Interview: Director of Wallace Collection
Interview: Director of Wallace Collection
Xavier Bray talks covid, collaborations and recent controversy
After a short break, my interviews are back!
Regular readers know that I speak to cultural movers and shakers every two weeks to bring you insider insights from the world of museums, galleries, art and beyond.
I’m SO DELIGHTED to say that today I’m kicking off a new run by bringing you my first interview with a Director of a national museum! Dr Xavier Bray has been at the helm of the Wallace Collection in London since 2016 and has implemented changes which have shaken up the scope - and profile - of the gallery. Read on for his thoughts on covid, collaboration and the Museum’s recent controversy.
All my regular features are back too, including my curated list of shiny new things to see and do. If you enjoy this edition, please please share it with someone you know and suggest they subscribe too.
Happy reading!
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barometer
What’s heating up and cooling down in the world of museums, art and galleries this week.
going up
You don’t need me to tell you that Yayoi Kusama is hot property right now, with the sell-out Infinity Mirror Rooms at Tate Modern, and a major retrospective open in Berlin. But if you can believe it, there’s even more on its way! There’s not one, nor two, but THREE new Kusama exhibitions opening around the world this month! New My Eternal Soul paintings by the insta-aimiable artist go on show jointly in New York’ David Zwirner gallery and Tokyo’s Ota Fine Arts next week. The London showing at Victoria Miro is already open and booking out fast. How much Kusama can the world take? (personally: lots more).
going down
NFTs. Ok, ok, it’s not exactly radical to be dunking on this tech-bro takeover of the art world, but a barnstorming takedown of non-fungible tokens in this week’s Sunday Times Magazine shone some much needed light on the insanity (and environmental disaster) of this new digital craze. And it’s brought it to an audience who might not otherwise have given them much thought: the madness of NFTs has gone mainstream.
curated
Since the pandemic hit, this section has had to branch out from its long-term purpose of being a space to recommend brand new exhibitions to visit. I’m now making the change permanent. So you will continue to see IRL shows here, but you’ll also now always see other exciting highlights, such as TV shows, events, publications, online exhibitions and even brand new museums. It’s my curated list of what’s new. (And if you’re a PR, pitch me with exciting things to include here - just reply to this email!)
MUSEUM
The Museum of the Home
The Geffrye Museum in Hoxton, east London, reopens after a name change and an £18 million expansion. Expect new galleries, a new airy entrance, and a new mission to “review and rethink the ways we live, in order to live better together.” Opens Saturday 12 June
ARCHITECTURE
Serpentine Pavilion 2021 designed by Counterspace
This year’s annual commission in London’s Kensington Gardens is actually last year’s design, delayed by you know what. Created by the youngest architect ever to receive the high-profile gig, it elegantly references London council blocks and bookshops and many other architectural elements. Plus it’s huge. Opens Friday 11 June.
PODCAST
Conflict of Interest by Imperial War Museums
Seven episodes unpacking some of the world’s most complicated recent conflicts, from the Northern Ireland "Troubles" to the Iraq War, and featuring famous faces such Carey Mulligan and Rick Edwards. The Sunday Times said they were “hooked.”
interview
If you’ve visited the Wallace Collection, you’ll know that it’s stunning. It’s the home of one of the most significant ensembles of fine and decorative arts in the world, displayed in a beautiful 18th century mansion in the very heart of London. But if you haven’t visited, you’re not alone. Despite its prime location just meters from Oxford Street, it’s remained a hidden gem. And this is also despite it being a national museum just like the British Museum, Tate Modern or the V&A. It’s owned by you!
It has however taken leaps and bounds in recent years, especially after the appointment of Dr Xavier Bray as its Director in 2016. A radical and high-profile Manolo Blahnik exhibition in 2019 saw visitor numbers spike 30%. In the same year, the terms of original bequest - whereby Lady Wallace bequeathed the collection to the nation in her Will in 1897, but only if it was kept together “unmixed” - were reinterpreted. This paved the way for the Museum to stage joint exhibitions and lend artworks for the very first time.
But then the pandemic hit and momentum stalled with closure and the collapse in revenue. In a bid to recoup some of the lost cash, it was proposed to close the Museum’s library and archive, with the loss of two jobs. After a backlash - and 30,000 people opposing the move - the plans were dropped. But Bray ominously warned that there would be future “difficult decisions.”
Here I speak to Bray on the occasion of the Wallace Collection’s reopening after lockdown last week, with a history-making new display of Rubens paintings. But I began by asking about the recent controversy.
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You reversed a decision to close the Wallace Collection library. Were you surprised by the strength of feeling there was when you first proposed the move?
I was heartened to hear so many voices who find the Library and Archive at the Collection a valuable resource for research and study. It was always our intention to ensure access for researchers to our resources, but we very much welcomed the show of support. The Library and Archive reopened on 3 June, alongside the Collection, and I hope our reading room will be full of researchers, historians and students again soon.
How has the lockdown affected the Wallace Collection?
Like all cultural institutions, the pandemic had a devastating impact on the Collection. The museum's main purpose is to share our works of art with the public, and inspire them, so to close our doors was heart-breaking. Of course, it also decimated our ability to generate revenue from our shop, restaurant and venue hire business, which are all key planks to keep the museum financially sustainable. However, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors and benefactors, and due to their enthusiasm and support, we were actually able to use the period of closure to carry out some much needed capital works. For example, we refurbished our loos thanks to a grant, which were in desperate need of updating after 20 years and hundreds of thousands of visitors. That would have been impossible during normal opening hours.
Tell me about your new display Rubens: Reuniting the Great Landscapes
Reuniting the two great landscapes by Rubens has always been a dream of mine, ever since I became Director. To see these two very personal paintings by Rubens together, after more than 200 years of being separated, gives you a special insight into how he thought about his retirement and his place in the natural world. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the two works together, and I think it has particular resonance at this time. More than ever we need to feel that bond with nature, and take time to reflect on how the last year has affected us.
It's a major collaboration with the National Gallery. What was it like working so closely with another national museum?
The National Gallery and the Wallace Collection have always had a special relationship. A lot of people don't know this, but before the Wallace Collection opened in Hertford House in 1900, there was real debate and discussion amongst the Trustees about whether the Collection should be housed in a specially built wing of the National Gallery! I am delighted that we’ve been able to partner so closely this year, and I hope we will continue to work together. It is important that the national museums are collaborative and help support each other – we all face similar challenges, particularly at the moment.
You recently reinterpreted the Wallace bequest to allow loans for the first time in the museum's history. Why did you want to do this?
Sir Richard and Lady Wallace were incredibly philanthropic during their lifetimes. Not only did they make the decision to leave their Collection to the nation (one of the largest donations of works of art ever made to the public), they were also prolific lenders to other institutions and exhibitions. I feel very strongly that they would have wished for the Wallace Collection to participate fully in the sharing of art with the widest possible public. It was a great pleasure to make our first loan to the National Gallery’s Titian exhibition in 2020, and I am thrilled that the painting went on to the Prado in Madrid and will be travelling to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston over the summer.
Is it difficult being one of the smaller national museums?
One of the things I love about being Director at the Wallace Collection is the relationships I’m able to develop. We are a small team at the museum, particularly when compared to the larger nationals, but I think that gives us lots of strengths. We are able to be agile in a way that would be impossible when you have a larger infrastructure to manage, and we are flexible to take advantage of the different strengths of staff members. I think this was a huge positive over the last twelve months as we’ve managed the monumental challenges of the pandemic.
What will the next 12 months look like at the Wallace Collection?
After the Rubens exhibition, we have a really exciting moment in September when we will open an exhibition on Frans Hals and his development as a portrait painter. For the first time, we will see our famous Laughing Cavalier alongside other works by Hals, and be able to trace the evolution of his technique. And, like all institutions, we will be learning to balance our online programming with a return to onsite events. We want to ensure we retain all of the audiences who engaged with our online talks and courses, but also encourage visitors to come in and see the art again. There is no substitute for the real thing!
What other cultural events or venues are looking forward to visiting this summer?
I was blown away by the Epic Iran exhibition at the V&A when I saw it last week, so I’ll definitely be going back to see it again, and I’m hoping to get tickets for the English National Ballet’s performance – Solstice - at the end of June at the Southbank Centre. We recently worked with the ENB School, hosting some students who had been inspired to create choreography by our works of art and it was a wonderful experience.
Rubens: Reuniting the Great Landscapes, in partnership with VISITFLANDERS, is open until 15 August 2021. Free, booking required.
and finally
2021 is a tough time for museums, but some are re-emerging from lockdown better and stronger than before. Here are 10 of the most exciting museum renovations and renewals in England this year, featuring Derby’s Museum of Making and Manchester Jewish Museum.
Love art, museums and galleries? Then my newsletter is for you, helping stay up-to-date on what to read - and what to see. Subscribe below (it’s free!)