The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection is a collection of ''
objets d'art'' formed by the
English-born businessman
Sir Arthur Gilbert, who made most of his fortune in the property business in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. After initially becoming interested in silver, he assembled a large collection of decorative arts, which he gave the British nation in 1996. It now has a permanent home in the
Victoria and Albert Museum in
London.
The V&A describes the objects as: "many in precious materials, and often on a small scale. It is famous for European and British masterpieces including gold and silver,
gold boxes,
painted enamel
Vitreous enamel, also called porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between . The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating. The word comes from the Lati ...
s and mosaics",these last mostly
micromosaics.
History
For decades, the collection was on display at the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and Gilbert had promised eventually to make it a permanent gift. However, he decided to give the collection to his native country, after a dispute with LACMA regarding the collection's placement and display.
In 2000, it went on public display as "The Gilbert Collection" in a suite of seventeen galleries at
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
in London, the audio guide narrated by the actor
Tony Clarkin. Formerly Private Curator to the Gilbert Collection, Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel was appointed "Honorary Curator of the Gilbert Collection" by the Gilbert Collection Trust in June 2001.
The exhibition was fitted out under the supervision of the silver expert Timothy Schroder, and it continued until 27 January 2008. The space then became the Embankment Galleries, an exhibition space for contemporary art. Meanwhile, the collection was incorporated into the Victoria and Albert Museum, where a new display in rooms 70–73 opened on 30 June 2009.
In early 2011, fifty objects from the collection were returned, by the provisions of a long-term loan, to LACMA.
References
External links
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection– official page on the V&A website
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Collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Former private collections in the United Kingdom
Former private collections in the United States
Decorative arts museums in England
Hardstone carving
Defunct museums in London
2008 disestablishments in England
Los Angeles County Museum of Art