Anatomy of an Art Exhibition: Starting at the Beginning

Detail of an Exceptional George I Giltwood Secretaire Cabinet 
Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection

We were excited to announce our forthcoming exhibition this morning in our latest Gallery Newsletter this morning (interested in receiving a copy? Email us and we will add you to the list!).  The exhibition is entitled Gilded: Golden Treasures of Georgian Furniture, which will run at our St. James’s gallery from June 22 to July 5 this summer.  We have been working behind the scenes on this exhibition for the past few months, and we will devote a few of our upcoming blog posts on the way we develop, plan, and host an art exhibition at the gallery.

An Exceptional George I Giltwood Secrétaire Cabinet 
Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection

Today’s post is all about the earliest stages of an exhibition.  The inception of this exhibition began with a single piece.  And a very grand piece at that: we acquired what is arguably one of the finest and most important surviving pieces of English furniture from the early Georgian era.  The impressive George I giltwood secretaire cabinet is attributed to James Moore and was made for export for the Portuguese Royal Court.  When we brought this piece into the collection, we knew that it would be the perfect centrepiece for an exhibition.

An Exceptional George I Giltwood Secrétaire Cabinet 
Mackinnon Fine Furniture Collection

The exceptional gilt gesso decoration on a piece of such a large scale makes its incredibly unusual.  With this in mind, we expanded the field to consider other giltwood pieces from this piece.  We had several other gilt pieces in the collection that fit well into this group, and we knew at that point that we had the basis for an exhibition.  From that point, we have been actively acquiring giltwood furniture from the Georgian era and researching these pieces to bring together a cohesive group that reflects the taste for giltwood in Georgian England.

In the coming weeks, we will share more about the exhibition and a behind the scenes look at the planning that goes into bringing it all together, including:

–Identifying the perfect time and place for the exhibition

–Researching the exhibition pieces and making exciting discoveries

–Planning the exhibition layout at the gallery

–All the other bells and whistles that go along with bringing the exhibition to life