Patrick Glass: Portrait of a Collector

If you happen to be strolling along the seafront by Marine Court between now and the end of the month, you may well do a double-take as you pass Hastings Arts Forum. The current exhibition is a glimpse into the private collection of Patrick Glass: a man who embraces art and humanity but has no great love for how Picasso changed the art world in 1907. Erica Smith and Bernard McGinley marvel at his collection.

Patrick Glass is an art collector. He has been collecting for years, both buying and selling. Portrait of a Collector features over 50 works of art from his personal collection, which includes landscapes, nature, portraits and cartoons. Traditional figurative art is a particular favourite. Over time Patrick has collected from auction houses (notably Burstow & Hewitt, near Battle station) and connoisseurs.

Portrait of a Collector is as much an installation as an exhibition. The predominantly thin, gilded frames and classical mounts give the Forum the impression of a private salon. Included in the show is a commissioned photograph by Ian O’Leary showing Patrick at home, surrounded by his art collection and books.

Patrick’s personal tastes are clearly discernible. There are several fine ‘Portraits of Ladies’, but also some stunning paintings from nature, and graphic works including a beautiful illustration of British birds and a delightful sketch of a lion by Raymond Sheppard, FZS.

In sincere, enthusiastic style, Patrick said: “I was astonished when I saw the exhibition…  The pictures combine to look like a Super Team and look totally at home on their new pitch – stars at last! They have been like Cinderella languishing in the kitchen (my flat), and a wand has been waved (by the HAF team) and Cinderella is now dressed and instantly comfortable in her new home – the ‘Palace’ at Marine Court – and ready for the lonnng-awaited Ball this Friday!”

Some pictures

The exhibition includes work by artists including Rosa Bonheur, the acclaimed 19th-century artist whose work is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris: serious recognition. Her charcoal pencil drawing of a lion can be compared with that nearby by Raymond Sheppard. Elsewhere is a print by Charles Robinson, more talented elder brother of the more famous Heath Robinson, who became a byword for his mechanical elaboration.

Norman Dinnage’s View of the South Downs, near Eastbourne (oil on board, undated, above) is another fine representation. There is also an undated pencil drawing on paper, by John Constable (1776-1837), Country House with Shepherd and Cows in the Foreground (pencil drawing on paper, undated).

Arthur Spooner’s Portrait of a Lady (shown above) is impressive. It’s still not known who she is. Spooner (celebrated for his Goose Fair painting in Nottingham Museum) painted the lady in 1955, when he was 82.

There are dozens of intriguing pictures in this eclectic exhibition. There’s even Young Woman with a Water Jug, ‘nach [after] Vermeer’ (oil painting, 1942).

McEvoy’s Thomas Hardy

A particular conundrum is Ambrose McEvoy’s undated drawing of the writer Thomas Hardy. (McEvoy was a protégé of J A M Whistler, whose world-famous mother lived in Hastings.) It shows an ageing Hardy, not just pessimistic but near-defeated. Patrick Glass comments:

The portrait is most revealing. Why does Hardy look stressed, in pain, or uncomfortable? Hardy was unhappy, sadly conflicted, and troubled . . . Did sitting for the portrait reflect this? The real crisis arose for Hardy when he found [his wife] Emma’s essay ‘What I Think of My Husband’ — shortly after her death. He spent the rest of his life regretting the way he’d treated Emma.

He describes McEvoy’s picture as ‘an enigma — yet to be solved’.

Eyes and beholders 

Collecting as an art-in-itself is little discussed, but here at the Arts Forum we have a fine example of it.  Woven throughout the exhibition will be some Glass personal narratives, obsessions and musings on each of the artworks on display, alongside artefacts from the Collector’s home. Visitors are also encouraged to choose two of their favourite artworks and share why the pieces resonate with them.

Several of the pieces are for sale.  Like most collectors, Patrick now has more artwork than available walls to display them on, and he is keen to re-home some of his collection so that they can be given the focus and appreciation that they deserve.

Portrait of a Collector runs from 20 August to 1 September 2024. Hastings Arts Forum is at 20 Marina, East Colonnade,
St Leonards TN38 0DX.
The Open Evening is on Friday 23 August, from 6–8 p.m.
A talk by Patrick Glass, ‘Meet the Collector’, is on on Sunday 25 August at 2 o’clock.

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