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Discover the Iveagh Bequest

Every year visitors to Kenwood are dazzled by the opulent decor, stunning gardens and incredible collection of art. The house itself and the stunning contents were once owned by philanthropist and businessman Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, whose legacy ensures we can still enjoy Kenwood’s treasures today.

A Great Philanthropist

When Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, passed away in October 1927, the former chairman of the Guinness brewery was mourned as a great philanthropist, well-known for the social welfare and housing projects he had supported in London and Dublin. 

But his death revealed a final flourish of his philanthropic spirit, described in the press as ‘an event almost unparalleled in the history of art’: Lord Iveagh had bequeathed to the nation not only the magnificent Kenwood House but an exquisite collection of old master paintings to be displayed within it.

 

A Fine Collection

Lord Iveagh only bought Kenwood a few years before his death and never lived there, but the paintings in his bequest weren’t originally acquired for the grand house in Hampstead. In selecting the paintings to include in his bequest he was sensitive to the historic context of the house and sought to create the effect of an ‘artistic home of a gentleman of the 18th century’. They represented the finest collection of old master paintings to be given to the nation in the 20th century, yet the collection was relatively unknown until the bequest was announced in 1927.

A Centre for Art Lovers

The press could hardly contain its excitement, predicting that ‘Kenwood will shine as a centre to which art lovers will make pilgrimages’. The following year, in accordance with Lord Iveagh’s wishes, Kenwood opened to the public as a museum for the first time, meaning in 2018 we are celebrating 90 years since that important moment, and nine decades of art-loving pilgrimages to the north side of Hampstead Heath. You can see a few of the collection’s highlights below.

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Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of the Artist, c1665

Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of the Artist, c1665

One of the greatest self-portraits in the history of Western painting, this picture is so iconic that first-time visitors to Kenwood often ask if it is the real thing.



Sir Joshua Reynolds, Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra Dissolving the Pearl, 1759

Sir Joshua Reynolds, Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra Dissolving the Pearl, 1759

In this portrait of the celebrated 18th-century courtesan Kitty Fisher, Reynolds depicts one famous seductress in the guise of another: Cleopatra, poised to impress Mark Anthony by dissolving a pearl in her wine and drinking it.



Thomas Gainsborough, Mary, Countess Howe, c1764

Thomas Gainsborough, Mary, Countess Howe, c1764

Regarded as one of the essential masterpieces of British painting, Gainsborough brings the grand tradition of full-length portraiture established by Van Dyck up to date, and, appropriately for the 18th century, out of doors. 



Johannes Vermeer, The Guitar Player, c1672

Johannes Vermeer, The Guitar Player, c1672

This painting is exceptionally rare, not only because there are so few paintings by Vermeer known today, but because it is the only one still on its original or near-original stretcher.



Frans Hals, Pieter van den Broecke, 1633

Frans Hals, Pieter van den Broecke, 1633

Collectors competed fiercely for paintings by Hals in the second half of the 19th century. There had been a resurgence of interest in the 17th-century painter, his characteristically loose and rapid technique resonating with that embraced by the contemporary, Impressionist painters of the day.



Joseph Mallord William Turner, A Coast Scene with Fishermen Hauling a Boat Ashore, c1803–04

Joseph Mallord William Turner, A Coast Scene with Fishermen Hauling a Boat Ashore, c1803–04

The audacious young Turner vies here with the tradition of 17th-century marine painting, making use of an unusually coarse canvas to enhance the rough-and-ready vitality of this dramatic scene. It is also known as The Iveagh Seapiece.



Sir Thomas Lawrence, Miss Murray, 1824–26

Sir Thomas Lawrence, Miss Murray, 1824–26

This charming and frequently reproduced portrait was owned by the sitter, the 1st Duke of Wellington’s god-daughter, as an adult, before being bought at the sale of her estate by Lord Iveagh’s art dealer and sold to him two days later.



George Romney, Emma Hart as The Spinstress, c1784–85

George Romney, Emma Hart as The Spinstress, c1784–85

Surely one of the most frequently depicted women of the 18th century, featuring in endless images, from paintings to caricatures, Emma Hart, later Hamilton, was painted around 30 times by Romney alone. Lord Iveagh bought no less than three paintings of her.