William Beckford: Art Connoisseur Extraordinaire

William Beckford (1760 – 1844) is not only remembered as the builder of the remarkable, now lost, Fonthill Abbey and Beckford’s Tower, Bath, but also for his influential art collection.  

Throughout his lifetime he created one of the greatest collections of European and East Asian Art, funded through his wealth from the transatlantic slave trade. Single-minded in his pursuit of the finest, his pictures included works by Bellini and Perugino and he commissioned paintings from artists such as Turner and West. 

This lecture by Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator, Bath Preservation Trust, explores the breadth and quality of Beckford’s collection and his obsession with how it was displayed.

Portrait of William Beckford by Joshua Reynolds, courtesy of Bath Preservation Trust