Bringing Art to Wales: The Davies Sisters

from Wales began to create

art collections in the world.

among collectors of their time.

they gave their art to the nation.

it transformed art in Wales.

They were advanced collectors.

as being two women collectors.

grew, they made bolder choices,

looking to the future.

There are major trophy works

that people spill blood over

of the world.

touch ?50-100 million each

What is their story?

They were not old money. upper class family.

the genius of one man:

David Davies.

he made money as a sawyer Welsh-speaking tenant farmers,

a coal empire in the Rhondda.

this portrait of him.

the campaign to build docks at Barry

monopoly of coal export.

in Wales had come from England.

Victorian hero.

Calvinistic Methodist faith.

committed to philanthropy.

ploughed his money into

in Wales in 1872.

his empire, Ocean Coal.

were too much for him.

Their stepmother and governess

in their lives.

by riding in the Montgomery Hills.

could I be master of my soul".

She encouraged the girls was cultured, fluent in French.

in 1907 and 1909,

50 million each in today's money.

"peasants of the better class",

of the gentry

stayed single

to the family tradition

husband on the horizon.

young women in Britain

and conscience.

because the knowledge

gave them confidence.

of art to enhance lives.

in the world of art and money,

Hugh Blaker,

museum curator.

in the labyrinth of art.

being distributed.

from one country to another.

who can engage with

finding and locating art,

in the case of the Davies sisters,

go about buying pictures,

what were the mechanics?

in a very tangible way

art dealer would work

and white photograph of the picture,

So you can imagine title and then send it in the post.

the next image comes from London.

is to do it yourself -

to choose for oneself."

landscape painter Corot.

were for more tame views -

the Barbizon School,

because those artists began the cradle of Impressionism,

school came the Impressionists.

own pattern of collecting

of art changing.

sometimes extraordinarily radical,

that raft of developing art

something very straightforward,

daring, atmospheric, dangerous.

an adventurous purchase.

Nocturne in Blue and Gold,

in Venice by Whistler.

outraged by this picture.

of paint at the public's face."

of collecting,

39 works costing ?80,000.

were helping to fund

the National Museum,

against tuberculosis.

a large portfolio of philanthropy.

their many visits to Paris,

an exhibition of paintings of Venice

The Impressionists' Claude Monet.

The sisters, however, establishment was also against it.

the direction of their collecting.

we know that Margaret

in Paris on return in 1909,

too impressionist for her liking,

her taste had somewhat developed.

were controversial?

looking at was the least accepted

that the sisters purchased.

what people saw at the time -

over the top and not realistic.

the sisters had been to Venice

and had seen a sunset,

But generally, Impressionism,

to come towards Impressionism

they were unfinished canvasses.

that people were used to seeing

in the national galleries

so they were quite different.

They made up their minds all types of Impressionist art.

and, you know, their own likes and dislikes

For instance, artists such as Degas in Impressionist paintings.

as one of Rodin's masterpieces, have recognised it

In 1913, coal production

It made a big impact 26,000 people visited the show.

Gwendoline bought the painting

of their collection.

Renoir was 33

the sisters were now Buying the pictures they liked,

And then...

..August, 1914.

The Davieses financed a daring

Edward wrote this letter

Their cousin Ivor was killed

The sisters bought

Gwendoline volunteered to work

received one of these.

and a note of thanks.

and said that her experiences

her life and health to pieces.

the bohemian Welsh artist

she bought ten of his oil paintings.

from the canteen in Troyes

by Monet and Renoir.

two paintings by Cezanne.

the great Cezanne landscapes -

at the Tate Gallery in London,

with the British art establishment.

and in buying his work,

in front in the British art world.

they've got the shock of the new.

that's hot stuff.

that was alien to people in London,

of conceptual art and thinking,

from the family home at Plas Dinam.

an inspiring place of music and art,

into the most remarkable the sisters transformed Gregynog

printing exquisite books.

It was about music.

to celebrate these things

among the people of Wales.

to generally enrich

through the learning of new skills.

the concerts, and everything else,

conferences were held -

all over Wales,

when there was nowhere else in Wales

in Wales to talk about Welsh affairs.

was the capital of Wales.

a Welsh office.

to do with Wales

the discussion took place in London.

a stream of famous names came

Stanley Baldwin.

art collection reached its peak.

more French Impressionist art

to enter a British collection.

the sisters made striking choices,

in their own home.

La Parisienne.

hung in the music room,

with Manet and Pissarro.

a record of their evolving taste.

of a private tour

at Gregynog.

I knew enough to know that they were house talking about her paintings.

to hear her talking.

that she had bought first,

things about those

and Monets and so on.

that she was very fond of.

make a collection

that people normally moved in

so they could be not too influenced

which is what they did.

her last painting.

by Richard Wilson,

with a tribute to the greatest part in the sisters' collection

of Montgomeryshire.

by the depression forced to their knees

the huge unemployment,

their money to helping the people.

of mining families.

remained strong.

for their art collection

institutions like this -

telling a friend that, to her,

support to national institutions,

creativity of modern Wales.

to a close friend in 1929,

relationship with her great wealth:

on the years that are gone,

of the price that has been paid."

describes the breakdown

30 years before.

so much to give that is not money."

it always seemed to be about money,

She was 69.

and sculptures

hailed her as a pioneer,

buying the Impressionist painting,

from 1934 until 1962,

the Davies collection.

the type of things

didn't even want to touch,

art historically.

the sisters, you know,

visitors can walk around

of Impressionists on display here.

or to London to see them.

here in Cardiff.

to the University of Wales.

in Llandinam churchyard.

to their lives,

beauty of their art.