Amateur collectors Terence Bacon and John Oldham have made an astonishing gift to one of Britain’s leading art galleries, a collection which began with a caravan trip to Cornwall and their first purchase as lifelong lovers of ceramics from The New Craftsman!

This week, the Hepworth Wakefield gallery is to announce the donation of a hundred important works of art, from the ceramics of pioneering potter Lucie Rie to the paintings of Terry Frost. The couple’s foray into collecting was initially inspired by a visit to St Ives and continued with collecting trips around Britain. “It all started for us completely by chance, whilst holidaying in St Ives. We happened to walk past the New Craftsman Gallery and spotted a display of beautiful pots for sale by Lucie Rie that stopped us in our tracks. After a great deal of discussion, we took the plunge and bought two wonderful ‘bottle’ forms.  I believe they touched us so profoundly because we unconsciously recognised something intrinsically beautiful, which we had unknowingly been looking for.”

Read the full interview here and to see the full article from the Guardian Newspaper click here