Leighton House

The Leighton House Museum in Holland Park, is a museum dedicated to the life and art of master painter and sculptor Sir Frederic Leighton. Born in Scarborough in 1830, Leighton was formally educated at University College School in London. He then chose to develop his artistic skills and career in Florence, Frankfurt and Paris, before returning to live and work in London in 1860. In 1864 Leighton became an associate of the Royal Academy, and in 1878 he became its President. His famous sculpture ’Athelete wrestling with a python’, received enormous critical acclaim, and in 1900 he represented Britain at the prestigious Paris Art Exhibition. Leighton House was built between 1866 and 1895 on the private Ilchester Estate, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The architect George Aitchison designed the house in a restrained Classical style, with a mixture of red Suffolk bricks and of yellow Caen stone. Externally, the house is a little unassuming, but the interior excites the senses with an eccentric mix of Arabian influenced design, 14th century Turkish tiles and Syrian undertones. The museum houses a permanent collection of Pre-Raphaelite art, with work by John Everett Millais as well as many oil paintings by Leighton himself. Some of the most notable works displayed include ’The Death of Brunelleschi’ (1852), ’A Noble Lady of Venice’ (1865), a selection of fine watercolours, prints and personal possessions, plus small sculptures including ’Athlete strangling a python’ (1874). Amongst Leighton most renowned works of art is 'Flaming June'. Completed in 1895, and painted with oil on canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton’s magnum opus (greatest masterpiece). During his lifetime, Leighton’s work commanded high prices, and he developed an enviable reputation. However, a few years after his death in 1896, 'Flaming June' disappeared from the public eye, and didn’t appear again until the late 1960’s. At this time, Victorian artwork was unpopular, and it sold at auction for a low reserve price of just $140 (today’s equivalent $1125). However, after a resurgence and the recent appreciation of Leighton’s work, the current art world now values it in excess of tens of millions of dollars.