Tom Bendhem: Collector
Tom Bendhem: Collector exhibition installation shots at York  City Art Gallery (6 April - 25 June 2006) © photographs courtesy of York City Art Gallery
To download an illustrated inventory of the works from Tom Bendhem: Collector available for presentation to CAS Member Museums as a .pdf (29 pages) click here
Tom Bendhem: Collector , the exhibition to honour Tom Bendhem and the art collection he bequeathed to the Contemporary Art Society on his death in 2002, opened in London at the Ben Uri Gallery in late 2004 and toured the country until 28 November 2006.
Final touring schedule: Sotheby’s Preview (15 November 2004); Ben Uri Gallery, London (22 November 2004 – 19 January 2005); Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (28 January – 3 April 2005); Bristol City Art Gallery and Museum (6 April – 19 May 2005); Gallery Oldham (28 May – 3 September 2005); Huddersfield Art Gallery (10 September – 29 October 2005); York Art Gallery (6 April - 25 June 2006); Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum (29 July – 9 September 2006); James Hockey Gallery, Farnham (18 October – 28 November 2006).
The diverse group of contemporary works of art which make up the collection was amassed at Tom Bendhem’s London home since the late 1960s. Not only does it reflect the collector’s passion for painting, drawing, sculpture and photography but also, more than this, the collection records lasting friendships forged between artist and benefactor throughout the last thirty years of the twentieth century. He bought repeatedly from artists he loved and admired, and many of the works bear personal inscriptions from the artists. A number of significant artists have given CAS more recent works in memory of Tom Bendhem, and the support he gave them at earlier and crucial stages of their careers.
The CAS touring exhibition and its catalogue pay tribute to Tom Bendhem as a collector of contemporary art. He bought early works from artists such as Peter Sedgley and David Mach – sometimes the first piece the artist had sold. He bought repeatedly from artists who he loved and admired. His house was a treasure trove that also reflected an artist’s eye, for Tom Bend hem was a painter after his retirement from business. He trained as an associate student at the Slade School, benefiting from the advice and tuition of artists who were also his friends.
Tom Bendhem was actively involved in selecting works for CAS for presentation to member museums and galleries. He was also the first person to give financial support to the annual selling exhibition, ARTfutures. Tom Bendhem: Collector celebrates Tom’s generosity, bringing the work of CAS to a wider audience, but also underlines the vital importance of private collectors, both to artists and to public collections.
l-r; Josef Herman 'Miners', not dated; Eugene Dodeigne 'Figure study 3-6', not dated; Thomas Scheibitz 'Texas';
David Mach RA 'Out of Order - Maquette for Public Sculpture Kingston Upon Thames', 1989
l-r; Manijeh Yadegar 'Yellow And Green Through Black', 1987; Bridget Riley 'Cloudy Blue-Greens With Pink And Emerald
Thrusts', 1985; Langlands & Bell 'The Ruined Book' 1986; Zadok Ben-David 'Untitled', 1982
The collection included the following artists:
Edward Allington, Frank Auerbach, Georg Baselitz, Zadok Ben-David, Tom Bendhem, Derek Boshier, David Buckland, Stephen Buckley , Michael Canney , John Carter , Judith Cowan, Dennis Creffield, Eugène Dodeigne, Andy Frost, John Gibbons, Michael Ginsborg, Andy Goldsworthy, David Hall, Nigel Hall RA, Josef Herman OBE, RA, Paul Huxley RA, Dave King,  Phillip King CBE, RA, John Hilliard, Langlands & Bell, David Mach RA, Brian McCann, Bruce McLean, Keith Milow, Martin Naylor, Paul Neagu, Steven Newell, Victor Newsome, Hughie O’Donoghue, Sally O’Sullivan, Mimmo Paladino, Harvey Quaytman, Paul Richards, Bridget Riley CH, OBE, Mario Rossi, Thomas Scheibitz, Peter Sedgley, Lee Tribe, William Tucker RA,  John Walker, David Ward, Bill Woodrow RA , Manijeh Yadegar
To see further images of works from the Tom Bendhem Collection click here