Marie Tavinor
Christie's Education London, MSc Art, Law and Business, Faculty Member
- Christie's Education London, Fine and Decorative Arts Course, Faculty Memberadd
- History of Collecting, History of Art, Cultural Studies, British painting, International networks, Nineteenth Century Studies, and 17 moreHistory of Collecting and Antiquarianism, Venice Biennale, Venice Biennial, History of Exhibitions, British art, Art Economics and Markets, Collecting and Collections, Art Market, Cultural Economics, Cultural consumption, Portraiture, Art History, John Ruskin, Collectors and Collecting, Nineteenth-century Art, Fine Arts, and Art and Art Historyedit
This article examines the introduction of two waves of Scottish artists at the newly-founded Venice Biennale in 1897 and 1899 and considers how the Venetian venture negotiated the need to innovate with the imperative to build up its own... more
This article examines the introduction of two waves of Scottish artists at the newly-founded Venice Biennale in 1897 and 1899 and considers how the Venetian venture negotiated the need to innovate with the imperative to build up its own reputation. Using hitherto unpublished archival material, it touches upon a number of issues regarding marketing practices, art market flows and the consumption of art at the international level.
Research Interests:
The opening of the Venice Biennale in 1895 provided an unprecedented occasion to bring international art to the Italian public. It thus enabled intellectuals, art critics and the wider population to see and judge national productions side... more
The opening of the Venice Biennale in 1895 provided an unprecedented occasion to bring international art to the Italian public. It thus enabled intellectuals, art critics and the wider population to see and judge national productions side by side. This article looks at the way biases developed along with the Biennale and the peculiar political situation in Europe. By looking at articles written by leading Italian art critics on newspapers and magazines such as Emporium, Fanfulla della Domenica, Il Marzocco or Illustrazione italiana, this article shows that art often served as a pretext for a deeper reading into political interplays and ultimately pointed to the rising conflict between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente which resulted in the First World War.
My purpose in this presentation is to study a comparison made by intellectuals in France and in Italy between John Ruskin and Francesco di Bernardone better known as Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226) during the last decade of the 19th... more
My purpose in this presentation is to study a comparison made by intellectuals in France and in Italy between John Ruskin and Francesco di Bernardone better known as Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226) during the last decade of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.
Building up on Ruskin’s own identification with St Francis after the epiphany he experienced in front of Cimabue’s Maestà in 1874, and the weight given to his event by his various biographers both in England (William Gershom Collingwood) and on the Continent (Robert de la Sizeranne), I would like to explore how Ruskin’s historiography shifted from factual to legendary thereby raising his status from art critic to prophet.
I would then investigate what prompted the Decadent circle gravitating around Italian poet Gabriele d’Annunzio to propose this comparison, and how it evolved between the 1890s and the early 20th century, at a time when Romantic intellectuals were fighting the rising importance of science and technology as markers of modernity. Indeed the ‘Saint Francis of Assisi paradigm’ proved a powerful source of inspiration for d’Annunzio, who later also identified with the Saint.
However, my conclusion would show why the comparison between Ruskin and St Francis died out in the early years of the 20th century whilst the identification between d’Annunzio and the Saint carried on well into the 1920s.
Building up on Ruskin’s own identification with St Francis after the epiphany he experienced in front of Cimabue’s Maestà in 1874, and the weight given to his event by his various biographers both in England (William Gershom Collingwood) and on the Continent (Robert de la Sizeranne), I would like to explore how Ruskin’s historiography shifted from factual to legendary thereby raising his status from art critic to prophet.
I would then investigate what prompted the Decadent circle gravitating around Italian poet Gabriele d’Annunzio to propose this comparison, and how it evolved between the 1890s and the early 20th century, at a time when Romantic intellectuals were fighting the rising importance of science and technology as markers of modernity. Indeed the ‘Saint Francis of Assisi paradigm’ proved a powerful source of inspiration for d’Annunzio, who later also identified with the Saint.
However, my conclusion would show why the comparison between Ruskin and St Francis died out in the early years of the 20th century whilst the identification between d’Annunzio and the Saint carried on well into the 1920s.
Research Interests:
The donation of the Tate collection to the Trustees of the National Gallery in 1889 and subsequent founding of the ‘National Gallery of British Art’ (today’s Tate Britain) is a well-known episode which features in every historical account... more
The donation of the Tate collection to the Trustees of the National Gallery in 1889 and subsequent founding of the ‘National Gallery of British Art’ (today’s Tate Britain) is a well-known episode which features in every historical account of the museum, notably Frances Spalding’s. These accounts generally introduce the figure of the Liverpudlian sugar magnate Henry Tate (1819-1899), his taste for modern British painting and his patronage of John Everett Millais, among other well-known artists of his day. They also generally tackle the difficulties he encountered to have his collection accepted by the National Gallery, and his battle to have a new building erected, which ended up on Millbank where Bentham’s Panopticon prison once dwelt, amidst celebrations of national glory.
This paper is less interested in repeating those facts than shedding light on the actual details of the negotiation which lasted between 1889 and 1892, with the subsequent opening of the new Gallery in 1897. It delves into the negotiations conducted between Henry Tate, the Trustees of the National Gallery, and Her majesty’s Treasury under two governments and shows that the shift from private to public ownership entailed a number of issues at the intersection of taste and politics.
Drawing from an array of primary sources including unpublished correspondence and newspaper cuttings, this paper uses the Tate Donation as a case study to probe the difficulty of modern British painting to enter the museum canon. It also aims to point to the politicisation of such donation in an increasingly democratic and literate context. While it is true that Henry Tate turned to the ‘public sphere’ to seek popular support for his scheme, realpolitik gave birth and shaped to the National Gallery of British Art.
This paper is less interested in repeating those facts than shedding light on the actual details of the negotiation which lasted between 1889 and 1892, with the subsequent opening of the new Gallery in 1897. It delves into the negotiations conducted between Henry Tate, the Trustees of the National Gallery, and Her majesty’s Treasury under two governments and shows that the shift from private to public ownership entailed a number of issues at the intersection of taste and politics.
Drawing from an array of primary sources including unpublished correspondence and newspaper cuttings, this paper uses the Tate Donation as a case study to probe the difficulty of modern British painting to enter the museum canon. It also aims to point to the politicisation of such donation in an increasingly democratic and literate context. While it is true that Henry Tate turned to the ‘public sphere’ to seek popular support for his scheme, realpolitik gave birth and shaped to the National Gallery of British Art.
Research Interests:
The Venice Biennale provides many an interesting, and sometimes contradictory array of issues linked to the history of exhibitions, curating, and the importance of display. This paper focuses on the early edition of 1903. Contrary to... more
The Venice Biennale provides many an interesting, and sometimes contradictory array of issues linked to the history of exhibitions, curating, and the importance of display. This paper focuses on the early edition of 1903.
Contrary to earlier Biennali in which sections were organised by nationality, in 1903 the rules of the game were slightly changed: in addition to regional sections as well as ‘international’ sections, the General Secretary Antonio Fradeletto decided to have one star show centring on modern portraiture whilst allowing Italian decorative arts for the first time. This paper focuses the ‘Sala del Ritratto Moderno’ (or 'Room of Modern Portraiture') both as an exhibition strategy and an act of curation. I analyse in particular Fradeletto’s choice of artists, the decoration of the room and the critical perspective provided in the catalogue to see how the Sala conveyed more than meets the eye.
By mostly using unpublished archival sources (ASAC), I aim to restore some ‘historical density’, to borrow Lawrence Alloway’s terminology, to the curatorial and strategic history of the early Venice Biennale.
Contrary to earlier Biennali in which sections were organised by nationality, in 1903 the rules of the game were slightly changed: in addition to regional sections as well as ‘international’ sections, the General Secretary Antonio Fradeletto decided to have one star show centring on modern portraiture whilst allowing Italian decorative arts for the first time. This paper focuses the ‘Sala del Ritratto Moderno’ (or 'Room of Modern Portraiture') both as an exhibition strategy and an act of curation. I analyse in particular Fradeletto’s choice of artists, the decoration of the room and the critical perspective provided in the catalogue to see how the Sala conveyed more than meets the eye.
By mostly using unpublished archival sources (ASAC), I aim to restore some ‘historical density’, to borrow Lawrence Alloway’s terminology, to the curatorial and strategic history of the early Venice Biennale.
Research Interests:
Questo contributo proverà ad esaminare in quale misura l’anglofilia di Antonio Fradeletto ebbe un’impatto sullo sviluppo della sezione inglese alla Biennale di Venezia dell’anteguerra. In particolare l’argomento si concentrerà sugli anni... more
Questo contributo proverà ad esaminare in quale misura l’anglofilia di Antonio Fradeletto ebbe un’impatto sullo sviluppo della sezione inglese alla Biennale di Venezia dell’anteguerra. In particolare l’argomento si concentrerà sugli anni in cui la sezione inglese si trasfero’ dal palazzo centrale ad un padiglione nazionale, che fu’ l’occasione di molteplicare il numero di opere mostrate, e quindi potenzialmente il numero di opere vendute. Sara’ l’occasione di studiare nei dettagli l’impegno del primo Segretario Generale –e anche di suo figlio Giulio- su quelle vicende e di mostrare che senza i Fradeletto, la presenza artistica e economica della Gran Bretagna alla Biennale dell’anteguerra sarebbe stata molto diversa.
Research Interests:
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Glasgow developed as a modern artistic centre both in the fine and decorative arts. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and his interpretation of Art Nouveau as well as the Glasgow Boys with their... more
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Glasgow developed as a modern artistic centre both in the fine and decorative arts. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and his interpretation of Art Nouveau as well as the Glasgow Boys with their synthesis of Realism and Impressionism no doubt greatly contributed to put their home town on the world artistic map. Yet in the latter’s case, both the local and national art markets proved quite disappointing thereby prompting them to participate to international exhibitions as an alternative career strategy.
Publications on the Glasgow Boys have typically acknowledged the seminal importance of their invitation to exhibit at the Munich Glaspalast Exhibition in 1890 which thereafter encouraged them to send works to Germany primarily (Dresden, Berlin) but also to the rest of Europe, the USA or even Russia until the First World War. Although Venice was briefly mentioned in publications, not a word has been written on the Boys’ presence at the Biennale and the reasons which pushed the organisers to invite them from its second edition of 1897 onwards.
Unpublished archival evidence will unveil the organiser’s strategy in introducing the Boys’ novel artistic styles and in fostering their critical and market success in Italy in an era when the Venice Biennale was considered as ‘the great picture mart of Italy’. It will show that this goes against the traditional image of conservatism associated with the pre-war Biennale, thereby offering a fresh insight into the seminal role of the organisers as taste mediators.
Publications on the Glasgow Boys have typically acknowledged the seminal importance of their invitation to exhibit at the Munich Glaspalast Exhibition in 1890 which thereafter encouraged them to send works to Germany primarily (Dresden, Berlin) but also to the rest of Europe, the USA or even Russia until the First World War. Although Venice was briefly mentioned in publications, not a word has been written on the Boys’ presence at the Biennale and the reasons which pushed the organisers to invite them from its second edition of 1897 onwards.
Unpublished archival evidence will unveil the organiser’s strategy in introducing the Boys’ novel artistic styles and in fostering their critical and market success in Italy in an era when the Venice Biennale was considered as ‘the great picture mart of Italy’. It will show that this goes against the traditional image of conservatism associated with the pre-war Biennale, thereby offering a fresh insight into the seminal role of the organisers as taste mediators.
Research Interests:
This paper investigates the reception of Briitsh art by Italian art critics and intellectuals between 1909 and 1914 during the last four Biennali before the First World War. By looking at articles from leading Italian newspapers and... more
This paper investigates the reception of Briitsh art by Italian art critics and intellectuals between 1909 and 1914 during the last four Biennali before the First World War.
By looking at articles from leading Italian newspapers and magazines such as Emporium, Il Marzocco or Nuova Antologia, this paper shows that art often served as pretext for a deeper reading into the state of civilisation in Europe, and ultimately the rising conflict between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.
In particular, Hippolyte Taine’s theory of ‘race, milieu, moment’ which was very influential in Italy, allowed for a peculiar reading of the inextricable links between artistic production and the country it emanated from. This, coupled with the apparition and growing affirmation of alternative modes of expression (such as abstract or semi-abstract art), provided the ideal grounding for political and civilisational interpretations of each country’s exhibits at the Biennale.
By looking at articles from leading Italian newspapers and magazines such as Emporium, Il Marzocco or Nuova Antologia, this paper shows that art often served as pretext for a deeper reading into the state of civilisation in Europe, and ultimately the rising conflict between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.
In particular, Hippolyte Taine’s theory of ‘race, milieu, moment’ which was very influential in Italy, allowed for a peculiar reading of the inextricable links between artistic production and the country it emanated from. This, coupled with the apparition and growing affirmation of alternative modes of expression (such as abstract or semi-abstract art), provided the ideal grounding for political and civilisational interpretations of each country’s exhibits at the Biennale.
Research Interests:
At first sight, John Ruskin (1819-1900) and Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226) could not be any different: one was a prominent and wealthy English art critic whilst the other one was the venerated founder of a Catholic order based on... more
At first sight, John Ruskin (1819-1900) and Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226) could not be any different: one was a prominent and wealthy English art critic whilst the other one was the venerated founder of a Catholic order based on the vow of poverty. Yet they came to be compared by Italian decadent intellectuals during a brief period roughly comprised between 1897 and 1919 and this paper attempts to illuminate the historical and cultural climate which made this comparison relevant.
Between 1897 when Robert de la Sizeranne published Ruskin et la religion de la beauté which became a key work to understand John Ruskin and his teachings in Italy, and 1919, when the last reference to Francis of Assisi was found, Italy was in a period of deep social, political and intellectual unrest. More broadly, Europe was experiencing intense intellectual debates surrounding the theme of modernity and its markers.
The development of the concept of the Renaissance as the first modern period, was central to these debates. Whilst for Burckhardt the ‘400 represented a turning point, German historian Henry Thode located it in the ‘200 when Saint Francis of Assisi had led the way to a renewed relationship to nature and God, translated in iconographical terms by Giotto. The diverging theories on the beginning of the Renaissance offered different models for modern 19th century society: either romantic and anti-positivist or positivist and scientific. The short-lived comparison between Ruskin and Saint Francis underlined the impossibility to carry out the first model.
Between 1897 when Robert de la Sizeranne published Ruskin et la religion de la beauté which became a key work to understand John Ruskin and his teachings in Italy, and 1919, when the last reference to Francis of Assisi was found, Italy was in a period of deep social, political and intellectual unrest. More broadly, Europe was experiencing intense intellectual debates surrounding the theme of modernity and its markers.
The development of the concept of the Renaissance as the first modern period, was central to these debates. Whilst for Burckhardt the ‘400 represented a turning point, German historian Henry Thode located it in the ‘200 when Saint Francis of Assisi had led the way to a renewed relationship to nature and God, translated in iconographical terms by Giotto. The diverging theories on the beginning of the Renaissance offered different models for modern 19th century society: either romantic and anti-positivist or positivist and scientific. The short-lived comparison between Ruskin and Saint Francis underlined the impossibility to carry out the first model.
Research Interests:
On December 5th, 1899, Henry Tate died. All the newspapers paid homage to the man “of fine taste” , the “art connoisseur” , the “modern Maecenas…a keen appreciator of the canons of good taste” emphasized by his nomination as a Trustee of... more
On December 5th, 1899, Henry Tate died. All the newspapers paid homage to the man “of fine taste” , the “art connoisseur” , the “modern Maecenas…a keen appreciator of the canons of good taste” emphasized by his nomination as a Trustee of the National Gallery in 1897.
Throughout his life, he bought more than 130 paintings and sculptures, mainly by British living artists such as John Everett Millais, John Waterhouse and Frederic Leighton. He subsequently decided to donate 65 paintings and 3 sculptures to the Nation “for the encouragement and development of British art”, together with an art gallery built on the Embankment (today’s Tate Britain).
Building upon unpublished archives, this paper seeks to trace back the beginning of Tate's collecting practices, the development of his taste and the increasingly important difference between collecting for private enjoyment and collecting for public purposes.
Throughout his life, he bought more than 130 paintings and sculptures, mainly by British living artists such as John Everett Millais, John Waterhouse and Frederic Leighton. He subsequently decided to donate 65 paintings and 3 sculptures to the Nation “for the encouragement and development of British art”, together with an art gallery built on the Embankment (today’s Tate Britain).
Building upon unpublished archives, this paper seeks to trace back the beginning of Tate's collecting practices, the development of his taste and the increasingly important difference between collecting for private enjoyment and collecting for public purposes.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Economics, Art History, Social Sciences, Art Economics and Markets, Contemporary Art, and 12 moreInternational Marketing, History of Art, Art Criticism, Art Market, Biennales, Arts Marketing, Venice Biennale, Contemporary Art Marketing, Biennials, Venice Biennial, Strategic Positioning, and Art History/Biennale History
Apart from a few notable exceptions, British painters from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods have suffered from the modernist historiography which deemed it parochial and unworthy of study. Recent developments in art history have... more
Apart from a few notable exceptions, British painters from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods have suffered from the modernist historiography which deemed it parochial and unworthy of study. Recent developments in art history have generally revised such scathing opinion and have sought to reassess the artistic quality of many ante-bellum British painters.
While riding this wave of reappraisals, this dissertation is less interested in entering the aesthetic debate than disputing the domestic nature of late Victorian and Edwardian art. Indeed, by drawing from an interdisciplinary approach including cultural studies, cultural economics and art history, the present study aims at contextualising late Victorian and Edwardian painting in an international artistic environment in order to assess its critical and commercial success.
Due to its dual nature as exhibition and commercial platform as well as some strong Anglophile leaning in its early period, the Venice Biennale arguably provides an ideal case study. Over its eleven ante-bellum editions running between 1895 and 1914, it gradually shifted from late-comer to reference point in the international artistic arena. Chartering the evolution of the presence, reception and commercial results of British painters at Venice, this dissertation intends to shed more light on a sample of circa three hundred artists and their place within a segment of the international Belle époque art market.
While riding this wave of reappraisals, this dissertation is less interested in entering the aesthetic debate than disputing the domestic nature of late Victorian and Edwardian art. Indeed, by drawing from an interdisciplinary approach including cultural studies, cultural economics and art history, the present study aims at contextualising late Victorian and Edwardian painting in an international artistic environment in order to assess its critical and commercial success.
Due to its dual nature as exhibition and commercial platform as well as some strong Anglophile leaning in its early period, the Venice Biennale arguably provides an ideal case study. Over its eleven ante-bellum editions running between 1895 and 1914, it gradually shifted from late-comer to reference point in the international artistic arena. Chartering the evolution of the presence, reception and commercial results of British painters at Venice, this dissertation intends to shed more light on a sample of circa three hundred artists and their place within a segment of the international Belle époque art market.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A lecture as part of the 'Seminar in the History of Collecting' held at the Wallace Collection, London.