Estorick Collection
It’s find it ironic that a large collection of Futurist art, a movement “exceptionally vehement in its denunciation of the past” according to Tate, is now housed in a Grade II listed Georgian town home in Islington that was constructed 100 years before the Manifesto of Futurism was published. That’s what I love about London. It’s full of interesting contradictions.
Futurism was a movement that came about in the early 1900s as a way for Italian artists (primarily) to express the energy of the modern world. Around the same time, but an ocean away, Eric Estorick was born in Brooklyn, NY. He’d grow up to teach sociology, appreciate art, and eventually moved to England shortly after WWII. He became an avid collector, becoming particularly enamoured with Italian artists and Futurism, which he discovered while on his honeymoon. Despite interest from the Italian government and many major US museums, his private collection remained private until a Foundation was set up just prior to his death, eventually leading to the Estorick Collection that you can visit today.
One of the things you’ll find inside is an entire room filled with Modigliani, “arguably the best known and most popular of all modern Italian painters”. There’s also plenty of futurist works, an abundance of abstracts, a few small sculptures and two large rooms for rotating shows. Most of the names were new to me, but I was pleasantly surprised by their overwhelming sense of fun. ‘The Metaphysical Robot Arant’ (1915) and other works by Mario Sironi stood out in particular.
But my favourite work in the collection is a work I didn’t really like at all. I just love how it’s displayed. ‘Modern Idol’ by Umberto Boccioni was painted in 1911 and is placed on a plinth so you can see both the front and the back, on which there are various stickers and handwritten notes from the different galleries and shows it has been in. This rare opportunity to literally ‘see behind the scenes’ of a work of art was like looking through the stamps in my old passport.
As you’d expect from a Georgian town home, the four small rooms allocated to the permanent collection occasionally feel intimate, even for an art gallery. It’s not really an issue as most of the works aren’t that large, but you can always escape to the generously sized garden. It’s the perfect place to enjoy some Italian cake while you contemplate what you can infer about a man from his art collection.
Plan your visit:
The Estorick Collection is a six minute walk from Highbury & Islington Station (Victoria line, Overground, National Rail).
Check the website at estorickcollection.com to confirm opening days/times or to book tickets in advance (not required).
£7.50 Adult / Free to members, under 18s and full-time students.
Additional updates are posted at @estorickcollection on Instagram.