The timelessness and universality of great portraiture, perhaps better than any other artistic theme, is able to seamlessly bring together works of markedly different dates and types. A portrait show therefore presented itself as the perfect theme for Elliott Fine Art's inaugural exhibition, encompassing many of my varied interests over the period 1800 to 1950. The title, Diverse Beauty, reflects both the diversity of the media and chronology, as well as, most importantly, the diversity of the sitters, who come from many different regions, countries and continents.
Both a celebration of external appearance and an insight into the personality and individuality of the person represented, from a Tutsi chieftain's wife to a fin-de-siècle dandy, portraiture has the ability to astonish, inspire and mesmerise in equal measure.