In the late 17th century Ralph Montagu – an English courtier who was in the good books of both King James II and his supplanter, William of Orange – decided to rebuild his family home, Boughton House in Northamptonshire, in the French style. The ‘English Versailles’, as it has been called, has remained largely unchanged ever since and is well known for its art collection, which contains paintings by El Greco and Van Dyck. The artist Catherine Goodman is enlivening several rooms of the house – including the ‘Unfinished Wing’, incomplete since Montagu’s day – with 10 new works, including a monumental triptych painting, her first two tapestries and several pastel studies (1 August–2 September). Although Goodman is best known as a figurative artist, her work here includes a number of abstract paintings informed by the atmosphere of the stately home.
Find out more from Boughton House’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
