Richard Nathanson (OK 1963)

Richard (d. 1 June 2018) began his career as a porter at Sotheby’s in January 1966. He was immediately captivated by Impressionist and 20th century art and subsequently joined the department as a trainee ‘expert’. He left in 1970 to set up as an independent art advisor in that field (see Selected Works Handled).

Richard’s advisory service involved working with artists’ and collectors’ estates; among them the Rouault Foundation, the Paul Alexandre family’s Modigliani collection (see News) and the Albert Houthuesen Trust.

He had a particular involvement with certain artists including Sisley, Modigliani, Rouault, Renoir, Bonnard and Albert Houthuesen and arranged one-man exhibitions of five of these artists. A selection of their work can be viewed in Featured Artists. Richard also produced BBC documentaries and publications on Bonnard and Houthuesen (see Publications and Documentaries).

The many exhibitions he organised often took place in galleries chosen to broaden the exhibition’s aesthetic and art historical perspective. A notable example was his 1972 Rouault exhibition arranged with the Rouault family at the Eskenazi Gallery. Their superlative Chinese art and beautiful gallery perfectly complemented the richness and spirituality of the Rouault paintings. The exhibition catalogue covers can be viewed in Exhibitions.

In 2016 Richard was joined by his daughter Susannah who has an MA in History of Art and Fine Art from Edinburgh University and The Edinburgh College of Art. She is also a practising artist.