Shy collector ... gift stuns the art world
A shy spinster who spent her life amassing an extraordinary collection of fine watercolours worth millions of pounds has bequeathed them to the nation.
Dorothy Scharf was so reticent that she relied on her mother, who lived next door, to communicate on her behalf.
The collection of paintings that she built up until her death two years ago has astonished the art world. Eight masterpieces by Turner, along with paintings by Gainsborough and Constable, are among 51 important watercolours that she has left to the world-renowned Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery in London. The donation is the most significant single addition to the Courtauld in more than a quarter of a century.
The works were created between 1750 and 1850, the golden age of British watercolour painting.
Read entire article at Times (of London)
Dorothy Scharf was so reticent that she relied on her mother, who lived next door, to communicate on her behalf.
The collection of paintings that she built up until her death two years ago has astonished the art world. Eight masterpieces by Turner, along with paintings by Gainsborough and Constable, are among 51 important watercolours that she has left to the world-renowned Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery in London. The donation is the most significant single addition to the Courtauld in more than a quarter of a century.
The works were created between 1750 and 1850, the golden age of British watercolour painting.