King Charles visited the newly refurbished Leighton House museum in Kensington yesterday.
His Majesty is a founding patron of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation (TMF), and viewed pieces jointly created by the museum and the TMF.
This included seven new pieces of furniture crafted by displaced artisans from Syria, now based in Jordan.
The King also met museum staff as well as artists and TMF staff.
Cllr Emma Will, Leading Member for Culture, Leisure and Community Safety said: “Having completed a major renovation last year, it was a proud moment to celebrate the new spaces with His Majesty and so many artisans around the world.
“Lord Leighton had a great interest in the Middle East, and the beautiful pieces commissioned through Turquoise Mountain for the 2022 reopening recognise our continued commitment to the arts and crafts of the region in the future life of the museum.”
The museum underwent a redevelopment and the new collection now provides a contemporary twist on historic pieces of the museum, once collected by Lord Frederic Leighton.
The renovation restored parts of the historic house and addressed an unsympathetic wing added in the 1920s.
Leighton House was the London home of Lord Leighton, a leading Victorian artist and president of the Royal Academy during the 1800s.
This was the first visit of King Charles to Leighton House since 2010.
Daniel Robbins, Senior Curator said: “It is an honour to welcome His Majesty back to Leighton House, 13 years on from his previous visit, and celebrate this special collaboration with Turquoise Mountain.
“Rooted in the history of the museum and our collections, the artisanal pieces add a contemporary twist, bringing identity, individuality and impact to the museum’s new spaces.”
Leighton House is open Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 5.30pm.
Featured image credit: Kevin Moran via RKBC
