Skip to main content

Fake or Fortune?

Back in December 2020 I was lucky enough to work on an episode of the BBC One programme ‘Fake or Fortune?’. Philip Mould and a television crew came to the Cooper Gallery to look at some sketches purchased by Samuel Joshua Cooper. They also visited Barnsley archives in the Town Hall to view Mr Cooper’s notebook, all as part of an investigation into a work by the French artist Jean Leon Gerome.

I have always loved the show, so I was thrilled when they contacted the team at the beginning of 2020 and I was asked to lead on the project. I worked closely with them (virtually during lockdown) on research and then once restrictions were lifted, we were thrilled to welcome the team on site. It was a really great experience and Philip, and the crew were all lovely. I’ve re-watched the show recently (which is available on I- player) and looking back I am still really pleased with the work I did on the show.

The Cooper Gallery currently cares for four artworks by Jean Leon Gerome and one played a key part in the programme.  Gerome was born on 11 May 1824 in Vesoul in the Eastern region of France known as the Franche-Comte. Gerome enjoyed the rural life as a child. At 16 he persuaded his father to let him try his hand at becoming a painter. In 1843 Gerome moved to Italy. He was interested in the ruins of Pompeii and eventually began to incorporate many design elements of the ancient Roman fresco styles in his paintings. His work received very positive critical attention and he went on to submit work for the Prix de Rome competition. The late 1850s was a period when Gerome’s work brought him public success. He was honoured to design interiors for Prince Napoleon Jerome Bonaparte’s Paris home. Then in 1861 he received a commission to paint interiors and paintings for the palace at Versailles.

Samuel Joshua Cooper and his wife Fanny were a wealthy couple from Barnsley who bought paintings and sculptures on their travels across Europe. Each spring, from 1873 onwards they would travel to Paris for two months. The receipts and notebooks that they kept show that they purchased pictures, sculpture and furniture. The paintings they collected formed the start of the Cooper Gallery collection.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe was one of the first female artists that I studied at Barnsley art college. I fell in love with her colourful paintings of flowers. Twenty plus years later it is a real joy to see her work in my hometown of Barnsley. The current exhibition at Barnsley Civic is called Memories of Drawings. This exhibition features 21 photogravures of drawings created by O’Keeffe between 1915-1963. It’s a small collection but the intricate simplicity of these works tell a story through delicate shading. It is worth a visit to the gallery to view them. 
Post a Comment
Read more

The Veiled Lady

I love sculpture and one of my favourites is the ‘Veiled Lady’ in the Cooper Gallery collection. I have spent many hours in her company, sometimes alone, sometimes alongside visitors. I am fascinated by this beautiful piece of art. 
Post a Comment
Read more