He had also studied anatomy from an early age … his drawings were already being circulated and admired ... Stubbs’ drawings had lifelike accuracy that no other artist had achieved. And in 1759 Richmond gave Stubbs his first major commission. To produce a series of equestrian portraits for Goodwood House ... Stubbs raised the status of sporting painting to become a form of country group portrait. This celebration of rural life heralded a new direction in art … Landscape in its own right. ibid.
The Academy’s first president: Joshua Reynolds … He absorbed the work of the great masters. Reynolds returned to London inspired. ibid.
British artists now enjoyed the recognition and social status they had lacked for so long. And a central space. ibid.
Egremont: he expanded the family collection to over six hundred paintings particularly favouring contemporary British talent … Hundreds of watercolour sketches. ibid.
Joseph Mallord William Turner … Turner was the … first modern artist. ibid.
The role of collectors changed radically throughout the nineteenth century. Helen Rosslyn, Bought With Love: The Secret History of British Art Collections III: The Age of the Individual
Two Welsh heiresses brought Impressionism to Britain. ibid.
[John Julius] Angerstein’s collection … would form the basis of our national gallery. ibid.
Paintings like the Pre-Raphaelites were so popular in the Manchester show. ibid.
Thomas Holloway … didn’t start buying art till he was 81. ibid.
The great European banking dynasty the Rothschilds … A veritable palace to art. ibid.
Gwendoline and Margaret Davies are great example of how private collectors have shaped the history of art of the nation. ibid.
Oil billionaire and art collector J Paul Getty … The Getty Centre museum – it has a priceless collection of art, and it’s one of the wealthiest institutions of its kind in the world. Gettys: The World’s Richest Art Dynasty, BBC 2018
Three generations of Gettys have used art and wealth to change the art world and British culture for ever. ibid.
Mark is a passionate collection of contemporary art. ibid.
The offer from oil giant Texaco would ultimately be successful. The sale of Getty Oil for $10 billion would be the biggest corporate take-over in history. ibid.
Across two decades Paul Getty donated over £15m to the BFI. The film and television heritage of Britain received a new lease of life. ibid.