LONDON.- Grant Ford, Founder of Winsor Birch and Former Head of British & Irish Art Post 1850 at Sotheby's in London, has reunited with his former Sotheby's colleague Charlie Minter, now Director of Winsor Birch. Together, they are returning to the core principles that auction houses once valued most – genuine client care and scholarly expertise – to present "Master Painters & Pioneers: 18th to 20th Century," a selling exhibition and catalogue that rivals most prestigious evening auctions in these categories.

This £10M exhibition, featuring over 30 works ranging from £10,000 to £1.5 million, caters to multiple audiences with equal care: safeguarding consignors through scholarly presentation and clear procedures, while providing collectors and art enthusiasts the opportunity to experience exceptional works in a thoughtful, unhurried setting where appreciation takes precedence over transactions.

Ford and Minter's timing captures notable market shifts. While public auction totals declined in 2024, private sales rose, as collectors increasingly prefer discretion and certainty over auction unpredictability. Traditional dedicated sales featuring Victorian, British Impressionist, Scottish, Irish, Sporting and Marine art have mostly vanished from major houses, replaced by mixed online auctions, or with works sold through undisclosed private deals.

"There's room for many approaches to serving collectors," Ford explains. "We're offering an alternative that genuinely protects sellers and their assets while ensuring great art finds homes where it will be treasured."

This extraordinary exhibition traces a compelling arc in British and European art history, starting with the founding president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, with The Yellow Boy – Lord George Seymour-Conway, a painting once within the collection of King Carol of Romania. We then move through Wright of Derby's atmospheric portraits and John MacVicar Anderson's lively Thames scenes capturing Victorian London's industrial transformation.

Artists gradually liberated themselves from academic conventions – Edward Burne Jones's mystical Pre-Raphaelite saints, James Tissot's refined glimpses of fashionable society, and Frederic Leighton's pursuit of pure aesthetic beauty. French Impressionist masters like Camille Pissarro burst with revolutionary colour and light, while Henri Martin's sun- drenched Mediterranean harvests celebrate the dignity of everyday labour. Pioneers like Philip Wilson Steer and George Clausen forged a distinctly British Impressionism, transforming how artists perceived their native landscapes.

The exhibition features Dame Laura Knight's magnificent Lamorna Cove – painted by an artist who, in 1936, became the first woman elected as a full Royal Academician, 168 years after the institution's founding. This progression demonstrates more than stylistic evolution; it documents the gradual inclusion of voices previously excluded from artistic discourse. Ford and Minter's methodology transforms selling into cultural stewardship: "Our vendors have been custodians, sometimes for generations," Ford explains. "Our role involves finding the next worthy guardian who will treasure what they've preserved. It's about continuity of care and properly listening to our clients."

The exhibition's timing, at the heart of London's West End, capitalises on contemplative months when competitors retreat, allowing for unhurried viewing and meaningful dialogue. Ford explains, “This might seem like an unusual time to hold such a significant exhibition in London, but this time last year we did the same for Henry Orlik in the West End and they sold out before the door opened on the first day of the show – for our business this time in the calendar works perfectly without the multiple distractions of dozens of auctions, fairs and exhibitions taking place all at the same time.”

A rare and important group of works by George Clausen and Henri Martin examine the rural landscape, highlighting the impact of France's Naturalist painters. This focus is especially timely, aligning with the National Gallery's "Millet: Life on the Land" opening on 7 August, which explores Jean-François Millet and Jules Bastien-Lepage both direct influences on these artists. Henri Martin's Neo-Impressionist pieces hold particular significance, linked to his State Commissions in France, especially preparatory studies for the Conseil d'État at the Palais-Royal, Paris. His use of Pointillist techniques positioned him with the Paris avant- garde—a movement celebrated in the National Gallery's "Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller- Müller's Neo Impressionists" opening on 13 September.

“Ultimately, this is about making sure masterpieces find homes where they will be truly appreciated for generations to come," Ford concludes. "That's what we learned in our Sotheby's apprenticeships – to care for great art and the people who cherish it.”