Thomas Agnew & Sons is a fine arts dealer in London that began as a print and publishing partnership between Thomas Agnew and Vittore Zanetti in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in 1817. Agnew ended the partnership by taking full control of the company in 1835. The firm opened its London gallery in 1860, where it established itself as a leading art dealership in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

. Agnew's held a pre-eminent position in the world of Old Master paintings. It also played a major role in the growth of a market for contemporary

British art The art of the United Kingdom refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with the country since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and encompasses English art, Scottish art, Welsh art and Irish art, and forms part ...

in the late 19th century. Agnew's closed in 2013. The

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

was sold privately and the gallery is now run by Lord Anthony Crichton-Stuart, a former head of Christie's Old Master paintings department, New York.

History

Agnew's, as it is commonly called, has long held a prominent position in the

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

trade in

Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

pictures. The founder's sons,

Sir William Agnew, 1st Baronet Sir William Agnew, 1st Baronet (20 October 1825 – 31 October 1910) was an English politician and prominent art dealer who was said to have dominated the British market for 30 years. Thomas Agnew & Sons, his London art business in Mayfair, flo ...

(1825–1910) and Thomas Agnew (1827–1883), were pivotal in the firm's rise in London, where Agnew's first established itself in 1860. Broadly speaking, Sir William's line produced the in-house connoisseurs (most notably C. Morland Agnew 855–1931, while Thomas's son, W. Lockett Agnew (1858–1918), inherited his father's commercial flair. It was William Agnew who shifted the gallery trade to Old Masters. As ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' noted in Sir William's obituary,

..in 1877 the firm had built rooms in 39 Old Bond Street (later called 43 Old Bond Street), and when the succession of Old Master exhibitions, the example of Sir Richard Wallace and the Rothschilds, and the revived passion for eighteenth-century architecture and furniture had turned the taste of the new rich men back to the older art, William Agnew was ready to find the pictures.

Agnew's acted as principal agent and advisor to Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847–1927). The firm also held a significant part in the collecting activities of

Alfred Beit Alfred Beit (15 February 1853 – 16 July 1906) was an Anglo-German gold and diamond magnate in South Africa, and a major donor and profiteer of infrastructure development on the African continent. He also donated much money to university ed ...

(1853–1906), John G. Johnson (1841–1917),

Alfred de Rothschild Alfred Charles ''Freiherr'' de Rothschild, CVO (20 July 1842 – 31 January 1918), was an English banker and art collector who was director of the Bank of England from 1868–89. A member of the Rothschild family, he was the second son of Lion ...

(1842–1918), Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898),

Henry Clay Frick Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company and played a major ...

, and

George Salting George Salting (15 August 1835 – 12 December 1909) was a Colony of New South Wales-born British art collector. He had inherited considerable wealth from his father; Salting collected paintings, Chinese porcelains, furniture, and many other ca ...

(1835–1909).

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

(1865–1936) visited Agnew's Bond Street galleries on numerous occasions. Additionally, Agnew's often served as agent for the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in the salerooms. More recently, important clients include

Paul Mellon Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 2, 1999) was an American philanthropist and a horse breeding, breeder of thoroughbred horse racing, racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Muse ...

(1907–1999),

Norton Simon Norton Winfred Simon (February 5, 1907 – June 2, 1993) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was at one time one of the wealthiest men in America. At the time of his death, he had amassed a net worth of nearly US$10 billion. S ...

(1907–1993), and the

Samuel Henry Kress Samuel Henry Kress (July 23, 1863 – September 22, 1955) was a businessman, philanthropist, and founder of the S. H. Kress & Co. five and ten cent store chain. With his fortune, Kress amassed one of the most significant collections of Italian ...

Foundation. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the firm was well regarded not only by the era's leading collectors, but also by fellow dealers. Consequently, in Bond Street, Agnew's enjoyed friendly relations with

Knoedler M. Knoedler & Co. () was an art dealership in New York City founded in 1846. When it closed in 2011, amid lawsuits for fraud, it was one of the oldest commercial art galleries in the US, having been in operation for 165 years. History Knoedler ...

Arthur Joseph Sulley Arthur Joseph Sulley (c. 1853-1930) was a London-based art dealer best known for selling Dutch Old Master paintings, including the record-setting Rembrandt van Rijn's ''The Mill''. Personal life Sulley was born in c. 1853 Reist, Inge ed. ''Britis ...

(1853–1930), the Wertheimer brothers, and in Paris, Charles Sedelmeyer (1837–1925). During the remainder of the 20th century and up to today, Agnew's has placed many masterpieces in major museums in Europe, America, and in emerging global markets. The contributions to the collections of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

, are noteworthy. The firm has handled major pictures by, amongst others,

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

Van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of Frans van Dyck, a wealt ...

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the Classicism, classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

Pontormo Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci (; May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo (), was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylisti ...

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

Joseph Wright of Derby Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wr ...

, and

Velázquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...

, including the latter's ''

Rokeby Venus The ''Rokeby Venus'' ( ; also known as ''The Toilet of Venus'', ''Venus at her Mirror'', ''Venus and Cupid'' and, in Spanish, ''La Venus del espejo'') is a painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. Complete ...

'' in the National Gallery, London. Agnew's also exhibited and sold works of Impressionist and Modern artists such as

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( ; ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). ...

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...

, and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

. In recent years, the gallery has increasingly promoted the establishment of lesser-known artists of the early twentieth century, namely the German-Swedish painter and portraitist Lotte Laserstein. In 2008, the purpose-built gallery in Old Bond Street (1877), designed by Salomons & Wornum, was sold by Agnew's to

Etro Etro is a family-managed Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1968. It is mainly known for its paisley patterns, which the company started making in 1981. History Etro was founded in 1968 by Gerolamo "Gimmo" Etro as a textile design company. ...

, the Italian fashion house. In 2013, after nearly two centuries of family ownership, the firm was purchased privately and the new gallery relocated its premises from Albemarle Street to 6 St James's Place, London, under the directorship of art historian Lord Anthony Crichton-Stuart. The Agnew family will continue as consulting participants in the firm's operation. The archive was given to the

.The National Gallery expands Research Centre through the acquisition of Agnew's archive
on museum website The new gallery presents a broad range of genres and subjects, price ranges, and periods in several different mediums, including paintings, watercolours and drawings as well as sculpture

Particular attention in recent years has been paid to highlighting the work of lesser-known female artists in Western art history, such as Lotte Laserstein, whose work was the focus of an Agnew's show in 2017

In 2021, the gallery ran an exhibition dedicated to

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

which included a newly found drawing by the artist: this previously unknown work has been subject to significant publicity

File:Joseph Mallord William Turner Ostende 1844.jpg, Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A., ''Ostend,'' purchased from Agnew's in 1975 by the Neue Pinakothek, Munich. File:Peter Paul Rubens - Samson and Delilah - WGA20266.jpg, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, ''Samson and Delilah,'' purchased by Agnew's on behalf of the Trustees of the National Gallery in 1980, The National Gallery, London. File:Rembrandt Self-portrait (Kenwood).jpg, Rembrandt van Ryn, ''Self Portrait in Old Age'', purchased from Agnew's in 1888 by Sir E. C. Guinness, present owner: The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House. File:Claude Monet - 1867 - Garden at Sainte-Adresse.jpg, Claude Monet, ''Terrace at Sainte-Adresse'', purchased from Agnew's by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1967. File:Jan Vermeer van Delft 013.jpg, Jan Vermeer, ''The Guitar Player'', purchased from Agnew's in 1889 by Sir E. C. Guinness, present owner: The Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House. File:Waterloo BridgeConstable.jpg, John Constable, '' The Opening of Waterloo Bridge,'' purchased from Agnew's in 1987 by The Tate Gallery, Tate Britain. File:Albrecht-self.jpg, Albrecht Dürer, ''Self-portrait,'' purchased from Agnew's in 1900 by Leopold Goldschmidt, present owner: The Louvre, Paris. File:Paul Gauguin - Mata Mua (In Olden Times) - Google Art Project.jpg, Paul Gauguin, ''Mata Mua - in olden times'', purchased by Agnew's in 1984 on behalf of Baron Thyssen and Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, present owner: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. File:Pontormo (Jacopo Carucci) (Italian, Florentine) - Portrait of a Halberdier (Francesco Guardi?) - Google Art Project.jpg, Jacopo Carucci, called Pontormo, ''Portrait of a Halberdier,'' purchased by Agnew's on behalf of the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1989. File:Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote by Joseph Wright of Derby.jpg, Josef Wright of Derby, ''Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote'', oil on canvas, 127 x 100 cm, purchased from Agnew's in 2017 by The Cleveland Museum of Art.

References

External links

*official website
www.agnewsgallery.com
*

Bendor Grosvenor Bendor Gerard Robert Grosvenor (born 27 November 1977) is a British art historian, writer and former art dealer. He is known for discovering a number of important lost artworks by Old Master artists, including Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Lorr ...

"Agnews to close"
''Art History News'' blog, February 2, 2013.
Artkurio blog with press coverage of closureThomas Agnew & Sons
in Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America at

The Frick Collection The Frick Collection (colloquially known as the Frick) is an art museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was established in 1935 to preserve the collection of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection consists ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas Agnew And Sons Agnew family Art dealers from London