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Chatsworth house

29 Jun 2022

A discussion with the Duke and Duchess: Living with art we love

Matthew Beddall, Head of Investec Wealth & Investment in Sheffield, sits down with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire to discuss how they picked the pieces for the exhibition; Living with art we love and what their favourite pieces are. The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire are longstanding supporters of artists and makers alike and have collected works throughout their lives. This exhibition will feature specially selected objects including paintings, sculptures, furniture, ceramics and textiles.

Edited Q&A
  • Did you find it a difficult job to decide what from your personal collection might find its way into the house?

    Duchess - No. I think it was more difficult deciding what not to put in the exhibition.

    Duke - Yes it was great fun, we had Alex Hodby whose are Curator in charge of exhibitions at the House and Alice and Molly to help us. It wasn’t just us, it was a team. There were various others. It was what to put and where to put it, because some spaces are fairly preordain, for example the dining room.

    Duchess – The difficulty was trying not to put too much in. But there was one painting that we disagreed on, and it hasn’t went on show.

  • Do you have individual favourites?

    Duchess – My favourites are the Michael Craig Martin paintings particularly the ones with the black background with a single object. I think they are really beautiful.

  • It sounds like you are very happy for visitors to see the collection you have built for 50/60 years. Where do we go from here in terms of Art and Exhibitions at Chatsworth looking forward?

    Duchess - I think it is really up to Laura and William now. I think Laura is already planning an exhibition for next year and the year after. So you must ask her.

    Duke - I think, without giving anything anyway, it is based on design. Because I know that there is at least one, if not two, pieces of contemporary furniture which Laura has asked to leave here or move to another room.

Matt Beddall
About Matthew Beddall

Matthew is the director in charge of our Sheffield office, responsible for managing significant funds for Investec Wealth & Investment’s clients. As well as managing investments on behalf of individuals and trustees, Matthew looks after a number of large charity and pension fund clients. With his colleagues, Matthew has also built the Sheffield office’s successful provision of services to independent financial advisers (IFAs) in the region. Matthew firmly believes in establishing a strong relationship with his clients and making sure all clients are introduced to other members of his team to ensure their needs can be met at all times.

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