EAN13
9781913645304
ISBN
978-1-913645-30-4
Éditeur
Paul Holberton Publishing
Date de publication
Nombre de pages
200
Dimensions
26,8 x 20,7 x 2,1 cm
Poids
946 g
Langue
français
Fiches UNIMARC
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A Tale of Two Monkeys

Adventures in the Art World

Paul Holberton Publishing

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Anthony Speelman is the doyen of English art dealers specializing in Dutch
Golden Age art. Vividly written and handsomely illustrated, his memoirs offer
fascinating insight into the sometimes secretive world of Old Masters. This book
will appeal not only to dealers, collectors and others in the fine art world, but also
to would-be collectors eager for a glimpse behind the curtain.
These memoirs cover a lifetime of dealing in Old Masters at the very highest level.
Speelman’s career started under the guidance of his father Edward, whose own
biography has much to tell. Over the years, Speelman has sold paintings to many of
the world’s greatest collectors, including Norton Simon, Paul Mellon, Baron Thyssen,
Harold Samuel, Charles Clore and the Wrightsmans in New York, along with world
renowned museums such as the Getty, the Louvre and the National Gallery, London,
among many others. He writes about his encounters with these eminent bodies in a
light-hearted style, sometimes amusing, always extremely interesting – including an
anecdote about a recent meeting with a Chinese billionaire with a penchant for fine
wine.
The two monkeys in the title refer to two paintings of a monkey holding a peach
by George Stubbs, the outstanding English animal painter. Anthony describes how
he discovered one of these masterpieces as a ‘sleeper’ in a Sotheby’s sale.
Early in his career Anthony’s rooms in Piccadilly were broken into and a number
of paintings stolen, including a George Stubbs painting of a spaniel. An intriguing
tale follows, ending with the paintings recovered some eighteen months later after a
failed blackmail attempt on the part of the thieves.
Amongst his accomplishments, Speelman was for many years chairman of the
vetting committee at the annual Maastricht art fair. He describes the working of the
committees which ensure that all works exhibited are correctly described. Still active
in the art world, he is currently chairman of the vetting committee of the prestigious
annual Masterpiece art fair in London.
Other chapters detail Speelman’s travels to California, New York and Paris, his
interest in gastronomy and his thrilling adventures in the world of horseracing.
The book is beautifully illustrated with examples of works that have passed
through the author’s hands. The wide range of illustrations is not limited to Dutch
art and includes works by Canaletto, Stubbs, Raphael, Tiepolo, Melendez and other
Old Masters.
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