Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) Joan of Arc, 1882 Courtesy of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Exhibition Preview – ‘I turned it into a palace’: Sir Sydney Cockerell and the Fitzwilliam Museum is running until March 17 2009.
The exhibition explores the work of the museum's legendary director Sydney Cockerell and how the Fitzwilliam was transformed under his directorship between 1908 and 1937.
The Fitzwilliam has brought together some of his most famous acquisitions including Titian's ‘Tarquin and Lucretia’ and some of the finest ancient Greek vases.
Dr Stella Panayotova explained the impact that Cockerell had not only on the Fitzwilliam but in museums across the country.
“His role in improving the Fitzwilliam was crucial. When he came to the museum it was closed to the public most of the time and there was no order to the displays; it was a jumble. There were some extraordinary works of art and a lot of mediocre work all jumbled up on the walls.
“The late Victorian style was just to get everything onto the walls; it was an indiscriminate approach to style, quality and period and would have looked horrendous from a modern perspective.”
She added: “Cockerell realised that this had to change and he goes down as one of the most acquisitive directors of all time anywhere. He was the first director to revolutionise the display of art in this country, The V&A, the NPG and others were coming to visit the Fitzwilliam to see what he was doing.”
Blessing of an abbot The Pontifical of Renaut de Bar Metz or Verdun, 1303-1316 Courtesy of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Sir Sydney worked tirelessly to promote the museum and raise the profile of art and culture to the masses.
“He was very big on education and believed that art should be used to educate the masses. He would stop people in the street or on the train and ask them if they had been to the Fitzwilliam. If they hadn’t he would bring them or invite them for a tour and this helped him to become so successful in obtaining donations and bequests,” said Stella.
“I wonder whether he ever slept. His successor wrote to him saying that he couldn’t even keep up with the correspondence, let alone taking people round and launching fundraising campaigns. He just had tremendous enthusiasm and energy for the museum.”
Guan Jar, China Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) Courtesy of the Fitzwillaim Museum, Cambridge.
The exhibition also marks the centenary of the Friends Society, which Cockerell founded in 1909 to support the museum and was the first of its kind in Britain.
Stella said: “The friends are still crucial to the museum today as their subscriptions provide the seed money for many of the acquisitions, with prices so inflated it is hard to make any acquisitions by themselves, but their funds provide the basis for our funding bids.”
“Cockerell wanted pieces that people would aspire to for their own homes. Ninety per cent of the museum's collection is not on display, there are things that many will not have seen and this is an opportunity to see some hidden treasures.
She added: “The exhibition is cosy and homely and, to an extent, in the grand style of a country house. We have had some fantastic feedback from people - the nicest things is that people have been saying there is not a single piece that they would not have in their own homes.”
For more information go to www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Keep up to date with 24 Hour Museum's exhibition news, reviews and previews with iGoogle - a more personal way to use Google.com
