picnic lunch on the
grounds and guided tours of the sculpture and painting
galleries by the staff. |
| 1994 - April 20 |
TALK: J. Carter Brown the Director
Emeritus of the National Gallery of Art gave an illustrated
presentation on "Windshield,” the Brown family
summer retreat on Fishers Island designed by R. J. Neutra. |
| 1993 - Oct. 16 |
VISIT: Pocantico. Visit to
the Union Chapel in Tarrytown, New York
to view the stained glass windows designed by Chagall
and Matisse followed by a picnic lunch in the Coach Barn
on the grounds of Pocantico, the Rockefeller Estate. After
viewing the sculpture gardens, David Engle, who was commissioned
by Nelson Rockefeller to design the extensive Japanese
gardens at Kykuit, led the tour through
these magnificent gardens. |
| 1993 - Sept. 27 |
SOANE TRAVELS: Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Candlelit tours of the Soane Museum in London before a
concert of baroque music, followed by a reception in the
drawing room. |
| 1993 - April 21 |
VISIT: Avery Art and Architectural Library.
A tour of the renowned collection of rare books and architectural
drawings at Columbia University's library was introduced
by architect Robert A.M. Stern, Professor of Architecture
and Director of Historic Preservation at Columbia University.
A buffet dinner followed. |
| 1992 - Oct. 22 |
LECTURE: Colin Amery. This
architectural critic for the London Financial Times
gave a lecture entitled "Sir John Soane and the Sublime"
at Sotheby's, followed by a reception. |
| 1992 - May 6 |
LECTURE: Peter Thornton, the
Curator of Sir John Soane’s Museum delivered a lecture
entitled, “Restoring a Piece of English History:
Sir John Soane’s Museum.” The lecture, given
at The Cooper Hewitt Museum under the auspices of Sir
John Soane’s Museum Foundation, was followed by
the Inaugural Dinner Party held at the Fabbri Mansion
to launch the Foundation. |
These lectures, followed by an informal Reception,
are presented without charge to interested members of the public,
and are given by the recipients of the annual Sir John Soane’s
Museum Foundation Fellowship.
| 2003 - Oct. 2003 |
Soane and the Sacred Grove
Inge Heckel, Honorary Chairman
Edward Wendt, Speaker (Adjunct Professor, Pratt Institute) |
| 2002 - April 17 |
The Soanean Touch: Light, Color and Arrangement
in Sir John Soane’s Museum – Some Inspirations
and Legacies
Peter Pennoyer, Honorary Chairman
Thomas Jayne, Speaker, who took the place of the late Mary
McAuliffe, winner of the Fellowship Award for 2000 |
| 2001 - April 25 |
Architecture as Text or Map?
Donald M. Rattner, Honorary Chairman
Christopher Drew Armstrong, Speaker (Columbia University) |
| 2000 - Jan. 26 |
Masonic Imagination in the Architecture of Joseph
Michael Gandy and Sir John Soane
Donald M. Rattner, Honorary Chairman
Terrance Galvin, Speaker (University of Pennsylvania) |
| 1999 - Jan. 27 |
Beyond Style: Sir John Soane and the Bank of
England
Stuart Wrede, Honorary Chairman
Daniel Abramson, Speaker
This lecture was given as part of Keepers of
the Flame: A Celebration of Classicism in America (see
above) |
| 1998 - Feb. 11 |
Naturalism in the Work of Turner and Soane
Robin Middleton, Honorary Chairman
Edward Wendt, Speaker (Columbia University) |
| 1997 - Feb. 26 |
Citizen Soane: Representations of Civic Architecture
and National Identity at Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Robin Middleton, Honorary Chairman
Sean Sawyer, Speaker (Columbia University) |
For more information on any of these
events or other items of interest, please contact info@soanefoundation.com or
call 212-223-2012. |
