A Tale of Two Monkeys

Adventures in the Art World

Anthony Speelman

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Hardback

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English

Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd
01 October 2022

Art: financial aspects; Memoirs

The memoirs of Anthony Speelman, the doyen of English art dealers specialising in Dutch Golden Age art.

Anthony Speelman is the doyen of English art dealers specialising in Dutch Golden Age art. Vividly written and handsomely illustrated, his memoirs offer fascinating insight into the sometimes secretive world of Old Masters. This book will appeal not only to dealers, collectors and others in the fine art world, but also to would-be collectors eager for a glimpse behind the curtain.

These memoirs cover a lifetime of dealing in Old Masters at the very highest level. Speelman's career started under the guidance of his father Edward, whose own biography has much to tell. Over the years, Speelman has sold paintings to many of the world's greatest collectors, including Norton Simon, Paul Mellon, Baron Thyssen, Harold Samuel, Charles Clore and the Wrightsmans in New York, along with world renowned museums such as the Getty, the Louvre and the National Gallery, London, among many others. He writes about his encounters with these eminent bodies in a light-hearted style, sometimes amusing, always extremely interesting including an anecdote about a recent meeting with a Chinese billionaire with a penchant for fine wine.

The two monkeys in the title refer to two paintings of a monkey holding a peach by George Stubbs, the outstanding English animal painter. Anthony describes how he discovered one of these masterpieces as a 'sleeper' in a Sotheby's sale. Early in his career Anthony's rooms in Piccadilly were broken into and a number of paintings stolen, including a George Stubbs painting of a spaniel. An intriguing tale follows, ending with the paintings recovered some eighteen months later after a failed blackmail attempt on the part of the thieves.

Amongst his accomplishments, Speelman was for many years chairman of the vetting committee at the annual Maastricht art fair. He describes the working of the committees which ensure that all works exhibited are correctly described. Still active in the art world, he is currently chairman of the vetting committee of the prestigious annual Masterpiece art fair in London.

Other chapters detail Speelman's travels to California, New York and Paris, his interest in gastronomy and his thrilling adventures in the world of horseracing. The book is beautifully illustrated with examples of works that have passed through the author's hands. The wide range of illustrations is not limited to Dutch art and includes works by Canaletto, Stubbs, Raphael, Tiepolo, Melendez and other Old Masters.

72 illustrations

By: Anthony Speelman
Imprint: Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 170mm,
ISBN: 9781913645304
ISBN 10: 1913645304
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 01 October 2022
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Anthony Speelman is a London-based art dealer and chairman of the vetting committee of the annual Masterpiece London Art Fair.

Reviews for A Tale of Two Monkeys: Adventures in the Art World

The joy Speelman expresses in connecting collector with work is unmistakable. Handsomely produced, this title deserves a place in every art library. * The New Criterion * Decades of dealing in paintings from the Dutch Golden Age has left Speelman with a fund of anecdotes about the Old Masters trade, as well as a wealth of insights about the world's greatest private collectors and its most important public museums. * Apollo, Off the Shelf 15/12/2022 *