William Hogarth to Pablo Picasso: The ten greatest works of art (original) (raw)
Published: 17:00 EST, 28 April 2012 | Updated: 18:19 EST, 28 April 2012
If you had £600m to spend on the finest art in Britain, what would you buy? Art historian Tim Marlow reaches for his chequebook
1. FRANCIS BACON
Head VI (1949)
Estimated value: £12 million
Francis Bacon's Head VI was based on Diego Velázquez's 17th-century portrait of Pope Innocent IX, but he has somehow turned it into an extraordinary howl of silent pain
Arts Council Collection, currently Leeds Art Gallery
I bought a poster of Head VI when I was studying and had it mounted properly in a gilt frame. It now hangs in my garden shed! Bacon insisted on having reflective glass cover his paintings, so I used mine as a mirror on some occasions, which was quite disconcerting. Bacon’s work was based on Diego Velázquez’s 17th-century portrait of Pope Innocent IX, but he has somehow turned it into an extraordinary howl of silent pain. It’s a really powerful and disturbing work, with the open mouth as a dark focal point.
2. HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER
The Ambassadors (1533)
Estimated value: £200 million
You can see celestial and earthly globes, mathematical instruments, a broken lute and much more in Hans Holbein The Younger's The Ambassadors
National Gallery, London
A fabulously accomplished painting, which at first sight simply shows a French scholar and a clergyman. However, it’s loaded with clues to its true meaning. You can see celestial and earthly globes, mathematical instruments, a broken lute and much more. The two most brilliant details are almost hidden from view. The first is in the top left corner, where the curtain is open just enough to see a crucifix. The second is the anamorphic skull in the foreground, which only becomes clear when you study the painting at an acute angle. Holbein is showing that in order to grasp the full picture, you need to see things from more than one perspective.
3. REMBRANDT VAN RIJN
Self-Portrait (1661
Estimated value: £60 million
Rembrandt Van Rijn made many self-portraits from a young age, but this one is terribly moving. It's the most honest self-portrait you'll ever see - a warts-and-all depiction of an old man with nothing to hide
Kenwood House, London
This is one of the greatest paintings in the world. Rembrandt made many self-portraits from a young age, but this one is terribly moving. It’s the most honest self-portrait you’ll ever see – a warts-and-all depiction of an old man with nothing to hide. Here we have a fantastic image of melancholy, defiance and serenity, which he has captured on one canvas. None of his other self-portraits can match it – his face reads like a road map of human experience. The meaning of the two circles behind him is a mystery and has been the subject of countless arguments between art historians. As this painting shows Rembrandt at the end of his life, I think they represent the wheel turning full circle.
4. MARK ROTHKO
The Rothko Room
Estimated value: £25 million
Mark Rothko wanted his canvases presented in a particular way, maximising the tragedy they display. They arrived at the Tate in 1970 and were being unpacked when news of his suicide broke
Tate Modern, London
Rothko’s canvases seep, breathe and bleed from every stroke. They were part of a commission for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York but Rothko couldn’t cope with the thought of such a dark work being used as a backdrop for diners, so he pulled out of the project. He later donated them to the Tate. He wanted them presented in a particular way, maximising the tragedy they display. They arrived at the Tate in 1970 and were being unpacked when news of his suicide broke.
5. PABLO PICASSO
The Three Dancers (1925)
Estimated value: £75 million
The dark face to the right represents Pablo Picasso's friend, Ramon Pichot, who died as he was working on the painting. So it has a biographical side but also a dark, rather sinister element
Tate Britain, London
This canvas is regarded as Picasso’s finest surrealist painting. At first glance it looks like three people happily dancing as one. However, the face of the dancer on the left is half eaten away. The dark face to the right represents Picasso’s friend, Ramon Pichot, who died as he was working on the painting. So it has a biographical side but also a dark, rather sinister element. If you look again, it’s actually the Crucifixion. Dancing is usually an affirmation of life but here Picasso turns it into a dance of death.
‘The Three Dancers’ is on display at ‘Picasso & Modern British Art’, at Tate Britain until July 15
6. LEONARDO DA VINCI
Studies for The Virgin And Child With St Anne And The Infant Baptist (c.1505)
Estimated value: £100 million
This particular drawing by Leonardo da Vinci is very dynamic, with a series of biblical characters emerging from a dark shape. On the reverse of the piece of paper is the profile of an old man's face
British Museum, London
I love this whole series of extraordinary sketches, which are available to view at the British Museum. Anyone can make an appointment to sit down and handle Leonardo’s drawings close up. You can examine the detail and almost feel the history seeping from each piece. They’re not on permanent display, because the delicate images would fade through continuous exposure to light. This particular drawing is very dynamic, with a series of biblical characters emerging from a dark shape. On the reverse of the piece of paper is the profile of an old man’s face.
7. WILLIAM HOGARTH
A Rake’s Progress (1733) (for the set of eight paintings)
Estimated value: £15 million
A Rake's Progress shows the 'employees' of the Rose Tavern fleecing Rakewell from every angle. William Hogarth really was one of the father figures of British art
Sir John Soane’s Museum, London
Hogarth’s paintings graphically display the decline of a wealthy young heir, Tom Rakewell. There’s a wonderfully biting, British satire in the work, which tells a powerful story in a humorous and cynical way. It’s a moral fable that has inspired many artists, because the Devil and God were always in the detail with Hogarth. My favourite is the third painting, which depicts an orgy at a brothel. It shows the ‘employees’ of the Rose Tavern fleecing Rakewell from every angle. Hogarth really was one of the father figures of British art.
8. JMW TURNER
Snow Storm – Steam-Boat Off A Harbour’s Mouth (1842)
Estimated value: £40 million
JMW Turner created a vortex on this canvas, which both sucks you in and spits you out. It feels so surprisingly modern for the 1840s - it could have been painted now
Tate Britain, London
This must be a contender for one of the longest titles in the history of art! Storms and shipwrecks were a popular theme with painters in the first half of the 19th century. Turner is said to have lashed himself to the mast of a ship during a storm, to experience the drama at close quarters. I have no reason not to believe that. He created a vortex on this canvas, which both sucks you in and spits you out. It feels so surprisingly modern for the 1840s – it could have been painted now. Until recently we’ve had a visual inferiority complex in this country, but Turner is up there with the best. This is a reminder that we can produce radical artists, well ahead of their time.
9. DIEGO VELAZQUEZ
An Old Woman Cooking Eggs (1618)
Estimated value: £50 million
Diego Velázquez paints the surfaces of all the items with such care that they look real. He was a young artist at the time - just 18 or 19 - so this painting is partly a demonstration of his abilities
Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
This could be a 17th-century equivalent of MasterChef! The woman is simply teaching a young boy how to cook eggs, but the artist’s attention to detail is staggering. Get close to it and you can almost smell the eggs cooking. Velázquez paints the surfaces of all the items with such care that they look real. He was a young artist at the time – just 18 or 19 – so this painting is partly a demonstration of his abilities. It was almost his calling card to potential customers.
10. JOHN CONSTABLE
Study for The Leaping Horse (c.1824)
Estimated value: £3.5 million
John Constable produced a series of enormous paintings depicting rural scenes. For each of these, including The Leaping Horse, he composed a full-sized oil study first
V&A, London
Constable was a phenomenally misunderstood artist of unrivalled ambition. He produced a series of enormous paintings depicting rural scenes, of which The Hay Wain is probably the best known. For each of these, including The Leaping Horse, he composed a full-sized oil study first. This allowed him to bring his composition together, before starting on the main painting later. There’s a visceral energy about this particular study – you feel like you’re passing through the image. I think these works are among the most underrated achievements in British art
Tim Marlow picture byline: Sky Arts / Andi Southam March 2008
*AS NONE OF THE PAINTINGS SHOWN IS FOR SALE, ALL THE VALUES GIVEN HERE ARE ESTIMATES