Press Release

Bonhams - The late Tony Banks, Lord Stratford (1943-2006), ex-Labour MP and Sports Minister, was probably known best for his candour and forthright views, often resulting in controversy. However, Bonhams is about to reveal the life-long private passion of one of the country’s most eminent politicians of modern times.

On May 3, at Bonhams’ New Bond Street salerooms in London, Tony Banks’ private collection of over 150 political portraits will be sold.

As chairman of the Parliamentary Works of Art Committee Tony Banks made important decisions about the Palace of Westminster’s art collection, leading to changes in the way it was curated and displayed. However, his passion for politics combined with his love of art extended well beyond the ephemeral political world in which he lived.

Throughout his life, Banks collected political art in such a way that by the time of his death he had representations, which encapsulate political portraiture from the mid 18th century to the present day. His collection, spans oil paintings, watercolours, drawings and engravings, as well as portrait miniatures, portrait busts in marble and portrait images on ceramics and commemorative spoons.

The styles range from classical portraiture (Sir Joshua Reynold’s portrait of Charles Fox’s father, Lord Holland) to outrageous caricature (Dave Brown’s cartoon of Margaret Thatcher). If one thing is evident though, Banks had a particular enthusiasm for certain political characters. While the brilliant but dissolute Charles James Fox dominates the collection, other prime examples of figures Banks greatly admired include John Wilkes, and William Pitt the Younger.

“From the collection, one can see that Banks was fascinated by the 18th century,” says: Camilla Seymour, Bonhams’ head of portrait miniatures, who is handling the sale. “He appears to have loved its robustness and the way politics then were characterised by the combination of oratory and personal confrontation that he also revelled in. In Fox and Wilkes, Banks found two characters who championed liberty before anything else, a view dear to his own heart. From other eras, William Gladstone – a powerful orator in the House of Commons – must also have aroused Banks’ admiration.

Posted: 02|24|07 at 9:45 am. Filed under: UK News.