The exquisite Ford Collection has left its London residence for a rare and exclusive exhibition in the Midlands.
The Granary Art Gallery at Weston Park on the Shropshire Staffordshire border will display the private works-of-art, which were bestowed and nurtured by the late Sir Brinsley Ford, a distinguished connoisseur and former chairman of the Art Fund.
The collection, which is on loan from the Ford family to the stately home’s art gallery from Saturday 2nd April through to Sunday 3rd July, features works by the eighteenth century landscape artist Richard Wilson alongside architectural fantasies by Giovanni Paolo Panini and portraits by Augustus John.
The origins of the collection lie with the family’s ancestor, Benjamin Booth, whose indulgence and love of art was born through his marriage to wealthy Shropshire heiress, Jane Salwey. The collection then passed to the Ford family through marriage.
The late Sir Brinsley Ford took great pride in the stewardship of the family inheritance by sharing it with others. He passionately cultivated the collection studying its historical influences, such as, the Grand Tour, where young gentlemen travelled Europe to complete their education.
Gareth Williams, curator to the Weston Park Foundation, said: “We are especially grateful to the Ford family for their generosity in lending a part of their family collection to the Granary Art Gallery.
“Their collection contains some of the very finest works by Richard Wilson and artists connected with the Grand Tour.
“It is an immense honour for the Weston Park Foundation to be hosting this outstanding collection as well as a fabulous opportunity for visitors to the gallery to see a remarkable and rare group of paintings,” concluded Gareth.
Sir Brinsley Ford was unstinting in his devotion to art causes, ranging from the National Gallery, the Society of Dilettanti, the National Trust Foundation for Art and the Art Fund.
The Ford Collection at the Granary Art Gallery is generously supported by Sotheby’s and Lycetts insurance brokers.
The Ford Collection at the Granary Art Gallery runs from Saturday 2nd April to Sunday 3rd July from 11am – 4pm and is free to enter.