Titan of design Robert Kime’s collection expected to achieve in excess of £1.5m at Newbury auction this week

THE long-awaited auction of King Charles' interior decorator and private collector Robert Kime will take place this week at Dreweatts Newbury (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) and is expected to fetch in excess of £1.5m.

The collection has just gone on public view – it has been assembled in room sets that recreate Robert’s homes in London and Provence where his personal collection was housed. This is on public view (no booking required), so interested parties can go along and have a look up until day one of the sale starts on Wednesday.

Robert Kime’s projects included the redecoration of Clarence House and Highgrove for King Charles, as well as properties for an array of celebrities such as Duran Duran’s John Taylor and his wife Gela Nash-Taylor (founder of fashion brand Juicy Couture). King Charles said of his unique aesthetic sensibility: “You often hear of people who are said to have ‘a good eye’, but Robert Kime’s must surely be one of the best.’’

This will be the first and last time that Kime’s own works will ever be offered for sale – a unique one-off opportunity.

Robert Kime is known the world over as a titan of design, a polymath and the ‘great assembler’of beautiful things. His unique eye and aesthetic sensibility led him to become one of the leading design figures of his generation. The culmination of his lifetime of collecting will form the three-day auction at Dreweatts, titled Robert Kime: The Personal Collection comprising more than 750 lots ranging in value from £30 to £100,000. It is expected to achieve in excess of £1.5m and charts his passion, curiosity and delight in beautiful things through the contents of his homes in London and Provence.

The auction of this iconic collection will be a landmark in the history of English taste and a celebration of one of the most respected and loved decorators of his generation. The sale presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to obtain works from Robert’s very own personal collection, which he meticulously formed over his lifetime, through his travels around the UK, Europe, the Middle East and beyond, encapsulating many contrasting cultural traditions and mediums.

Day one of the auction will present works of art from Robert’s Warwick Square home in London, while day two will offer the collection from his much-loved Provencal house La Gonette.

Day three’s auction will contain a variety of the more decorative items from both locations.

Dreweatts deputy chairman Will Richards said: “Dreweatts is honoured to be entrusted with the sale of Robert Kime’s personal collection from his family homes. Robert was a widely admired and greatly respected figure in the art and design world.

“He was foremost a collector, driven by an innate curiosity, combined with a deep academic knowledge. Robert loved to travel and his collection of treasured objects reflects a lifetime of looking, engaging and gathering - from classical antiquities to Chinese porcelain, from Indian textiles to Eric Ravilious. Each layered with a story or circumstance and together they paint a portrait of an inspirational man remembered with great affection across generations.”

Robert’s fascination with objects grew from his childhood and he began selling antiques while studying Medieval History as an undergraduate at Oxford. His passion and broad knowledge encompassed Middle Eastern art, including textiles and antiquities, European antiquities and works of art and ceramics, as well as modern art.

Among the highlights is a striking watercolour and pencil landscape by Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) titled New Year Snow. The painting was loved by the whole family and has hung in several of Robert’s homes. This depiction of the snowy British countryside is signed by the artist and carries an estimate of £100,000-150,000.

A work titled Still Life of Narcissi by Vanessa Bell (1879-1961), is one of several works in the collection by members of the Bloomsbury Group. Still Life of Narcissi carries an estimate of £10,000-£15,000.

A painting by the great British artist Walter Richard Sickert (1860-1942) reflects Robert and Helen’s joint love for Venice. Scuola di San Marco is estimated at £50,000-£80,000.

Visit www.dreweatts.com for more information.