Exhibition: John Christian - Collecting the last Romantics

John Christian (1942–2016) was an art historian, curator and collector and contributed greatly to the understanding and appreciation of Pre-Raphaelite and late Victorian art. As a practising artist and art-lover as well as a scholar, he amassed an impressive collection of ceramics, prints, drawings and watercolours. Built up over decades, his collection was acquired by the British Museum in March 2019.
Christian was fascinated by artistic processes and clearly appreciated sketchbooks, working drawings and prints in different states. He would often collect similar subjects in varied media, by artists working in different countries and centuries. He also supported many practising artists.

This small display of Christian’s collection positions works by Ford Madox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rossetti alongside Benjamin Robert Haydon, Walter Crane, Charles Hazelwood Shannon and George Frederick Watts, and the influential work of female artists including Dorothy Hawksley and Eleanor Vere Boyle.

The display offers food for thought for art lovers, artists and art historians alike – and celebrates the joy of looking and the possibilities of the imagination.

A selection of selected highlights from the collection will be on show from 3 September – 12 November 2019. This offers a small taste of a rich and informative collection which will be online and available to view by appointment as of 2020.