An exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford sets out to bring the work of Cork born artist Adam Buck (1759–1833) to the attention of a wider public. One of Regency England’s most sought-after portrait painters he worked in Ireland for twenty years, becoming an accomplished miniaturist. Buck moved to London in 1795 and immediately gained a roster of star clients including the Duke of York and his scandalous mistress, Mary Anne Clarke. The second of four surviving children, Adam was born to a family of silversmiths in Cork. His younger brother, Frederick (1765– 1840), became an established miniature painter who worked in Cork for his lifetime.
This summer exhibition celebrates Adam Buck’s influence on Georgian art and style, showing over sixty works from private collections including watercolours, small portraits and miniatures; examples of his decorative designs for porcelain and fans; and his prints. Buck’s work was made popular largely through prints after his watercolours, chiefly published in London by William Holland and Rudolph Ackermann. An Elegant Society: Adam Buck artist in the age of Jane Austen” is at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford until October 4.
Mary Anne Clarke by statue © Private Collection
Farewell © Private Collection.
First Steps © Private Collection.
Alicia Lambert © Private Collection