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Anna Coliva, director of the Villa Borghese, Rome.

“It’s very difficult to become the director of a museum: you have to have your BA, followed by an MA with years of specialisation. But after that, it’s a mess!”

Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, Rome. 

‘My aim is to increase spiritual awareness with this very special collection which is scattered through 54 rooms and over 28 kilometers.’

Catherine Chevillot, director of the Rodin Museum, Paris.

‘I am also responsible for the Atelier Rodin in Meudon, where Rodin did much of his work in his atelier, and it is there that he was buried with a bronze of Le Penseur sitting, deep in reflection, on his tomb.’

Guy Cogeval, director of the Orsay Museum, Paris.

“My favourite piece of art is Segantini’s, The Evil Mothers (1894) – it’s, without doubt, his finest work. Sadly it never leaves the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna”

Jean-Paul Cluzel, president and CEO of The Grand Palais, in Paris.

“Culture plays an important part in the building of a new citizenship where people from different backgrounds can live comfortably together”

Klaus Albrecht Schröder,  director of the Albertina in Vienna.

“We have our own budget, which means that there is no possibility of being disturbed by politicians.”

Laurent Le Bon, director of the Picasso Museum in Paris.

“There are 6,000 pieces in this collection, but there is only enough space to display around 400”

Patrizia Nitti, director of the Maillol Museum, Paris.

“The Museum is the fulfillment of the dream of Dina Vierny, an exceptional personality…”

Sophie Makariou, director of the Guimet Museum in Paris.

“My favourite piece in the collection is an 18th-century vase on the third floor by Qianlong: it has a fine floral motif, it’s a big piece with lots of white and quails. Its delicacy and its colours bring me joy every day. There is a quality of execution. Even if you don’t like the taste, it’s still moving because of the quality.”

Philip Rylands, director of the  Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

“Exhibitions are generally a reflection of Peggy Guggenheim’s life and career, her collection, or h er époque.”

Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

I quiz him as to whether something that is free tends to cheapen it and he replies that  “landscapes and sex are both free and are nevertheless hugely enjoyable”.

Tim Marlow, director of the Royal Academy, London.

‘Tim Marlow, art historian and media darling, is out to spend  £45 million to double the size of the building…’

Whittington Court: A Greenprint

Whittington Court, occupied by Jenny Stringer, her son, daughters and grandchildren remains a very family house. The family inherited it 33 years ago and somewhat unexpectedly when Jenny’s godmother left the semi-derelict house to Jenny’s mother.

Chavenage House: keeping it in the family

Caroline Lowsley-Williams is in her office, next door to the stable yard where she is bemoaning the cancelation of a visit to Chavenage by a group arriving on a cruise ship in Bristol. It was just before the breakout of Covid 19 and lockdown in England. Little do we know at that moment that Chavenage will be closed to the public along with every other historic house in the UK, for the next few months.

Kiftsgate: three generations of lady gardeners

As I drew up to Kiftsgate I suppose I was expecting a splendid garden to leap into life. Instead, a somewhat uninspiring Victorian house came into view. Little was I to guess what lay beyond it...

Stanway House: an earl, a sheep, and the highest fountain in the UK

I’m wondering how I should address the owner of Stanway, who, due to the intertwining of illustrious aristocratic families has landed up with a handful of titles: Earl of Wemyss, Earl of March, Lord Neidpath…After reflection, I settle for Lord Wemyss. Even this isn’t as straightforward as it seems since ‘Wemyss’ is pronounced 'Weems' and according to the current earl has been spelt in 38 different ways since the 13th century.

Peter Paul Rubens, The Virgin in Adoration of the Child , c. 1616, oil on panel, 65 x 50 cm. KBC Bank, Antwerp, Snijders&Rockox House.

Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of a Lady , c. 1625, oil on panel, 79.7 x 65.7 cm. Courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders, Diana Returning from the Hunt, c. 1623, oil on canvas, 136 x 184 cm. Courtesy bpk | Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden | Elke Estel | Hans - Peter Klut.

Rubens & Women, Exhibition, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London: 27 September 2023-28 January 2024

If you thought that Ruben’s women were limited to sexy, buxom ladies, with luscious curves, with or without wings, this exhibition will show you that this is far from the truth. Don’t miss this unique chance to see over 40 masterpieces, painted by the famous Flemish Baroque artist (1577–1640), which have been gathered from collections all over the world.

Helen Chadwick, In the Kitchen (Stove) 1977. © The Estate of the Artist. Courtesy Richard Saltoun Gallery, London and Rome

Women in Revolt, Exhibition, Tate Britain,
London: 8 November 2023 – 7 April 2024

Tate Britain presents Women in Revolt!, a landmark exhibition of feminist art in the UK from 1970 to 1990.

Edgar Degas, Dancer Seen from Behind, c. 1873. Collection of David Lachenmann

Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec, Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London: 25 November 2023-10 March 2024

Originally drawings, pastels, watercolours, temperas, and gouaches were used as preparatory techniques for a final work of art. This exhibition shows the way they became accepted as autonomous works of art, in France in the 19th century.

Edgar Degas, Dancer Seen from Behind, c. 1873. Collection of David Lachenmann

Capturing the Moment: A Journey through Painting
and Photography, Tate Modern,
London: 14 June 2023-28 January 2024

"Capturing the Moment" presents an ongoing dialogue between some of the greatest painters and photographers of recent generations, exploring how these two mediums have influenced and inspired each other in their quest to capture moments in time.

Philip Guston, Sleeping, 1977. © The Estate of Philip Guston. Photograph by Genevieve Hanson, courtesy Hauser & Wirth

Philip Guston, Exhibition, Tate Modern,
London: 5 October 2023-25 February 2024

Philip Guston (1913-1980) is one of the 20th century's most remarkable artists. Marking his first major retrospective in the UK in two decades, the exhibition delves into Guston's extraordinary 50-year career, featuring over 100 paintings and drawings.