And in the midst of all these international events the gallery will host a little something for the collectors at home with the exhibition A Flair for Fashion: British Portraiture, 1888-1945.
The show, which runs until October 20, is centred on the history of women’s dress and changes in fashion between the late 19th and early 20th century. It includes oils by artists such as Philip de László, Augustus John and Sir John Lavery.
Sales began before the show opened on September 20 with clients snapping up works by Sir James Jebusa Shannon, William Mouat Loudan and Cowan Dobson. Prices in the show start at £28,000 and among the works still available at the time of going to press is this oil on canvas, La Poupée by Walter Ernest Webster.
The picture, which was shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1927, shows a young woman with a La Poupée, a boudoir or portrait doll, made to resemble their owners and used to test new fashions. It is thought the young lady could be Peggy Earnshaw, daughter of illustrator Mabel Lucie Attwell.
Webster studied at the National Art Training Schools and the RA. He exhibited there and at the Paris Salon where he won bronze, silver and gold medals between 1912 and 1931.
