The Bowes Museum Shows Fantin-Latour and the Impressionists

Written by Lawrence Saunders Monday, 04 July 2011 23:25

Barnard Castle, County Durham, UK - The Bowes Museum is pleased to present "Painting Flowers: Fantin-Latour and the Impressionists", on view at the museum until October 9th. Flower power is the theme running through the first large scale show in Britain to celebrate the still life paintings of Henri Fantin-Latour. Although the artist’s name might not be the first to trip off everyone’s tongue when reflecting on 19th Century greats, he was nevertheless up there with the finest, including Édouard Manet, who was a witness at his wedding, and Whistler, who introduced him to London’s artistic and intellectual society.

"Painting Flowers: Fantin-Latour & the Impressionists", will showcase around 30 of Fantin-Latour's works, alongside paintings by Auguest Renoir, Gustave Courbet, and Fantin-Latour’s wife Victoria Dubourg, among others. From the 1860s, Fantin-Latour began developing his powers of observation, experimenting with colour, texture, form and composition in his still life paintings. Yet while still life painting grew in popularity among artists of the period, it was strongly resisted by the establishment. Invited to London by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Fantin-Latour was introduced to Edwin Edwards and his wife, Ruth, who bought many of his still life paintings in the years that followed. They trumpeted his work among their circle and helped him develop a rich base of patrons in England, eventually acting as his agents. In 1876 Fantin-Latour and his wife spent their first summer at Buré in France, a house inherited from her uncle. The provincial garden there provided an abundance of blooms from which both artists were inspired to create endless floral compositions. The expansion of mail order horticulture in France during that time offered the domestic gardener access to a growing selection of plants, and provided Fantin-Latour with an ever increasing choice of subject matter. Botanist David Ingram explores his work, identifying many of the new and exciting varieties and hybrids that were available to the artist. Fantin-Latour continued to refine his skills in representing textures and the tactile qualities of flowers, the delicate nature of their blooms and the structure of their stems. So admired did he become for his ability as a painter of roses that a fragrant pink Centifolia rose was named in tribute to him.


The Bowes Museum is a hidden treasure, a jewel in the heart of beautiful Teesdale. The magnificent building stands proud in the historic market town of Barnard Castle housing internationally significant collections of fine and decorative arts. Purpose built in the 19th century by John and Joséphine Bowes, the Museum has a wonderful story to tell. John Bowes was a successful businessman who travelled to Paris in 1847 to explore his interest in the arts. It was here he bought a theatre and met the Parisian actress Joséphine Coffin-Chevallier whom he married in 1852. Joséphine was a talented amateur painter who was interested in a whole range of art forms including paintings, ceramics, furniture and textiles. Soon the couple began to develop the idea of creating a world-class museum back in John’s ancestral home of Teesdale in order to introduce the wider world of art to the local people. The prospect was daunting; nothing had matched the scale, grandeur or location of this colossal proposal in their lifetime. Plans were meticulously scrutinised and painstakingly formed in order to give the North East a truly magnificent edifice, a home suitably fitting for all the precious treasures which would be contained within it. The Bowes’ enthusiasm was immeasurable as Joséphine laid the foundation stone in 1869. She said ‘I lay the bottom stone, and you, Mr.Bowes, will lay the top stone’. As the building grew, so did their collection and an astounding 15,000 objects were purchased between 1862 and1874. Suddenly the project was blighted when Josephine died in 1874. John’s motivation towards their lifelong achievement took an enormous blow and John virtually ceased collecting. Fortunately the building did continue, but John, like his late wife, never saw its completion. He died in 1885 and never did carry out Joséphine’s wish of laying the top stone.

Despite the death of John and Joséphine, momentum for the project had reached such a scale that it continued under the leadership of Trustees and The Bowes Museum was finally opened to the public on 10th June 1892 and attracted nearly 63,000 visitors in its first year. John and Joséphine filled the museum with treasures, so much so that storage and display space comes with a very high premium. At every turn you can see important and precious works from all over Europe, and each piece has its own story to tell. However it is the 230 year-old Silver Swan that is the best-loved object in the museum. The Silver Swan is an English silver automaton, a unique attraction that was bought by the Bowes in 1872. The life size model is still in working order and is operated at the museum on a daily basis.

The diverse collection spans three floors of the magnificent building and contains items too numerous to list. Whether it is paintings by Canaletto or Goya, porcelain produced at Sèvres, or marquetry attributed to André-Charles Boulle it can all be found at The Bowes Museum, which has received Designated status from the government in recognition of the outstanding collection. Visitors to The Bowes Museum today can not only learn of John and Josephine’s wonderful story and marvel at the fascinating collections but can also enjoy an exciting programme of exhibitions. Activities in the park and a superb café and shop have helped bring the museum singing and dancing into the 21st century. The magnificent legacy that John and Joséphine left to the people of Teesdale has been cared for to retain its charm and intrigue yet sympathetic developments have made the attraction a popular, vibrant and exciting day out for all. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk

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