0:00:04 > 0:00:09from Wales began to create
0:00:09 > 0:00:13art collections in the world.
0:00:13 > 0:00:22among collectors of their time.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26they gave their art to the nation.
0:00:31 > 0:00:38it transformed art in Wales.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42They were advanced collectors.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46as being two women collectors.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51grew, they made bolder choices,
0:00:51 > 0:00:57looking to the future.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00There are major trophy works
0:01:00 > 0:01:03that people spill blood over
0:01:03 > 0:01:06of the world.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10touch ?50-100 million each
0:01:13 > 0:01:41What is their story?
0:02:19 > 0:02:26They were not old money. upper class family.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31the genius of one man:
0:02:31 > 0:02:35David Davies.
0:02:35 > 0:02:45he made money as a sawyer Welsh-speaking tenant farmers,
0:02:46 > 0:02:54a coal empire in the Rhondda.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03this portrait of him.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07the campaign to build docks at Barry
0:03:07 > 0:03:11monopoly of coal export.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22in Wales had come from England.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Victorian hero.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41Calvinistic Methodist faith.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47committed to philanthropy.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50ploughed his money into
0:03:50 > 0:03:55in Wales in 1872.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03his empire, Ocean Coal.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11were too much for him.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Their stepmother and governess
0:04:22 > 0:04:25in their lives.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33by riding in the Montgomery Hills.
0:04:33 > 0:04:42could I be master of my soul".
0:04:42 > 0:05:04She encouraged the girls was cultured, fluent in French.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10in 1907 and 1909,
0:05:12 > 0:05:1750 million each in today's money.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24"peasants of the better class",
0:05:24 > 0:05:27of the gentry
0:05:33 > 0:05:37stayed single
0:05:37 > 0:05:42to the family tradition
0:05:44 > 0:05:50husband on the horizon.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55young women in Britain
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and conscience.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13because the knowledge
0:06:13 > 0:06:17gave them confidence.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23of art to enhance lives.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27in the world of art and money,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Hugh Blaker,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37museum curator.
0:06:37 > 0:06:49in the labyrinth of art.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51being distributed.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55from one country to another.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59who can engage with
0:06:59 > 0:07:03finding and locating art,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07in the case of the Davies sisters,
0:07:08 > 0:07:13go about buying pictures,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15what were the mechanics?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19in a very tangible way
0:07:19 > 0:07:21art dealer would work
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and white photograph of the picture,
0:07:28 > 0:07:35So you can imagine title and then send it in the post.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40the next image comes from London.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56is to do it yourself -
0:07:59 > 0:08:15to choose for oneself."
0:08:15 > 0:08:18landscape painter Corot.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30were for more tame views -
0:08:30 > 0:08:34the Barbizon School,
0:08:36 > 0:08:45because those artists began the cradle of Impressionism,
0:08:45 > 0:08:50school came the Impressionists.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55own pattern of collecting
0:08:55 > 0:08:58of art changing.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04sometimes extraordinarily radical,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08that raft of developing art
0:09:08 > 0:09:11something very straightforward,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16daring, atmospheric, dangerous.
0:09:21 > 0:09:27an adventurous purchase.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Nocturne in Blue and Gold,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35in Venice by Whistler.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40outraged by this picture.
0:09:40 > 0:09:47of paint at the public's face."
0:09:47 > 0:09:50of collecting,
0:09:50 > 0:09:5639 works costing ?80,000.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02were helping to fund
0:10:02 > 0:10:05the National Museum,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12against tuberculosis.
0:10:12 > 0:10:22a large portfolio of philanthropy.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27their many visits to Paris,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32an exhibition of paintings of Venice
0:10:32 > 0:10:44The Impressionists' Claude Monet.
0:10:44 > 0:10:52The sisters, however, establishment was also against it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57the direction of their collecting.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00we know that Margaret
0:11:00 > 0:11:05in Paris on return in 1909,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10too impressionist for her liking,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15her taste had somewhat developed.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19were controversial?
0:11:19 > 0:11:23looking at was the least accepted
0:11:23 > 0:11:26that the sisters purchased.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34what people saw at the time -
0:11:34 > 0:11:38over the top and not realistic.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40the sisters had been to Venice
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and had seen a sunset,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47But generally, Impressionism,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51to come towards Impressionism
0:11:51 > 0:11:54they were unfinished canvasses.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59that people were used to seeing
0:11:59 > 0:12:01in the national galleries
0:12:01 > 0:12:05so they were quite different.
0:12:05 > 0:12:21They made up their minds all types of Impressionist art.
0:12:21 > 0:12:32and, you know, their own likes and dislikes
0:12:32 > 0:12:54For instance, artists such as Degas in Impressionist paintings.
0:13:11 > 0:13:22as one of Rodin's masterpieces, have recognised it
0:13:32 > 0:14:25In 1913, coal production
0:14:25 > 0:14:50It made a big impact 26,000 people visited the show.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Gwendoline bought the painting
0:14:56 > 0:15:15of their collection.
0:15:17 > 0:15:32Renoir was 33
0:15:32 > 0:15:39the sisters were now Buying the pictures they liked,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And then...
0:15:42 > 0:15:50..August, 1914.
0:15:50 > 0:16:51The Davieses financed a daring
0:16:51 > 0:17:00Edward wrote this letter
0:17:00 > 0:17:10Their cousin Ivor was killed
0:17:10 > 0:17:19The sisters bought
0:17:19 > 0:17:43Gwendoline volunteered to work
0:17:50 > 0:17:55received one of these.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00and a note of thanks.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05and said that her experiences
0:18:05 > 0:18:19her life and health to pieces.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the bohemian Welsh artist
0:18:22 > 0:18:28she bought ten of his oil paintings.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32from the canteen in Troyes
0:18:32 > 0:18:37by Monet and Renoir.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42two paintings by Cezanne.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52the great Cezanne landscapes -
0:18:58 > 0:19:02at the Tate Gallery in London,
0:19:02 > 0:19:08with the British art establishment.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and in buying his work,
0:19:21 > 0:19:26in front in the British art world.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30they've got the shock of the new.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35that's hot stuff.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41that was alien to people in London,
0:19:43 > 0:19:50of conceptual art and thinking,
0:20:05 > 0:20:12from the family home at Plas Dinam.
0:20:14 > 0:20:24an inspiring place of music and art,
0:20:30 > 0:20:39into the most remarkable the sisters transformed Gregynog
0:20:41 > 0:20:46printing exquisite books.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49It was about music.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52to celebrate these things
0:20:52 > 0:20:55among the people of Wales.
0:20:55 > 0:21:02to generally enrich
0:21:05 > 0:21:09through the learning of new skills.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13the concerts, and everything else,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18conferences were held -
0:21:18 > 0:21:21all over Wales,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25when there was nowhere else in Wales
0:21:25 > 0:21:29in Wales to talk about Welsh affairs.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32was the capital of Wales.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34a Welsh office.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38to do with Wales
0:21:38 > 0:21:44the discussion took place in London.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49a stream of famous names came
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Stanley Baldwin.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10art collection reached its peak.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13more French Impressionist art
0:22:24 > 0:22:29to enter a British collection.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34the sisters made striking choices,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38in their own home.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42La Parisienne.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47hung in the music room,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51with Manet and Pissarro.
0:22:55 > 0:23:02a record of their evolving taste.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06of a private tour
0:23:08 > 0:23:11at Gregynog.
0:23:11 > 0:23:23I knew enough to know that they were house talking about her paintings.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25to hear her talking.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29that she had bought first,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32things about those
0:23:32 > 0:23:38and Monets and so on.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44that she was very fond of.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49make a collection
0:23:53 > 0:23:59that people normally moved in
0:23:59 > 0:24:05so they could be not too influenced
0:24:08 > 0:24:14which is what they did.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19her last painting.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24by Richard Wilson,
0:24:28 > 0:24:35with a tribute to the greatest part in the sisters' collection
0:24:35 > 0:24:46of Montgomeryshire.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52by the depression forced to their knees
0:24:52 > 0:24:56the huge unemployment,
0:24:56 > 0:25:04their money to helping the people.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11of mining families.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17remained strong.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20for their art collection
0:25:20 > 0:25:24institutions like this -
0:25:26 > 0:25:31telling a friend that, to her,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41support to national institutions,
0:25:45 > 0:25:50creativity of modern Wales.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54to a close friend in 1929,
0:25:54 > 0:26:02relationship with her great wealth:
0:26:02 > 0:26:05on the years that are gone,
0:26:05 > 0:26:11of the price that has been paid."
0:26:11 > 0:26:14describes the breakdown
0:26:14 > 0:26:1830 years before.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27so much to give that is not money."
0:26:27 > 0:26:34it always seemed to be about money,
0:26:41 > 0:26:48She was 69.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51and sculptures
0:26:56 > 0:26:59hailed her as a pioneer,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03buying the Impressionist painting,
0:27:05 > 0:27:11from 1934 until 1962,
0:27:14 > 0:27:26the Davies collection.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30the type of things
0:27:30 > 0:27:33didn't even want to touch,
0:27:35 > 0:27:41art historically.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44the sisters, you know,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48visitors can walk around
0:27:48 > 0:27:53of Impressionists on display here.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56or to London to see them.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59here in Cardiff.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09to the University of Wales.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18in Llandinam churchyard.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29to their lives,
0:28:29 > 0:28:38beauty of their art.