This exhibition celebrates the lives of Bobby and Natalie Bevan and the works that hung on the walls of their home, Boxted House in Essex, which became a gathering place for artists after the Second World War. The exhibition contains important works alongside unusual and private works, and archival material from the period 1894-1970.
Boxted House was the home of Bobby and Natalie Bevan from 1946 until 1974. Bobby (1901-1974) was the son of the artists Robert Bevan (1865-1925) and Stanislawa de Karlowska (1876-1952) and was Chairman of the leading advertising agency S.H. Benson Ltd. Natalie Denny (1909-2007), a renowned beauty and hostess, modelled for many artists, most famously Mark Gertler.
Bobby and Natalie married in 1946, and together they created an exceptional home; paintings by Bobby's parents and their friends, including Walter Sickert, Harold Gilman and Charles Ginner, hung beside works by Bobby and Natalie's own friends, such as Christopher Nevinson, John Armstrong and Frederick Gore. The house became a social centre for artists, particularly those associated with East Anglia, like John Nash, Cedric Morris and Lett Haines.
This exhibition celebrates the colourful character of Boxted House, its hosts, its guests and the works of art which filled its walls. It is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalogue.
