You might be excused for thinking that the Beckhams – although doyens of fashion and style – were not altogether au fait with the world of contemporary art, as would we. However, and like us, you’d be very much mistaken in this belief, as it emerges that at least 50% of the much-publicised Team Beckham harbour a passion for the Old Masters.
Hot on the (very collectable) heels of collaborating on the interior design of the automotively hot-to-trot Land Rover Evoque SUV, fashion design guru Victoria has recently turned her artistic prowess to something even more culturally savvy. Speaking with style Bible, Vogue magazine, the former Spice Girl reveals that both her and husband, David have been “collecting contemporary art for some time now.”
Indeed, it later transpires that the couple’s various properties are home to a collection of visual works by contemporary art icons such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Banksy and Julian Schnabel. Expanding on her love of art, Posh added; “It wasn’t until I visited the Frick in New York a few months ago that I developed an interest in Old Masters,” before waxing lyrical about the impending tie-in with auction house giant, Sotheby’s. Victoria concluded; “This project is a quite a surprising thing for me to do, but when I first opened my store I had big dreams to showcase other people’s work here.”
We’ll Tell You What She Wants, What She Really, Really Wants…..
In the event, Victoria has selected 16 illustratively imperious portraits from a forthcoming Sotheby’s sale, specifically to hang from the walls of her flagship Dover Street store in London. Although the first to admit she’s no expert on the old masters, Beckham says she’s very keen to learn about the movers and shakers of this compositionally magnificent era. Beckham’s collaboration with Sotheby’s is seemingly in stark contrast to the mooted hyper-modern look and feel of her boutique, not least when considering that works by 15th to 19th Century greats such as Rubens, Cranach and Larkin will be showcased in this eclectically creative arena.
It materialises that Victoria first contacted Sotheby’s 6 months earlier to pitch her idea for this unique working partnership, and immediately it was obvious that she possessed a ‘strong sense of aesthetic’, according to the deputy director specialist of Old Master paintings at the world-renowned auction house. Chloe Stead explained; “Victoria is so enamoured with the Old Masters world and it’s been fun introducing her to a new genre.” Affording Beckham carte blanche to choose the portraits she wanted, it was observed that the designer had a clear affinity with Rubens’ portrait of a swarthy Venetian nobleman; a painting valued at between £3 – 4 million pounds.
In conversation with Vogue Beckham added; “I’m certainly feeling motivated by the richness and drama in these paintings, but it’s also the storytelling behind the portraits that I found so interesting.” She continued, “With the Rubens, wearing black was a sign of wealth as it cost more money to put pigment in the fabrics. I’m just hoping customers will come in and enjoy looking at these incredible pieces.”
From Old Masters to New Masters in the Making
The project fits nicely into Sotheby’s current ethos of driving the old masters to a brand new audience, and looking to provoke what they themselves refer to as a ‘visceral response to the work in the same way that they might if they looked at a Warhol’. Unfortunately we don’t have anything quite like an old master on our gallery books of late, nor for that matter the odd Warhol, but what we do specialise in is an ever-expansive range of the very latest contemporary art by some of the country’s leading exponents. The likes of Doug Hyde, Craig Davison, Sherree Valentine-Daines, Mackenzie Thorpe and Anna Razumovskaya to name just a few.