Grosvenor Gallery

Established in 1877 the Gallery was the brainchild of Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche. The Gallery also included amongst its Directors J. W. Comyns Carr and Charles Edward Hallé both later to become founders of The New Gallery. Initially, a great success both critically and financially, it promoted the works of the Pre-Raphaelite artists including Burne-Jones and Holman Hunt and Millais and of the Aesthetic Movement in general. James Whistler’s infamous ‘Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket’ which ultimately led to the famous libel case between Ruskin and the artist, was also shown at the Grosvenor. Short-lived, it closed its doors in 1890 following Lindsay's divorce from his wife Blanche.

The Grosvenor had a reincarnation this time under the auspices of American-born artist and critic Frances Howard in 1912 and was located at 51a New Bond Street in the heart of London's fashionable art district. Arguably the most innovative show staged there was opened in May 1921 and entitled the 'Nameless Exhibition of Modern British Painting'. The exhibited works were gathered and hung by Henry Tonks, Charles Sims and Roger Fry and neither the names nor prices were listed in the accompanying catalogue. This innovative show was sponsored by The Burlington Magazine and contained works by Walter Sickert, Stanley Spencer, Vanessa Bell and raised many eyebrows. There were no results published to my knowledge.

The 3rd incarnation of the Grosvenor occurred in the 1960's and was originally located in Davies Street, Mayfair and was the brain-child of dealer and collector Eric Estorick (1913-1993). It focuses on 20th Century Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings, with an emphasis on works from the 1950's and 1960's. It has an associate company in New Delhi, India and operates there under the name Grosvenor Vadehra. The companies operated on a reciprocal basis each promoting their own indigenous art in the other’s country. The UK branch places a strong emphasis on the works of sculptors such as Kenneth Armitage, Michael Ayrton, Reg Butler, Lynn Chadwick, Elisabeth Frink, F. E. McWilliam, Bernard Meadows, Henry Moore, and Eduardo Paolozzi. Artists include Mark Shields, Victor Newsome, Grace Henry, S. W. Hayter, Kurt Schwitters, Francis Newton Souza, Karl Weschke and William Roberts. The gallery relocated to The Gallery was located on Albemarle Street in the 1990's and then in 2000, it moved to Ryder Street.

THE ORIGINAL GALLERY AND THE SUBSEQUENT GALLERIES ARE TO MY KNOWLEDGE TOTALLY UNRELATED.