Author: Barbara Bryant
G.F. Watts' association with Kensington lasted for more than fifty years. The key incidents of his life and his work were played out within the confines of this corner of London, from the grandeur of Holland House and the bohemian enclave at the rambling old Little Holland House to his own purpose built studio house at 6 Melbury road.
Unlike today’s globetrotting celebrities, artists for the Victorian era deployed their homes as the site of their reputations and none more so than Watts. New Little Holland house formed the backdrop to the artist’s career. Most importantly he created his own picture gallery as a public space for the display of his own art. Although the actual house was demolished in the early 1960s this book presents an imaginative reconstruction of this later Victorian landmark, bringing it back to life with documentary photographs, architectural plans, drawings and watercolours. A full discussion recreates the setting and explores the thinking behind Watts' Little Holland House Gallery in Kensington.
