2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum

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2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
ANNUAL REVIEW

2019/20
ASHMOLEAN.ORG
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
CONTENTS

                                02                                                                     06                                                            26                                                                         30                                                                          34
                                INTRODUCTION                                                           OUR STRATEGY                                                  DIGITAL                                                                    TEACHING                                                                    RESEARCHING
                                                                                                                                                                     MUSEUM                                                                     MUSEUM                                                                      MUSEUM
                                Forewords........................................................ 02   Ashmolean For All....................................... 06
                                A Year at a Glance........................................04           Exhibitions, Free Exhibitions, Special                        Online Collections........................................ 27              Curricular Teaching....................................... 31               Exhibitions and Research.......................... 35
                                                                                                       Displays and Touring Exhibitions.......... 09
                                                                                                                                                                     Ashmolean From Home............................. 28                        University Engagement                                                       Digital Research.............................................. 35
                                                                                                                                                                     Online Wellbeing........................................... 28             Programme (UEP).......................................... 32                Research Partnerships................................36
                                                                                                                                                                     Digital Learning............................................... 28         Learning for Everyone................................ 32                    Individual Research......................................36
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Families and Schools................................... 32                  Public Engagement and Research......36
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Young People and                                                            The Print Room and Study Rooms.......36
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Adult Programmes........................................33
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            National and International Reach........ 38
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ashmolean Teacher Training...................33

                                                                                                                                                                     40                                                                         44
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ABOVE Clay Live, October
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2019. © Ian Wallman

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            26 Hong Tao (b.1948),
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Galloping Rhythm, 2000.
                                                                                                                                                                     OUR PEOPLE AND                                                             COMMERCIAL                                                                  Multi-block woodcut,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            printed with oil-based ink,
                                                                                                                                                                     SUSTAINABILITY                                                             AND FUNDRAISING                                                             76 x 90cm. EA2007.28

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            34 Gold stater of Alexander

                                10
 COVER Rembrandt van Rijn                                                                                                                                            Staff Wellbeing................................................. 41        Retail and Brand Licensing.......................44                         the Great from the Amphipolis
 (1606–69), Self-Portrait in                                                                           Last Supper in Pompeii............................... 12                                                                                                                                                             Mint, 336–c.323 bc.
 a Cap, 1630. Etching and                                                                                                                                            Volunteers........................................................... 41   Catering...............................................................44
                                                                                                       Young Rembrandt......................................... 14
 drypoint on laid paper,                                                                                                                                             Sustainability.....................................................42      Membership......................................................45
 5.2 x 4.7 cm. WA1855.368                                                                              Modern and Contemporary..................... 16
 10 Gallery view of the         OUR PROGRAMME                                                          Acquisition Highlights................................. 18
                                                                                                                                                                     In Memoriam.....................................................43         Philanthropy......................................................45
 Ashmolean’s Last Supper                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Benefactors, Gifts and Legacies...........46
                                                                                                       Caring for the Collections........................25
 in Pompeii exhibition,                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Financial Highlights.......................................48
 25 July 2019–12 January 2020
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
FOREWORDS                                                                                                                                                                     legacies of empire, given renewed
                                                                                                                                                                              urgency by the forceful re-ignition of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           with our collections, we can restore
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           hope, reconnect and unify our
                                                                                                                                                                              Black Lives Matter and, within Oxford,       communities and rebuild the
                                                                                                                                                                              the Rhodes Must Fall movements, have         framework of our culture.
                                                                                                                                                                              all demanded that we re-examine what
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Over the past few years significant
                                                                                                                                                                              we do and how we do it.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           work across GLAM has been undertaken
                                                                                                                                                                              For me these questions reinforce the         to develop our capability to share our
                                                                                                                                 XA STURGIS                                   importance of our five-year strategy,        digitised collections and to expand
                                                                                                                                 DIRECTOR                                     Ashmolean For All. Launched in 2018,         our offer across all platforms, reaching
                                                                                                                                 ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM                             it focuses on improving the way we           out to existing and new audiences, from
                                                                                                                                                                              serve and represent as wide and diverse      here in Oxford to around the world.
                                         Happily, as I write, the Museum has shed   Near East Gallery, and to Barrie and         It was all going so well. Looking back       an audience as possible – seeking to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The Ashmolean’s current part in a pilot
                                         its chrysalis and re-emerged, re-opening   Deedee Wigmore for their support             over the year from this uncertain vantage    welcome and engage all our visitors
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           study with the Oxford Internet Institute
                                         with new measures in place, such as a      during the current crisis; your generosity   point, it is strange to think how things     while recognising the need to give
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           and Department of Psychiatry, funded
                                         social distancing system that accepts      goes beyond measure.                         looked as we entered 2020. Visitor           voice to different perspectives on our
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           by the University’s Covid-19 Research
                                         just over 5,000 visitors a week, instead                                                numbers were breaking all records,           collections and their histories. Achieving
                                                                                    We are extremely fortunate to be                                                                                                       Response Fund, to study the effects
                                         of the previous 20,000.                                                                 thanks in no small part to the beautiful     these goals in a sustainable way in a
                                                                                    a part of the University of Oxford’s                                                                                                   of online cultural experiences on
                                                                                                                                 and engrossing Last Supper in Pompeii;       world of social distancing and financial
                                         As our doors open again, we simply         Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM).                                                                                                 mental health is testimony to the future
LORD LUPTON                              must build on the important work that      Their contribution towards our core
                                                                                                                                 we had just celebrated the tenth             constraints will require sureness of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           direction of our wider engagement.
CHAIRMAN                                 has already been achieved towards          funding enables us to carry out our
                                                                                                                                 anniversary of the Ashmolean’s               purpose and more of the adaptability
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Such projects show how we can
BOARD OF VISITORS                        securing the Museum’s endowment            leading work in teaching and research,
                                                                                                                                 transforming redevelopment and               and creativity that the Museum
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           continue to support mental wellbeing
                                                                                                                                 welcomed Lord Lupton as our new              has demonstrated over the last
                                         campaign to safeguard our future           as well as developing our strategy to                                                                                                  through the engagement of our
                                                                                                                                 Chairman. At the end of February we          six months and to which this report
When I was fortunate enough to take      as a world-class museum and the            enhance our engagement with the                                                                                                        cultural assets online.
                                                                                                                                 opened Young Rembrandt to critical           so amply testifies.
over from Bernard Taylor as Chairman     greatest university museum of art          local community and wider public.
                                                                                                                                 acclaim and (astonishingly in retrospect)                                                 Now is the time to look at how we tell
of the Board of Visitors on 1 January    and archaeology. Crises such as the
                                                                                    Over its 337-year long history, the          even in early March were confident it                                                     the stories of our collections. Through
2020, the Museum was in a flurry of      one we are living through often reveal
                                                                                    Ashmolean, Britain’s first public            would break its ambitious visitor targets.                                                interpretation and intervention, we
activity preparing for the major Young   the depth of character and resilience
                                                                                    museum, has held fast, always                                                                                                          can question, debate and showcase
Rembrandt exhibition, charting the       of a community, and indeed a nation.                                                    By 17 March we were closed and
                                                                                    evolving and responding to the                                                                                                         different perspectives.
meteoric rise of the Dutch Master.       I would like to call out and thank, on                                                  remained closed until early August.
                                                                                    state of the world and the changing
It was a joy to see the teams at work    behalf of all of us who care about                                                      There is much to regret about having                                                      We have learned a great deal more in
                                                                                    needs of its audience. I strongly
putting on a show of this scale,         the Museum, the Ashmolean’s staff                                                       to shut our doors to visitors at a moment                                                 recent months regarding the potential
                                                                                    believe that the Ashmolean’s
beauty and significance.                 and volunteers for ensuring that                                                        of national crisis when so many of us                                                     of animating our museum programmes
                                                                                    reputation, its stunning objects, its
                                         the Museum could provide a source                                                       were in need of the very things that                                                      and collections in the digital world.
That was then. Now, just a few                                                      highly-motivated staff, the support of                                                    PROF. ANNE TREFETHEN                         With that renewed focus and insight,
                                         of inspiration and learning throughout                                                  museums and art can offer; escape,
months later, we have to deal with                                                  the University and of our supporters,                                                     PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR                          we can adapt to the post Covid ‘new
                                         these past months.                                                                      enjoyment, inspiration, but perhaps
the considerable challenges which                                                   big and small, mean that we will                                                          UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD                         normal’ and continue to deepen our
                                                                                                                                 above all a sense of community and
have hit the world as a result of the    We are so grateful to our supporters       navigate these choppy waters                                                              (GLAM)                                       connection with, and commitment to,
                                                                                                                                 connectedness. But while our doors
Coronavirus pandemic. Like many          for helping us to continue to preserve,    successfully. Please do consider
                                                                                                                                 closed much of our work continued,                                                        an Ashmolean for All.
other countries, the UK’s financial      enhance and share our collections and      helping us along our journey.
                                                                                                                                 and I remain in awe of the nimble,           Oxford University’s Gardens Libraries
outlook is uncertain, as we face the     knowledge. In particular, we would like
                                                                                                                                 creative and flexible way in which our       and Museums (GLAM) present some
greatest challenge to our economy        to thank Mr Hiroaki and Mrs Atsuko                                                                                                                                                Namikawa Yasuyuki
                                                                                    Female figurine,                             staff managed and responded to the           of the most important collections
since the Second World War. The          Shikanai and The Shikanai Foundation                                                                                                                                              (1845–1927), Vase with
                                                                                    Cyclades,                                    crisis; adapting ways of working and         in the world, spanning all areas of          Waterfall Over Rocks,
impact of Covid-19 is scarring the       for the exceptional gift of £1 million
                                                                                    c.2800–2300 bc.                              endeavouring to continue to serve            human study and history. Welcoming           1910–15. Metal with
cultural fabric of our society.          to endow the Japanese Collection;          Marble, traces
                                                                                                                                 all our communities in the new reality.      over three million visitors a year, they     silver wire and
                                         this includes the ongoing care             of paint, 30 cm.                                                                                                                       Closionné enamel,
In the months since lockdown was                                                                                                                                              play an intrinsic role in carrying out
                                         and management of the collections,         AN1896–1908.                                 This has been a time of reflection and                                                    24.9cm x 6.2cm x
imposed countrywide, the Museum                                                     AE.178                                                                                    teaching and research, as well as
                                         ensuring they are shared with the                                                       innovation. New opportunities have                                                        8.5cm. EA2002.177
went into suspended animation. When                                                                                                                                           introducing a large public to the
                                         widest audience through a strong                                                        arisen. The quick and imaginative
my family and I went round it shortly                                                                                                                                         academic work of the University itself.
                                         public programme, as well as taking                                                     development of our digital programmes
before re-opening in early August, it
                                         on Lead Support of the 2021 Tokyo                                                       and resources meant we continued to          In the wake of the seismic events that
had a melancholic, haunting beauty,
                                         exhibition. We are therefore delighted                                                  engage existing and new audiences,           we as a society have recently faced,
accentuated by the eerie silence and
                                         to announce the naming of the two                                                       as well as highlighting areas of potential   the role of our museums and public
total absence of people. Museums
                                         new Shikanai Galleries of Japanese Art.                                                 growth. At the same time the                 collections as safe, welcoming places
demand the social buzz of the
                                                                                                                                 sudden and dramatic collapse of all          that unite our audiences by providing
enquiring public whom we serve.          Our heartfelt thanks go out to the
                                                                                                                                 visitor-driven income; the social and        solace and inspiration has become
                                         Sarikhani family for their support
                                                                                                                                 economic impact of Covid-19; and the         more relevant than ever. By continuing
                                         of the refurbishment of the Ancient
                                                                                                                                 continuing re-examination of the             to build on the public’s engagement

02   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                                           INTRODUCTION | FOREWORDS     03
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
A YEAR AT A GLANCE:
1 AUGUST 2019 – 31 JULY 2020

AUGUST                   SEPTEMBER          OCTOBER                NOVEMBER             DECEMBER           JANUARY              FEBRUARY                 MARCH              APRIL                  MAY                  JUNE                JULY

Pakistan-based           Prue Leith and     International artist   The Ashmolean        Heston             Lord Lupton          Arts Council             Coronavirus        Ashmolean From         New online art       Oxford              Preparations for
artist Ali Kazim         Mary Beard visit   Cai Guo-Qiang          celebrates tenth     Blumenthal         takes on the         England renews           pandemic strikes   Home presents          competition          researchers win     reopening the
undertakes a             Last Supper in     attends opening        anniversary of the   premières his      Chair of the         the Ashmolean’s          the UK with        new online             Artists in           Covid-19 research   Ashmolean on
residency at the         Pompeii to film    of his solo show       opening of its       Pompeiian feast    Board of Visitors.   status as an             devastating        programme for          Residence            grant to develop    10 August, after
Ashmolean for            Front Row Late     Gunpowder Art.         new building,        at the Ashmolean                        Accredited               impact; the        audiences to           documents the        a study with the    146 days of closure,
Gandhara                 for BBC 2.                                designed by Rick     Dining Room.       Last Supper in       Museum.                  Government         enjoy remotely.        public’s response    Ashmolean on        begin with new
Connections,                                One tonne of clay      Mather Architects.                      Pompeii ends                                  announces                                 to Coronavirus.      the effects of      signage for face
supported by the                            is presented on                                                with a total of      Young                    nationwide         400,000 viewers                             online cultural     coverings, 2-metre
Bagri Foundation.                           the forecourt          8,160 visitors                          87,280 visitors,     Rembrandt                lockdown.          tune into              The Ashmolean        experiences on      social distancing
                                            for Clay Live,         attend the One                          becoming the         opens to the                                watch Young            becomes the          mental health.      and one-way
The family activity                         a day-long             World Festival,                         most visited         public and               On 17 March        Rembrandt              first museum to                          systems.
Roman Holiday                               celebration            bringing together                       exhibition in        receives stellar         the Ashmolean      as part of BBC         create bespoke       Voices in the
runs throughout                             of ceramics.           different faith                         Ashmolean            reviews across           temporarily        Arts’ Culture in       Instagram filters,   Gallery wins
August offering                                                    communities                             history.             national media.          closes to the      Quarantine.            featuring works      Vice-Chancellor’s
food and drink                              The Ashmolean          from across                                                                           public. Staff                             from the             Education Award.
themed crafts,                              launches               Oxfordshire.                            Installation of      03 Installation          are sent home,     Young Rembrandt
                                            Chromotope, a                                                  the major new        of the exhibition        the lights are     is recreated online,                        Ashmolean
storytelling,                                                                                              exhibition Young
                                            multi-institutional    American artist                                              Young Rembrandt.         turned off and     featuring videos,                           From Home
dressing-up                                                                                                Rembrandt            © Emily Jarrett
and role play.                              research               Philip Guston                           begins.                                       the collections    gallery shots,                              releases new
                                            partnership            is the focus of                                              04 Entry to Artists In   go under cover.    digital images of                           online exhibition
                                                                                                                                Residence Competition.
                                            exploring the          the exhibition                                                                                           the artworks and                            Mediterranean
01 One World Festival.                                                                                                          © Samantha Varney
© Ian Wallman                               Victorian Colour       Locating the                                                                          On 19 March        accompanying                                Threads.
                                                                                                                                05 Ashmolean
                                            Revolution.            Image and the                                                                         #Isolation         texts.
02 Marble statue                                                                                                                collections undercover
of Bacchus with a                                                  Slade Lectures;                                              during lockdown,         Creations is up
                                                                                                                                                                                                    04
panther, ad 50–150.                                                the opening is                                               March 2019.              and running with                                                                   Ashmolean hits
Museo Archeologico                                                 attended by the                                              © Ian Wallman            daily challenges                          collections.                             target of digitising
Nazionale di Napoli
                                                                   artist’s daughter                                                                     across social                                                                      190,000 objects,
                                                                   Musa Meyer.                                                                           media.                                                                             25 per cent of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            the collections,
                                                                   The Western                                                                                                                                                              substantially
01                                                                 Art Print Room                                               03
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            increasing online
                                                                   records the                                                                                                                                                              access to art and
                                                                   highest monthly                                                                                                                                                          archaeology
                                                                   attendance ever                                                                                                                                                          across the
                                                                   with 659 visitors.                                                                                                                                                       Museum.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    05

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04   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
OUR STRATEGY   ASHMOLEAN FOR ALL

               Our Strategy Ashmolean For All places equity and inclusion at
               the heart of everything we do, enabling us to improve the way the
               Museum represents, engages with and includes all communities and
               individuals, from existing visitors to new audiences. Ashmolean For All
               is underpinned by the following principles, which are embedded
               in every aspect of our work:

               PRESERVING, ENHANCING AND                  This past and unprecedented year                 and films made by young people
               SHARING OUR COLLECTIONS                    has accentuated the public benefits              from Eritrea, South Sudan and
               We will continue to care for our           of a museum. Culture sustains people.            Syria with Ashmolean gallery staff,
               collections, enable their growth           And in times of crisis this is increasingly      reflecting on and responding to
               and share them worldwide. Ranging          evident. In the light of recent world            objects from the Ancient Near East.
               from prehistory to the contemporary        events our strategy, now in its third            On receiving the Vice-Chancellor’s
               world, these internationally significant   year, has gathered momentum and                  Education Award, the judging panel
               collections are the foundation of          a sense of urgency. The Ashmolean                praised the Museum for ‘making
               all that we do.                            has a social and civic role to play              powerful use of learners and staff
                                                          in retelling the stories of the past,            as co-creators, genuinely changing
               INSPIRING OUR AUDIENCES                    ensuring that we represent and                   the way the Museum’s objects are
               We will ensure that our audiences’         remain relevant to all our audiences             exhibited. The panel feels there is
               encounters are inspiring, meaningful       by creating a safe space to explore              wide applicability for this project’s
               and enjoyable by developing the            and discuss these issues.                        approach across the museum
               Ashmolean onsite, offsite and online                                                        sector, and hope that the team
                                                          In March, prior to lockdown, the
               as a place of discovery, emotional                                                          might consider sharing their
                                                          Ashmolean was on course to receive
               engagement and lifelong learning.                                                           work widely in the future’.
                                                          one million visitors for the 2019/2020
               We are listening to our visitors to
                                                          year. In addition to our core learning
               create inclusive, relevant content
                                                          and engagement work with schools,             Object handling,
               across all our programmes and
                                                          families, communities, adults and             Voices in the Gallery.
               platforms, making the Museum a
                                                          older people, we introduced the               © Ian Wallman
               more welcoming and social place
                                                          following range of new initiatives
               while connecting more deeply
                                                          to widen access to the Museum:
               with our local communities.
                                                          —A
                                                            shPass: a pilot membership
               A WORLD-CLASS CENTRE FOR                    scheme for young people aged
               RESEARCH AND TEACHING                       16–19, offering special benefits to
               We are dedicated to furthering the          encourage independent visits to
               understanding of the world through          the Ashmolean, was launched in
               the material and visual evidence            Cheney School and Oxford Spires
               of art and archaeology, and providing       Academy. Due to its success we
               intellectual leadership in research         will roll out the scheme to more
               and teaching-related areas covered          schools next year.
               by our collections and research
                                                          —V
                                                            oices in the Gallery: a partnership
               resources across the disciplinary
                                                           with Oxford Spires Academy to
               range for the University.
                                                           co-create a set of audio recordings

                                                                                                         OUR STRATEGY | ASHMOLEAN FOR ALL     07
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
— In October the Older People’s
  Action Team – our newest
                                              The One World Festival
                                           has been an absolute success.
                                                                                — Our work with GLAM Community
                                                                                   Engagement has continued with           EXHIBITIONS, FREE EXHIBITIONS,
  co-producing group, recruited
  through our Meet Me at the
                                           This has brought together
                                           the rich religious, cultural and
                                                                                   Along for the Ride, a co-curated
                                                                                   community exhibition for World          SPECIAL DISPLAYS AND
  Museum sessions for isolated
  older people – met for the first
                                           ethnic diversity of our beautiful
                                           county. Through the process
                                                                                   Mental Health Day. Working in
                                                                                   partnership with The Mill, a local      TOURING EXHIBITIONS
  time. In considering the stages                                                  wellbeing hub supporting people’s
                                           of organising the event, many
  of ageing to understand how                                                      mental health, participants were
                                           of the organising team, drawn
  to unpick stereotypes and make                                                   inspired by visits to the Print Room
  improvements for older audiences
                                           from our diverse communities,           to create a display at the Ashmolean.
  visiting the Museum, the group           have got to know each other,            They oversaw the process from
  has advised on social, physical          built strong working relationships      inception to installation, including
  and cultural activities to increase      and gained understanding about          the exhibition’s theme ‘Along for
  engagement to the Museum for             each other’s communities and            the Ride’ to explore journeys and
  all older people.                        cultures. All this was made             mental health.
                                           possible through the dedication                                                 EXHIBITIONS                           TOURING EXHIBITIONS

                                                                                                                                                                                                       1,098,679
—T
  he One World Steering Group                                                  —F
                                                                                  urthermore, the Community                                                     FROM THE ASHMOLEAN
 met regularly, furthering connections
                                           and professionalism of the            Engagement team supported two             LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII
 between Oxford’s different faith
                                           Ashmolean staff and volunteers,       members of Oxford’s Syrian Kurdish        25 July 2019 – 12 January 2020        PAINTING FACES:
 groups and sharing knowledge              for which my gratitude                community to advocate, network                                                  THE ART OF FLATTERY                   unique visitors to our website
 of different cultures in the city.        and thanks.                           and help deliver workshops for the        YOUNG REMBRANDT                       17 May – 8 September 2019
 The theme of this year’s One World                                              city’s Middle Eastern communities.        27 February – 1 November 2020         Broadway Museum and Art Gallery
                                           IMAM MONAWAR HUSSEIN
 Festival was to welcome new arrivals                                            The workshops fed into the planning

                                                                                                                                                                                                       551,250
 to Oxford, especially refugees from                                             and content development of a                                                    DIMENSIONS: THE MATHEMATICS
 Syria and other war-torn areas of the                                           forthcoming exhibition about the
                                                                                                                           FREE EXHIBITIONS                      OF SPACE AND SYMMETRY
 world, to a free weekend of activities,                                         creation of countries in the Middle                                             14 September – 19 December 2019
                                                                                                                           A.R. PENCK: I THINK IN PICTURES
 performances, talks and crafts.                                                 East following the First World War.                                             Broadway Museum and Art Gallery
                                                                                                                           28 June – 3 November 2019                                                   visitors to the Ashmolean
                                                                                —M
                                                                                  ore recently, we launched Artists                                             JAPANESE GHOSTS AND DEMONS
                                                                                 in Residence, a competition with          CAI GUO-QIANG:
                                                                                                                                                                 21 September – 1 December 2019
                                                                                 the Oxford Times inviting people to       GUNPOWDER ART

                                                                                                                                                                                                       223,992
                                                                                                                                                                 Derby Museum
                                                                                 submit artworks created during, and       24 October 2019 – 13 September 2020
                                                                                 in response to, their experiences in                                            THE YOUNG TURNER:
                                                                                                                           PHILIP GUSTON:
                                                                                 lockdown. We have received over                                                 AMBITIONS IN ARCHITECTURE
                                                                                                                           LOCATING THE IMAGE                                                          visits to exhibitions
                                                                                 1,100 creative and moving submissions                                           AND THE ART OF PERSPECTIVE
                                                                                                                           23 November 2019 – 8 March 2020
                                                                                 from across Oxfordshire. Selected                                               28 September 2019 – 12 January 2020   at the Museum
                                                                                 entries have been printed weekly                                                Banbury Museum
                                                                                 in the Oxford Times and the winners
                                                                                                                           SPECIAL DISPLAYS                      REMBRANDT IN PRINT
                                                                                 will be displayed at the Ashmolean.
                                                                                Important work such as this continues
                                                                                to broaden our audiences and to
                                                                                encourage as many people as
                                                                                                                           FEED THE WORLD:
                                                                                                                           FOOD AND MONEY
                                                                                                                           30 July 2019 – 1 March 2020
                                                                                                                                                                 1 June – 15 September 2019
                                                                                                                                                                 Lady Lever Art Gallery, The Wirral
                                                                                                                                                                 4 October 2019 – 5 January 2020
                                                                                                                                                                                                       87,280
                                                                                possible to reap the benefits                                                    Holburne Museum, Bath
                                                                                                                                                                                                       visitors attended
                                                                                                                           LASERS, HOARDING
                                                                                of visiting a museum.                                                                                                  Last Supper in Pompeii
                                                                                                                           AND ROMAN GOLD COINAGE                18 January – 2 August 2020
                                                                                                                           7 March 2020 – March 2021             North Hertfordshire Museum

                                                                                                                           FROM ISTANBUL TO OXFORD:              MAKING AN IMPRESSION:
                                                                                                                           THE ORIGINS OF COFFEE
                                                                                                                           DRINKING IN ENGLAND
                                                                                                                           28 September 2019 – 15 March 2020
                                                                                                                                                                 PRINTS BY MANET, PISSARRO
                                                                                                                                                                 AND THEIR CONTEMPORARIES              8,312
                                                                                                                                                                 8 January – 10 March 2020
                                                                                                                                                                                                       visitors attended
                                                                                                                                                                 15 May – 7 June 2020
                                                                                                                           A NICE CUP OF TEA?                                                          Young Rembrandt
                                                                                                                                                                 ZAMEC Cultural Centre
                                                                                                                           COMMUNITY-LED INSTALLATION
                                                                                                                                                                 Poznan, Poland
                                                                                                                           23 May 2019 – May 2021
                                                                                                                                                                 SKYSCAPE
                                                                                One World Festival,                                                              11 January – 18 March 2020
                                                                                November 2019.
                                                                                                                                                                 Petworth House
                                                                                © Ian Wallman

08   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                              OUR STRATEGY    09
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
The success of our exhibition
OUR PROGRAMME   programme draws on every area and
                department of the Museum. Founded
                on curatorial research, it calls on the
                expertise of conservation and art handling,
                public engagement, commercial and
                fundraising activities, as well as front
                of house operations. The past year has
                presented some of the greatest exhibition
                successes the Ashmolean has had to
                date, together with the most challenging
                experience of responding to the Coronavirus
                pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

                A visitor enjoying the
                Young Rembrandt exhibition.
                © Emily Jarrett

                                                              OUR PROGRAMME   11
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII:                                                                                                    One of the Exhibition’s most creative
                                                                                                                           partnerships was the collaboration
                                                                                                                                                                      Back in our vaulted Café, our catering
                                                                                                                                                                      partners Benugo transformed the             EXHIBITION

25 JULY 2019 – 12 JANUARY 2020                                                                                             with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal.
                                                                                                                           Following a visit to the Museum, the
                                                                                                                                                                      space into the Taberna Ashmolean.
                                                                                                                                                                      Enhanced by reproduced images from
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ORGANISATION
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  AND SUPPORT
                                                                                                                           famous chef created his own unique         the show and a menu reflecting the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Organised in collaboration with
                                                                                                                           interpretation of a Roman feast; he        flavours of Pompeii, its popularity
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  the Ministero dei Beni e delle
                                                                                                                           provided guests with a taste of history,   resulted in a 25 per cent increase in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Attivita Culturali e del Turismo,
                                                                                                                           immortalised by the ash of Vesuvius.       sales. We continued the customer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Italy; Il Parco Archeologico di
                                                                                                                           His special menu previewed at the          experience into the commercial
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Pompei; Museo Archeologico
                                                                                                                           Ashmolean Dining Room to a select          spaces. Four hundred retail products
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Nazionale di Napoli; and Parco
                                                                                                                           group of journalists and donors in         were built around the themes of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Archeologico di Paestum, the
                                                                                                                           December 2019. It then launched            Gardens, Life and Death and Food
Last Supper in Pompeii told the story of the Roman love affair                                                             at Dinner by Heston in January 2020,       and Drink. Items sourced from Italy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  exhibition triumphed in all aspects.

with food and wine, and its influence on every aspect of Roman                                                             alongside a competition with the           became bestsellers, while bespoke           It ignited the interest of supporters
                                                                                                                           Ashmolean, offering the chance             product development was also                from across the world, including
life. Fittingly for the Ashmolean and Oxford University, the                                                               to win a unique dining experience          commissioned, using the striking            Intesa Sanpaolo, lead supporter,
exhibition was a fusion of art and archaeology.                                                                            at his London-based restaurant.            images across a range of stationery         who praised the significant
                                                                                                                                                                      and homeware products. In total the         scientific contribution to the
                                                                                                                                                                      exhibition shop generated sales of          study of Italian history and culture.
Beginning in Pompeii before its            In the process the stories of how the    between GLAM and Iffley, a special         I have always had a fascination        £230,000, an increase of 78 per cent        Other generous donors comprised
destruction in ad 79, a fresco of diners   objects were made, used and repaired     academy for children and young         with the gastronomy of the past            from last year’s exhibition shop sales.     The Ruddock Foundation for
and a statue of the wine god Bacchus       have been revealed, forming part         people with special educational        and the food we serve at Dinner by                                                     the Arts, The William Delafield
set the tone, while fascinating Greek,     of the exhibition’s narrative.           needs and disabilities, has provided                                              In the show’s final weeks tickets
                                                                                                                           Heston in London is inspired by the                                                    Charitable Trust, Stockman Family
Etruscan and Italic objects reminded                                                opportunities for both Museum staff                                               sold out, concluding in the highest
                                           Rich in research, lessons were                                                  many inventive and creative chefs                                                      Foundation and the Museum’s
us of earlier influences on Roman                                                   and students to develop new skills                                                exhibition visitor figures ever seen
                                           conducted within the exhibition by                                              from Britain’s culinary history. When                                                  Patrons, as well as The Helen Roll
culture. Visitors were then brought                                                 and build strong relationships.                                                   at the Museum.
                                           curators, teachers and learning staff                                           the opportunity came along to work                                                     Charity, Professor Gillies McKenna
into the home and the heart of the                                                                                         with the team at the Ashmolean
                                           for members of diverse disciplines       With star objects, accessible themes                                                                                          and Professor Ruth Muschel,
exhibition, the dining room. Its                                                                                           Museum, I leapt at the chance to
                                           across the University. The themes will   and the intrigue of a lost city, the                                                                                          Charles and Alison Young, the late
Greek-inspired decoration included                                                                                         uncover the incredible food stories
                                           serve as content for future teaching,    abundant source of stories enabled                                                                                            Miss Cecil Western, Mr John and
mosaics such as the incomparable fish                                                                                      from Pompeii. The passion and
                                           reinforced by the accompanying           our public engagement team to                                                                                                 Mrs Margaret Leighfield and Audley
mosaic, the most photographed                                                                                              knowledge that Paul, Theresa and
                                           catalogue. Designed as a legacy          create widespread media coverage                                                                                              Travel. As a result the Museum was
object in the show, and the skeleton                                                                                       all the team shared was infectious
                                           publication, it brought together a       in the local, national and European                                                                                           able to meet the ambitions for the
mosaic with its macabre reminder to                                                                                        and fascinating, and the menu we
                                           dozen expert contributors from           press and digital media.                                                                                                      exhibition, including the additional
us to seize the day. At the end came                                                                                       created with their help has brought
                                           Pompeii and Oxford, incorporating                                                                                                                                      commission of an audio guide,
the stark reality of the eruption of                                                                                       a new avenue of storytelling to
                                           new material that extended beyond                                                                                                                                      with support from The Lucinus
Mount Vesuvius. The resin cast of a                                                                                        Dinner. I look forward to further
                                           the exhibition. The 296-page                                                                                                                                           Trust, which presented the outcome
victim brought to life the human story                                                                                     collaborations and more edible
                                           exhibition catalogue became the                                                                                                                                        of the conservation work.
behind these objects, reminding us                                                  Fresco with Bacchus and                historical discoveries very soon.
                                           bestselling product of the year.
of the tragic events that made their                                                Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii IX 8, 6,                                                                                              Our thanks go out to HM
preservation possible.                     The exhibition generated an              ad 60–79. Museo Archeologico           HESTON BLUMENTHAL                          Gallery View of Last                        Government, the Department for
                                           unprecedented demand for group           Nazionale di Napoli                    CHEF                                       Supper in Pompeii                           Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
The exhibition showcased new research
                                           bookings and exhibition tours. For                                                                                                                                     (DCMS) and Arts Council England
and conservation throughout. In
                                           families, our summer activities were                                                                                                                                   for making this exhibition possible
preparation, a pioneering collaboration
                                           themed around Roman food and                                                                                                                                           through the British Government
with the Ashmolean and Il Parco
                                           mythology, while the family trail                                                                                                                                      Indemnity Scheme.
Archeologico di Pompei oversaw
                                           received continuously positive
the conservation of 37 copper alloy,
                                           feedback. Shortlisted for a Museum
ceramic and glass vessels excavated
                                           and Heritage Award, our partnership
at Pompeii. Found in the ruins of
                                           with Iffley Academy presented Last
a tavern, these objects had been
                                           Supper in Pompeii as a source of
untouched since their first excavation
                                           inspiration for students to develop
in the 1950s. They went on show fully
                                           their own work in an exhibition
conserved for the first time after 2,000
                                           at school. This featured Lego
hours of painstaking work, including
                                           interpretations of Pompeii and Mount
visits to Pompeii by Ashmolean
                                           Vesuvius as well as the students’ own
conservators to liaise with senior
                                           mosaics, drawings and artworks. Since
conservator Dr Giuseppe Zolfo.
                                           2016 the Ashmolean’s partnership

12   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                   OUR PROGRAMME | LAST SUPPER IN POMPEII       13
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
YOUNG REMBRANDT:                                                                                                            Moving beyond online programming,
                                                                                                                            we worked with GLAM Community
                                                                                                                                                                       It was not until July, after almost 21
                                                                                                                                                                       weeks of closure, that we could advise       EXHIBITION

27 FEBRUARY – 1 NOVEMBER 2020                                                                                               Engagement to take Young Rembrandt
                                                                                                                            into communities with restricted
                                                                                                                                                                       lenders that we would reopen to the
                                                                                                                                                                       public on 10 August.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ORGANISATION
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    AND SUPPORT
                                                                                                                            digital access by commissioning
                                                                                                                                                                       The experiences of European                  Young Rembrandt is supported
                                                                                                                            local community artist Dionne
                                                                                                                                                                       museums who reopened ahead                   by The William Delafield Charitable
                                                                                                                            Freeman to create resource packs,
                                                                                                                                                                       of us informed our planning for the          Trust, Edward Speelman Ltd, the
                                                                                                                            including sketchbooks, materials and
                                                                                                                                                                       reopening, as we also considered the         Friends of the Ashmolean and the
                                                                                                                            activity sheets, for adult and teenage
                                                                                                                                                                       specifics of our building and in-town        Patrons of the Ashmolean. The
                                                                                                                            audiences at the Oxfordshire Hospital
                                                                                                                                                                       location. To facilitate a safe but           catalogue received support from
                                                                                                                            School, MIND at the Mill and SMART.
                                                                                                                                                                       enjoyable visit, exhibition tickets have
More than ten years in the making, Young Rembrandt was                                                                      This was further developed by a series
                                                                                                                                                                       been reduced to 30 per cent of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The Michael Marks Charitable
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Trust, with additional support from
developed in partnership with the Ashmolean and the Museum                                                                  of short activity films for our website,
                                                                                                                                                                       normal capacity. Visitor routes have         the circle of Young Rembrandt,
                                                                                                                            providing a valuable learning resource
De Lakenhal, Leiden. The exhibition drew on the strengths of the                                                            for everyone to enjoy beyond the
                                                                                                                                                                       been planned as part of a one-way            Charles and Alison Young,
                                                                                                                                                                       system and while entry continues             Amb. J. William Middendorf II,
Museums’ respective collections: the Ashmolean’s outstanding                                                                course of the exhibition.
                                                                                                                                                                       to be free, general ticketing for the        Sotheby’s, The Catherine Lewis
group of prints and drawings, and two of Rembrandt’s earliest                                                               Following correspondence with              Museum itself and the permanent              Foundation, Janice and Brian
                                                                                                                            museum colleagues and private              collections is now in place.
paintings from the Lakenhal.                                                                                                lenders in April an extension of the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Capstick, Susan and Matthew
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Weatherbie, the Thriplow
                                                                                                                            loans was confirmed. To facilitate this                                                 Charitable Trust and the Embassy
Initial negotiations to borrow the most   Ambassador. The exhibition received      an immediate spike in our online                                                    Rembrandt van Rijn
                                                                                                                            agreements had to be reviewed,                                                          of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
prized drawings, prints and paintings     remarkable critical acclaim across the   traffic and one of the largest Twitter                                              (1606–69) Self-Portrait,
                                                                                                                            export licensing and Government            1629. Oil on oak panel,
from international lenders were led       national press.                          responses the Ashmolean has ever                                                                                                 The exhibition has been made
                                                                                                                            indemnity extended, and insurance          15.5 x 12.7 cm. Bayerische
by co-curators Professor Christopher                                               had, with hundreds of people                                                        Staatsgemäldesammlungen,                     possible as a result of the British
                                          But, on Tuesday 17 March, the doors                                               arrangements re-considered.
Brown CBE, Director-Emeritus of the                                                praising the programme.                                                             Alte Pinakothek, Munich                      Government Indemnity Scheme.
                                          of the Ashmolean were forced to close                                             Simultaneously we planned for
Ashmolean, and Christiaan Vogelaar,                                                                                                                                                                                 Our thanks go to HM Government,
                                          as the nation entered lockdown. The                                               worst-case scenarios for when
Curator at Museum De Lakenhal. An                                                                                                                                      View of exhibition Young                     the Department for Digital, Culture,
                                          show came to a standstill after only                                              we could reopen and created
Van Camp joined the project in 2015
                                          nineteen days, during which it had
                                                                                      Rembrandt is loved,                   contingency plans for the exhibitions
                                                                                                                                                                       Rembrandt under cover                        Media and Sport (DCMS) and
                                                                                                                                                                       during lockdown, March 2020.
as the Ashmolean’s new Curator
                                          received 8,312 visitors – a great        generation after generation,             that were to follow Young Rembrandt.       © Ian Wallman
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arts Council England.
of Northern European Art.
                                          testimony to its potential.              for his capacity to depict the
Preparations in the two years leading                                              whole of humanity with the
                                          Within a few days staff had started
up to the exhibition comprised                                                     keenest and kindest of eyes.
                                          working from home and measures
budgeting, managing loan agreements                                                We look to him for empathy,
                                          were put in place; heightened security
and transportation, developing the                                                 understanding and pure joy
                                          on site, exhibition lighting switched
narrative and design of the galleries
                                          off to reduce exposure and works
                                                                                   at his astonishing abilities.
and producing the catalogue and
                                          covered with tissue and Tyvek for
                                                                                   Right now, we could all do
public programme. The exhibition
                                          protection. Regular checks were          with a bit of Rembrandt.
first opened in Leiden in November
                                          conducted throughout lockdown
2019 under the title Rembrandt:                                                    SIMON SCHAMA
                                          by conservators and security staff.      ART HISTORIAN AND PRESENTER
Rising Star to commemorate the
350th anniversary of the artist’s         Ambitious in our approach, we
death, before travelling on to Oxford.    continued to engage new visitors
                                          with Young Rembrandt through a
Almost 140 works from across the
                                          variety of platforms. Themed videos
globe – from Moscow to Los Angeles
                                          were released across our social media
– have been generously lent to the
                                          channels and we produced an online
exhibition by over 40 museums and
                                          tour of the exhibition, accompanied
private collectors. Together they tell
                                          by an introductory film: both received
the incredible story of Rembrandt as
                                          over 122,000 views. Our Press Office
he transforms from an inventive and
                                          moved quickly to incorporate Young
ambitious teenager into one of the
                                          Rembrandt into BBC Arts’ Culture in
world’s greatest artists.
                                          Quarantine series. Broadcast on
Young Rembrandt opened to the             BBC 4 in April, the documentary
media on 24 February, followed by         was presented by Simon Schama;
a preview for Friends and a Private       it attracted 400,000 viewers, a figure
View hosting our Dutch colleagues,        that increased through use of the
lenders, supporters and HE the Dutch      BBC iPlayer. Its release caused

14   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                        OUR PROGRAMME | YOUNG REMBRANDT          15
2019/20 ASHMOLEAN.ORG - Ashmolean Museum
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY                                                                                                      SPECIAL DISPLAYS
                                                                                                                             The Lewin Gallery (Gallery 62) has
                                                                                                                                                                         Following on from Ibrahim
                                                                                                                                                                         El-Salahi’s exhibition in Gallery 8 in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  PARTNERSHIPS WITH
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
                                                                                                                             featured new acquisitions, such as          2018, we were delighted to acquire       Aside from collecting contemporary
                                                                                                                             Desmond Morris’s surrealist painting        four of his works. These feature in      art, we have also enjoyed collaborating
                                                                                                                             The Dove, 1948, along with the new          a special display in the Ancient         with contemporary artists. Most recently,
                                                                                                                             IN FOCUS series, currently presenting       Sudanese Gallery in juxtaposition        during the outbreak of Covid-19, we
                                                                                                                             portraits and nudes by Egon Schiele         with ancient Sudanese objects,           produced the online feature Ashmolean
                                                                                                                             (1890–1918) on loan from a private          on view until November.                  Artists at Home. In this a number
                                                                                                                             collection. Displayed in rotation                                                    of the artists represented in our
                                                                                                                                                                         Furthermore, with support from
                                                                                                                             alongside works from our collections,                                                collections – including internationally
                                                                                                                                                                         the New Collecting Award by the
                                                                                                                             the series offers fresh perspectives on                                              acclaimed artist Jenny Saville –
                                                                                                                                                                         Art Fund as well as the Contemporary
                                                                                                                             European modernism for our regular                                                   described their work and life
The significance of our growing programme of modern and                                                                      visitors to enjoy. Despite his short life
                                                                                                                                                                         Art Society, we researched and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  during lockdown.
                                                                                                                                                                         acquired works on paper from
contemporary art is reflected in the breadth of our activities.                                                              Schiele became an icon of modernism
                                                                                                                                                                         the 1980s by German ‘Neue Wilde’
                                                                                                                             and is now regarded as one of the
These range from exhibitions and special displays to acquisitions                                                            most important painters of the human
                                                                                                                                                                         artists, including Elvira Bach, Ina
                                                                                                                                                                         Barfuss, Salomé and Rainer Fetting,
and projects with contemporary artists from all over the world.                                                              figure in the twentieth century. The
                                                                                                                                                                         to complement our existing holdings
                                                                                                                             Ashmolean is the only museum in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I’ve thought about the Black
                                                                                                                                                                         of ‘Neo-Expressionist’ prints.
                                                                                                                             the UK where work by Schiele is on                                                   Death and what I learnt about
EXHIBITIONS                              different times and cultures. They       and the inspirations that he drew from
                                                                                                                             long-term public display, providing         A gift of drawings by important          that from the time I worked in
During the course of the past year       succeeded in attracting over 20,000      literature and art history. Guston’s art
                                                                                                                             a rare and ongoing opportunity              ‘Expressionist’ artists, among them
our series of free exhibitions, each     visitors each.                           was shown alongside works from our                                                                                              Sicily. It arrived in Europe by
                                                                                                                             to see his work.                            works by Egon Schiele and Ernst
accompanied by a catalogue and a
                                         A.R. Penck: I think in Pictures,
                                                                                  collections, ranging from prints by
                                                                                                                                                                         Ludwig Kirchner, has enabled us to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  boats from Asia docked in
public programme, featured one of                                                 Michelangelo to drawings from the                                                                                               Messina, Sicily. And I’ve thought
                                         supported by Galerie Michael Werner,                                                ACQUISITIONS                                give our visitors a taste of European
the world’s most ground-breaking                                                  Song Dynasty. The exhibition was
                                         Märkisch Wilmersdorf, London, was                                                   Our vision to expand our collections        Expressionism and provide a historic     about Egon Schiele and Gustav
artists, Cai Guo-Qiang (b.1957,                                                   accompanied by Professor Karen
                                         the first museum show dedicated to                                                  efficiently is guided by the                background to our ‘Neo-Expressionist’    Klimt, both of whom died from
Quanzhou, China), in the Chinese                                                  Lang’s 2020 Slade Lectures at the
                                         the German artist in the UK for over                                                Ashmolean’s Collection Strategy of          works. These drawings were generously
Painting Gallery (Gallery 11).                                                    University of Oxford. It has continued                                                                                          the Spanish flu. All of history
                                         30 years. The exhibition highlighted                                                Modern and Contemporary Art, which          donated by Cleo Kedros.
Famed for his gunpowder explosions       his dynamic style and prolific output,
                                                                                  the Ashmolean’s series of high-profile
                                                                                                                             focuses on a small number of art
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  seems to have come into view.
                                                                                  American exhibitions, following on                                                                                              ‘Work and keep working, don’t
staged at museums and in public          as well as marking the thirtieth                                                    movements and themes that enable
                                                                                  from America’s Cool Modernism
spaces worldwide, and his                anniversary of the end of the Cold                                                  us to open up dialogues with, and                                                    put anything off, do it now...’
                                                                                  in 2018 and Jeff Koons at the
contribution to the Beijing 2008         War. In succession Philip Guston:                                                   make connections to, the historic                                                    is what I’ve told myself. And
                                                                                  Ashmolean in 2019.
Olympic Games where he treated           Locating the Image, supported by                                                    collections. Concentrating on selected
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  make the work good…
viewers to possibly the greatest         Hauser & Wirth, presented the                                                       areas, we acquire in-depth groups of
fireworks show in history, the           renowned American artist in a new        Gallery 8 during the exhibition            works with the aim of creating more                                                  JENNY SAVILLE
exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Gunpowder      light, focusing on his works on paper    A.R. Penck: I think in Pictures            representative and inclusive narratives.                                             RA

Art, supported by the Denys Firth
Family Foundation, attracted over
32,400 visitors. It represented Cai
Guo-Qiang’s profound interest with                                                                                                                                                                                Elvira Bach (b.1951), Untitled,
both Western history and Chinese                                                                                                                                                                                  1982. Oil, pastel and gouache
artistic traditions and materials                                                                                                                                                                                 on paper, 50 x 35 cm.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  WA2020.15 © Elvira Bach
including paper, porcelain and silk,
from his first explosions on paper
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Salomé (b.1954), Dusche III,
through to recent engagements in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1987. Chalk and gouache on
responses to El Greco and Pompeii.                                                                                                                                                                                paper, 71 x 84 cm. WA2020.8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  © Salomé
Building on the success of our new
exhibition programme which launched
in 2018 in Gallery 8, we staged two
monographic exhibitions of the
internationally acclaimed and
politically engaged artists A.R. Penck
(1939–2017) and Philip Guston
(1913–80). Both shows demonstrated
our approach to displaying modern
art in a historic museum context by
creating new dialogues between

16   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                OUR PROGRAMME | MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY        17
Our commitment to expanding the
ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS   Ashmolean’s collections ensures their
                         international significance and maintains
                         our relevance as one of the leading
                         university museums in the world.
                         This year a total number of 328
                         acquisitions were made before the
                         Museum closed on 17 March. The items
                         comprised paintings, graphic works,
                         coins and textiles through the schemes
                         administered by the Arts Council England,
                         the Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance
                         in Lieu of Inheritance Tax, together with
                         a range of gifts, bequests and purchases.

                         Detail of Élisabeth Sonrel
                         (1874–1953), Les Rameaux (Palm
                         Sunday), 1897. Watercolour and
                         graphite on laid paper, 53 x 91cm.
                         Purchase with support from Art
                         Fund and funds from the Needle
                         Brown Bequest. WA2020.16

                                                                     OUR
                                                                      OURPROGRAMMES
                                                                          PROGRAMME | ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS   19
FOUR ACQUISITIONS
BY IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI
The Ashmolean has acquired
four works by Ibrahim El-Salahi
(b.1930), an Oxford-based resident
and one of the most important figures
in Sudanese art today. A pioneer of
African and Arabic modernism, his
work features in collections worldwide,
from the Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi to
MOMA, New York and Tate Modern,
London. The acquisitions received the
support of the Art Fund, Arts Council
England / V&A Purchase Grant and
a friend of the Ashmolean.
 Produced at different times in his
 life using a range of techniques, the
 four works depict El-Salahi’s diverse
 practice. They range from the early
 two-dimensional figurative style that
 combines Christian iconography with
 Sudanese visual culture, as seen in an
 untitled Christmas card print. Untitled
 from 1957, to the lively calligraphic
                                                                             LES RAMEAUX                                                                         A MINUET DANCED
 abstract Untitled from 1965, which        Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930),                                                   Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
                                           detail from Untitled,
                                                                             (PALM SUNDAY)                               (1727–1804), A Minuet Danced
                                                                                                                                                                 IN A BALLROOM
 oscillates between ornamental
                                           1957. Zincographic print          BY ÉLISABETH SONREL                         in a Ballroom, c.1790–1804. Pen         BY GIOVANNI
 pattern and a map. These early works
                                           22.5 x 29.5 cm. WA2019.81         With support from the Art Fund and          and brown ink with grey wash            DOMENICO TIEPOLO
 are complemented by the recent pair       © Ibrahim El-Salahi.                                                          over black chalk on laid paper,
                                                                             the generous bequest of Noelle                                                      This scene of a couple dancing
 Pain Relief, 2017, consisting of a tiny   All rights reserved,                                                          37.5 x 50.4 cm. Accepted by
                                           DACS/Artimage 2020                Brown, a former colleague and               HM Government in lieu of                in the company of gossiping and
 drawing on the back of a medicine
                                                                             longstanding friend of the Ashmolean,       Inheritance Tax on the estate           flirtatious figures was made as an
 packet that El-Salahi made when
                                                                             the purchase of this impressive and         of John Green and allocated             independent work of art. It is one
 suffering from physical pain, and a       Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930),
                                                                                                                         to the Ashmolean Museum,
                                           Pain Relief, 2017. Pen and        moving watercolour enriches our                                                     of a series of over 90 ‘Scenes of
 large-sized screen print from 2019.                                                                                     2019. WA2019.88
                                           ink on medicine packet,           holdings of works by women artists.                                                 Contemporary Life’ that move
 El-Salahi has emphasised how the          13 x 7 cm. WA2019.131
                                                                             Signed and dated in 1897 by the                                                     between affection and cynicism,
 concentrated drawing process forms        © Ibrahim El-Salahi.                                                          Élisabeth Sonrel (1874–1953),
                                           All rights reserved,              French artist Élisabeth Sonrel,             Les Rameaux (Palm Sunday),              created late in the artist’s life for
 a major part of the Pain Relief series:
                                           DACS/Artimage 2020                Les Rameaux (Palm Sunday) is                1897. Watercolour and graphite          his own pleasure. Domenico’s superb
‘It is like a form of meditation;
                                                                             an ambitious work by a brilliantly          on laid paper, signed and dated,        handling of the ink and wash achieves
 I don’t feel the pain at all. It is                                                                                     53 x 91cm. Purchase with
                                           Ibrahim El-Salahi (b.1930),       talented painter and designer who,                                                  radiant effects, as his animated touch
 a kind of medicine’.                                                                                                    support from Art Fund and
                                           Untitled, 1965. Rubbing           although widely recognised during                                                   lends sparkle to the figures. This is
                                                                                                                         funds from the Needle Brown
                                           from etching plate, crayon
                                                                             her lifetime, has largely been forgotten.   Bequest. WA2020.16                      one of a group of outstanding works
                                           on paper, 57 x 30 cm.
                                           WA2019.82 © Ibrahim                                                                                                   of art – including another drawing
                                           El-Salahi. All rights reserved,                                                                                       by Domenico, The Bird Fanciers,
   To be appreciated by an                 DACS/Artimage 2020                                                                                                    from the same series, and paintings
institution as famous as the
                                                                                                                                                                 by Michele Marieschi and Roelant
Ashmolean is a great honour.
                                                                                                                                                                 Savery – that came to the Ashmolean
I am delighted that some
                                                                                                                                                                 through the Acceptance In Lieu scheme
of my works are now in the                                                                                                                                       from the estate of John Green.
Museum’s permanent collection,
in my adopted hometown. It is
particularly pleasing that they
are displayed alongside the
Museum’s collection of ancient
Nubian relics of Sudan, as I think
they relate to each other.
IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI

20   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                  OUR PROGRAMME | ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS    21
DOUBLE GOURD VASE
                                                                                   WITH GOATS’ HEADS
                                                                                   In 2019 Barrie and Deedee Wigmore
                                                                                   generously presented an exceptional
                                                                                   collection of late nineteenth-century
                                                                                   British ceramics and metalwork. The
                                                                                   collection had first been loaned to
                                                                                   the Museum in 2016 for display in
                                                                                   the new Deedee Wigmore Gallery
                                                                                   of 19th Century British Art. The collection
                                                                                   comprises over 30 pieces by makers
                                                                                   including Wedgwood, Minton, the
                                                                                   Martin Brothers Linthorpe, William
                                                                                   Ault, James Dixon & Sons and Hukin
                                                                                   & Heath. It is particularly rich in pieces
                                                                                   designed by Christopher Dresser
                                                                                   (1834–1904), often regarded as
                                                                                   a pioneer of modern design. The
                                                                                   gift has transformed the Museum’s
                                                                                   collection of Victorian decorative
PORTRAIT OF GIUSEPPE                     STILL LIFE WITH ROSES                     arts and will form a focus for                KATY TALATI COLLECTION                   ANTINOUS OSIRIS
FRANCHI WITH A BUST                      IN A CHINESE VASE                         further acquisitions in the future.           OF CHINESE PAINTINGS                     The cast was made for the
OF HOMER BY ANTON                        BY SAMUEL JOHN PEPLOE                                                                   Katy Talati (1923–2015) grew up          British Museum’s 2008 exhibition
RAPHAEL MENGS                            A Scottish artist largely based in                                                      in Beijing. Here as a young woman        Hadrian: Empire and Conflict and
Mengs painted this compelling image      Edinburgh, Peploe studied art in          William Ault Pottery (1883–1930),             she studied painting with Pu Quan,       shown in the Ashmolean’s recent
of the sculptor Giuseppe Franchi         Paris in the 1890s, looking especially    after Christopher Dresser                     a cousin of China’s last emperor         exhibition Antinous: boy made god.
                                                                                   (1834–1904), Double gourd vase                and a highly regarded painter in the     The statue represents Antinous,
(1731–1806) in Rome, evoking their       at the work of Manet and Cézanne.
                                                                                   with goats’ heads, c.1892–6.
shared passion for classical art. The    By the 1920s his main concern was                                                       classical tradition. When Katy moved     the boy-favourite of the emperor
                                                                                   Lead-glazed earthenware, 26 cm
close friendship is conveyed through     with painting the perfect still life,     high. Presented by Barrie and                 to England in 1948, Pu Quan gave her     Hadrian, as an Egyptian god, wearing
the naturalism and psychological         featuring recurring elements such as      Deedee Wigmore. WA2019.56                     a large number of his paintings which    a pharaonic headdress and loincloth.
penetration of the portrait, as well     Chinese porcelain, roses and fruit in                                                   she generously bequeathed to the         Antinous holds a short sceptre
as through the visible brushwork         carefully composed arrangements.                                                        Ashmolean, along with several            in both hands, associated with
which adds to the air of intimacy.       The vivid colours, thick impasto and                                                    works by other artists. After retiring   roles of authority and used for
This informality is distinctive, since   fluid handling are typical of his work.                                                 to Oxford in the 1990s she contacted     ceremonial purposes.
Mengs’s portraits are notable for                                                                                                Pu Quan’s daughters in Beijing and
                                                                                                                                                                          The figure is one of five sculptured
their urbanity and polished finish.                                                                                              Hong Kong. The result was the
                                                                                                                                                                          portraits of Antinous as an Egyptian
As a rare masterpiece by an artist                                                                                               2005 exhibition Pu Quan and his
                                         Samuel John Peploe (1871–1935),                                                                                                  god, two of which were found
whose paintings and writings on art                                                                                              Generation: Imperial Painters of
                                         Still Life with Roses in a Chinese                                                                                               at Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. They
changed the course of art history,       Vase, signed. Oil on canvas,                                                            Twentieth-Century China, comprising
                                                                                                                                                                          represent the boy in the form
the painting was accepted under the      51 x 40.7 cm. Accepted by HM                                                            early works lent by Katy and works
                                                                                                                                                                          of the god Osiris, who according
                                         Government in lieu of Inheritance                                                       from his career in China after 1949
Cultural Gifts Scheme and allocated                                                                                                                                       to the Egyptians, drowned in the
                                         Tax from the estate of Lady Bates
to the Ashmolean in memory of the                                                                                                lent by his family. The collection
                                         and allocated to the Ashmolean                                                                                                   Nile on the same day of the year
discerning collector Robert Berg.        Museum, 2019. WA2019.117                                                                includes work on silk from the
                                                                                                                                                                          as Antinous. The original statue
                                                                                                                                 Imperial Palace painting and
                                                                                                                                                                          found at Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli,
                                                                                                                                 calligraphy supplies.
                                                                                                                                                                          is in the Vatican Museum
                                                                                                                                                                          (inv. 22795).
Anton Raphael Mengs
(1728–1779), Portrait of
Giuseppe Franchi with a
Bust of Homer, 1772–3. Oil
on canvas, 72.3 x 56.4 cm.
Accepted by HM Government
under the Cultural Gifts
Scheme and allocated to                                                                                                          Detail of Pu Quan                        Antinous Osiris,
the Ashmolean Museum,                                                                                                            (1913–1991), Hidden Beauty               2008. Resin cast of a
2019. Presented in memory                                                                                                        among Mountains and Rivers,              statue in Parian marble
of Robert Berg from the                                                                                                          Beijing, 1948. Ink on silk,              (ad 130–50). Donated
collection formed by Robert                                                                                                      44 x 858 cm. Bequeathed                  by the British Museum
and Gillian Berg. WA2019.83                                                                                                      by Katy Talati. EA2020.1                 in 2019.

22   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                                       23
ONE HUNDRED VIEWS
                                                                               OF NEW TOKYO                            CARING FOR
                                                                               (SHIN TOKYO HYAKKEI)
                                                                               With the support of the Art Fund,
                                                                                                                       THE COLLECTIONS
                                                                               Arts Council England / V&A Purchase
                                                                               Grant and the Story Fund, the
                                                                               Ashmolean was able to acquire
                                                                               One Hundred Views of New Tokyo
                                                                               (Shin Tokyo Hyakkei), a series of 100
                                                                               woodblock prints published between
                                                                               1929 and 1932. A collaboration
                                                                               between eight Japanese artists
                                                                               from the Creative Print movement,
                                                                               the series set out to celebrate the     A meticulous programme of conservation underpins our collections and
                                                                               energy and dynamism of Tokyo as
                                                                                                                       multilayered schedule of exhibitions, events and loans, study visits and teaching
                                                                               it recovered from the devastating
                                                                               earthquake of 1923. No more than
                                                                                                                       to ensure the highest level of care. This work ranges from the analysis and
                                                                               50 editions were printed, several       treatment of an individual Old Master drawing to the design of a large
                                                                               which are believed to have been         new University facility for Collections Teaching and Research (CTRC).
                                                                               destroyed during the Second World
                                                                               War. Only three complete sets are       Last summer, as part of an                 An innovative project to develop a         This involved looking meticulously
                                                                               kept in museums around the world        unprecedented collaboration with           shared methodology for studying the        for pests and any signs of damage
                                                                               and the fourth, acquired by the         Il Parco Archeologico di Pompei we         technology and authenticity of mina’i      or equipment failure that might affect
ADES FAMILY                                                                    Ashmolean, is the only complete         completed the three-year preparatory       ceramics from twelfth-century Iran         the collections and works on loan.
                                            Maekawa Senpan (1888–1960),
GIFT OF MEDIEVAL                            Subway, 1931. Colour woodblock     set in the UK.                          conservation for Last Supper in Pompeii.   also started this year, working closely    Lights were turned off sensitive objects,
PERSIAN CERAMICS                            print, 20.5 x 26.8 cm. Purchased                                           Every aspect of the show, including        with, and supported by, the Sarikhani      while temperature and humidity
The Ades Family gift, made under            with the assistance of the Art                                             the lighting, the materials, the           family. In addition, 25 textiles were      readings from over 200 telemetric
                                            Fund, the ACE/V&A Purchase
the HM Government’s Cultural Gifts                                                                                     environment and the mounts, was            investigated and recorded in preparation   monitors were accessed online as
                                            Grant Fund and the Story Fund,
Scheme, comprises eight medieval            2020. EA2020.108                                                           individually assessed and selected,        for the publication Aegean Legacies:       part of a daily routine to check the
Persian ceramics. Varying in technique                                                                                 with the handling and installation         Greek Island Embroideries in the           performance of air handling units
and size, these objects add to the                                                                                     planned and carried out to the             Ashmolean Museum. The book is              and local controls for optimum
Museum’s already strong holdings                                                                                       smallest detail. Investigation continued   a compendium to the exhibition             temperature and humidity. Care of
of ceramics from twelfth- to                                                                                           after the opening of the exhibition on     Mediterranean Threads: 18th and 19th       the collections on site was paramount
thirteenth-century Iran, especially                                                                                    a number of vessels from excavations       century Greek Embroideries premièred       during this time, requiring a strong
in relation to lustreware. These                                                                                       at Pompeii. Scientific collaboration       as an online display during lockdown       collaboration between the Conservation,
objects were part of a large cache                                                                                     with the Department of Chemistry,          as part of the Ashmolean From              Security and Facilities teams.
of medieval vessels probably buried                                                                                    Professor Mark Robinson of Oxford          Home Programme.
by a merchant in Gurgan (south-east                                                                                    University Museum of Natural History
                                                                                                                                                                  At the same time we have contributed
of the Caspian Sea) before the Mongol                                                                                  and others uncovered new discoveries                                                  Checking for pests in the
                                                                                                                                                                  towards bringing the designs of the
invasion of 1220. The objects were                                                                                     such as traces of urine in the waxy                                                   galleries during lockdown.
                                                                                                                                                                  major new Collections Teaching and         © Sue Stanton
found intact in the early 1940s. Acquired                                                                              residue on a vessel, confirming its use
                                                                                                                                                                  Research Centre to RIBA stage 4,
by N. E. Ades and his brother Clement,                                                                                 as a chamber pot, and the identification
                                                                                                                                                                  enabling work to start on site in July.
the ceramics have been extensively                                                                                     of bitumen as a surface coating. Careful
                                                                                                                                                                  CRTC brings together substantial
published and exhibited since. They                                                                                    examination of corrosion products on
                                                                                                                                                                  areas of GLAM’s collections within
remained in the family until their recent                                                                              another bowl uncovered and identified
                                                                                                                                                                  the new Reuben College building,
donation in 2019 to the Ashmolean                                                                                      minute traces of insects captured
                                                                                                                                                                  located at the centre of the University;
and other UK museums.                                                                                                  in their last moments.
                                                                                                                                                                  it also creates a state-of-the-art
                                                                                                                       Other projects include the conservation    conservation laboratory, as well
                                                                                                                       of drawings and letters by William         as other facilities. This unique space
Bowl with pseudo-inscription,                                                                                          Holman Hunt and Edward Burne-Jones,        provides exceptional facilities for
Iran, twelfth to thirteenth century.                                                                                   generously supported by the Elizabeth      teaching, research and digitisation,
Fritware, with painting in black
                                                                                                                       Cayzer Charitable Trust, and a             and is due to open in October 2021.
under a turquoise glaze.
Accepted by HM Government                                                                                              paper copy of a tomb painting at
                                                                                                                                                                  With the sudden closure of the Museum
under the Cultural Gift Scheme                                                                                         Hierakonpolis, 5 metres in length
                                                                                                                                                                  this spring, however, our attention
from the Ades Family Collection                                                                                        and made by F. W. Green c.1899,
allocated to the Ashmolean                                                                                                                                        focused on implementing a regular
                                                                                                                       supported by the Friends of Nekhen.
Museum, 2019. EA2019.60                                                                                                                                           regime of inspections.

24   ANNUAL REVIEW 2019/20                                                                                                                                                                        OUR PROGRAMME | CARING FOR THE COLLECTIONS       25
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