A stylish Jayne Wrightsman
Courtesy of Keith Christiansen
When I was editor of Apollo magazine in the late 1980s, I visited the Wrightsman rooms in the decorative art section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As a former curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, I knew all about authentic decor—the minute attention to how rooms were arranged, upholstered, lit and painted in the past—so I took exception to the way in which the French decorator, Henri Samuel, chosen and imposed by Jayne Wrightsman, had made the settings look like a Fifth Avenue apartment, especially as the individual 18th-century French pieces were outstanding, like everything the Wrightsmans gave to the Met.
I duly wrote a rather pompous, scolding editorial in which I was particularly pleased with my phrase, “more Vaut-pas-le-detour than Vaux-le-Vicomte”. John Pope-Hennessy, a close friend of the Wrightsmans, whose post at the Met was also financed by them, wrote me a furious letter saying, who did I think I was. Wrightsman, on the other hand, invited me to dinner. In all the times I was to dine with her over the years, on Fifth Avenue and in London, she never once mentioned my editorial. Never mind the colour of the boiserie; that was real style.
CommentObituaries
What Jayne Wrightsman did when you criticised her style
Anna Somers Cocks recalls a telling episode in her relations with the Met’s benefactor, who died on 20 April
Anna Somers Cocks
30th April 2019 12:42 BSTWhen I was editor of Apollo magazine in the late 1980s, I visited the Wrightsman rooms in the decorative art section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As a former curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, I knew all about authentic decor—the minute attention to how rooms were arranged, upholstered, lit and painted in the past—so I took exception to the way in which the French decorator, Henri Samuel, chosen and imposed by Jayne Wrightsman, had made the settings look like a Fifth Avenue apartment, especially as the individual 18th-century French pieces were outstanding, like everything the Wrightsmans gave to the Met.
I duly wrote a rather pompous, scolding editorial in which I was particularly pleased with my phrase, “more Vaut-pas-le-detour than Vaux-le-Vicomte”. John Pope-Hennessy, a close friend of the Wrightsmans, whose post at the Met was also financed by them, wrote me a furious letter saying, who did I think I was. Wrightsman, on the other hand, invited me to dinner. In all the times I was to dine with her over the years, on Fifth Avenue and in London, she never once mentioned my editorial. Never mind the colour of the boiserie; that was real style.
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Find out how The Art Newspaper’s content platforms can help you reach an informed, influential body of collectors, cultural and creative professionals. For more information, contact info@theartnewspaper.com.