Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art

A Collector's Vision Preserved

The Estorick Collection was founded by Eric Estorick, an American sociologist and writer who discovered Italian modern art after relocating to England following the Second World War. In 1947, while on their honeymoon, Eric and his wife Salome encountered Umberto Boccioni's seminal text Futurist Painting and Sculpture, an encounter that sparked a lifelong passion for collecting. The couple subsequently visited the Futurist artist Mario Sironi in Milan and acquired the contents of his studio, including hundreds of drawings. Between 1953 and 1958, they systematically built one of the world's most significant private collections of 20th-century Italian art. The Estoricks famously rejected substantial offers from the Italian government and major American and Israeli institutions, choosing instead to preserve their collection as a unified whole. Six months before his death in 1993, Eric Estorick established the Eric and Salome Estorick Foundation to ensure the collection's permanent public access.

The Georgian Setting and Recent Transformation

In 1998, the collection moved to its current home in Northampton Lodge, a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse located at 39a Canonbury Square in Islington's leafy residential district. The building was previously the home and office of Sir Basil Spence, the renowned British architect. The Heritage Lottery Fund supported the initial restoration, transforming the elegant period property into a world-class gallery space. Recent comprehensive renovations have further enhanced the visitor experience, opening up the ground-floor entrance, expanding the bookshop, and relaunching Caffè Estorick with fresh Italian coffee, cakes, and light lunches. The six galleries and art library have been fully upgraded with contemporary display and conservation standards, while the building's original architectural character has been carefully preserved.

The Futurist Core and Beyond

The collection's cornerstone comprises iconic works by the Futurist movement's principal figures: Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Gino Severini, Luigi Russolo, and Ardengo Soffici. These revolutionary artists sought to capture the dynamism, speed, and energy of the modern world through fragmented forms, bold colours, and dynamic compositions. The Estorick's Futurist holdings represent some of the finest examples of this transformative early 20th-century movement anywhere in the world. Beyond Futurism, the collection encompasses a rich array of figurative painting and sculpture, including masterworks by Giorgio de Chirico, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio Morandi, Mario Sironi, and sculptor Marino Marini. This breadth allows visitors to understand the full spectrum of Italian artistic development from 1890 through the 1950s, revealing how artists responded to modernism in distinctly Italian ways.

Research and Scholarship

The Estorick Collection Library contains over 3,000 books, periodicals, and exhibition catalogues, serving as an invaluable resource for scholars, curators, and researchers studying Italian modern art. The library is open to researchers and Members by appointment, supporting ongoing academic inquiry into the collection and the broader context of early 20th-century Italian culture. This commitment to scholarship complements the gallery's exhibition programme, which regularly presents thematic shows and monographic exhibitions that deepen understanding of individual artists, artistic movements, and the historical questions that shaped Italian art during this transformative period.

Intimate Gallery Experience

The Estorick Collection offers a distinctly different experience from London's larger, more crowded institutions. The six galleries are distributed across the townhouse's three floors, creating intimate viewing spaces where artworks can be appreciated without overwhelming crowds. The scale of the building and collection encourages contemplative engagement with individual pieces. The relaunched Caffè Estorick, with its outdoor garden patio, provides a pleasant respite and a space for reflection. The bookshop stocks biographies of Italian artists, catalogues from previous exhibitions, and publications produced by the gallery itself, allowing visitors to deepen their knowledge and take home carefully curated resources.

Significance and Legacy

As Britain's only public gallery dedicated solely to modern Italian art, the Estorick Collection fills a crucial gap in the British art world. The decision to keep the collection in London rather than allowing it to be dispersed to Italy, New York, or other international centres represents a remarkable act of cultural stewardship. The collection has been instrumental in raising awareness of Italian artistic achievement during a period when Italian modernism was often overshadowed by concurrent developments in France, Germany, and Russia. Through its permanent displays and changing exhibitions, the Estorick Collection continues to challenge and expand understanding of 20th-century Italian art and culture.