Peter Watson (arts benefactor)
Encyclopedia
Victor William Watson (14 September 1908 – 3 May 1956) was a wealthy English art collector and benefactor. He funded the literary magazine, Horizon
, edited by Cyril Connolly
.
and was the youngest of three children - his brother Norman was born in 1897 and sister Florence in 1894. He was educated at Eton College
and Oxford University.
Watson was an avid art collector acquiring works by such artists as Miró
, Klee
, and Pablo Picasso
, which were displayed in his Paris apartment in the 1930s. He was the principal benefactor of the Institute of Contemporary Arts
in London and also provided financial assistance to English & Irish painters Francis Bacon
, Lucian Freud and John Craxton. In 1930, society photographer, artist and set designer Sir Cecil Beaton
began a lifelong obsession with Watson, though the two never became lovers. One chapter from Hugo Vickers' authorized biography of Cecil Beaton is titled "I Love You, Mr. Watson".
In 1940 Watson provided funding for Cyril Connolly's Horizon and became its arts editor. Stephen Spender
was also involved with the magazine initially. Watson was also art editor for the magazine during its existence from 1940 to 1949. He rarely contributed written inputs, but gave many opportunities for his friends to get their pictures into Horizon, and also encouraged Horizon to look beyond British Art and particularly to Paris. He commissioned articles on artists barely known in England, such as Balthus, Morandi and Klee. He persuaded Picasso's dealer, Daniel Kahnweiler, to comment on the contemporary art market; and he also got Michael Leiris to write about Giacometti. Spender recalled to Connolly's biographer, Clive Fisher, that Watson hated "priggishness, pomposity and almost everything to do with public life," and he suspected that he had educated himself "through a love of beautiful works and of people in whom he saw beauty ...". He added "When I think of him then, I think of his clothes, which were beautiful, his general neatness and cleanness, which seemed almost those of a handsome young Bostonian."
Fisher writes that Peter Watson "was a figure of striking attractiveness; women in particular seem to have found his manners irresistible... almost everyone appears to have liked him." One of Watson's lovers was American male prostitute and socialite Denham Fouts
, whom he continued to support even after they separated as a result of Fouts' drug addiction
Watson was found mysteriously drowned in his bath on 3 May 1956. Some have suggested that he was murdered by his young American lover, Norman Fowler(from whom Bacon stole £300 to go gambling). Fowler inherited the bulk of Watson's estate and died 14 years later in the West Indies; he was also found drowned in his bathtub.
Watson's sister Florence Nagle, fought a prolonged battle against Britain's Jockey Club
, the controlling body for horse racing. His brother Norman provided funding for the early development of Lake Louise
, a ski resort in Alberta, Canada.
Horizon (magazine)
Horizon: A Review of Literature and Art was an influential literary magazine published in London, between 1940 and 1949. It was edited by Cyril Connolly who gave a platform to a wide range of distinguished and emerging writers....
, edited by Cyril Connolly
Cyril Connolly
Cyril Vernon Connolly was an English intellectual, literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizon and wrote Enemies of Promise , which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of...
.
Life and work
Peter Watson was the son of William George Watson, later Sir George WatsonWatson Baronets
There have been seven Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Watson, one in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and five in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two creations are extant as of 2007....
and was the youngest of three children - his brother Norman was born in 1897 and sister Florence in 1894. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oxford University.
Watson was an avid art collector acquiring works by such artists as Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
, Klee
Klee
Klee , named after Paul Klee, is a German pop-band from Cologne.-Lineup 2002-2010 :* Suzie Kerstgens * Tom Deininger * Sten Servaes -Lineup 2010-present :...
, and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, which were displayed in his Paris apartment in the 1930s. He was the principal benefactor of the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London and also provided financial assistance to English & Irish painters Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, Lucian Freud and John Craxton. In 1930, society photographer, artist and set designer Sir Cecil Beaton
Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was an English fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre...
began a lifelong obsession with Watson, though the two never became lovers. One chapter from Hugo Vickers' authorized biography of Cecil Beaton is titled "I Love You, Mr. Watson".
In 1940 Watson provided funding for Cyril Connolly's Horizon and became its arts editor. Stephen Spender
Stephen Spender
Sir Stephen Harold Spender CBE was an English poet, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work...
was also involved with the magazine initially. Watson was also art editor for the magazine during its existence from 1940 to 1949. He rarely contributed written inputs, but gave many opportunities for his friends to get their pictures into Horizon, and also encouraged Horizon to look beyond British Art and particularly to Paris. He commissioned articles on artists barely known in England, such as Balthus, Morandi and Klee. He persuaded Picasso's dealer, Daniel Kahnweiler, to comment on the contemporary art market; and he also got Michael Leiris to write about Giacometti. Spender recalled to Connolly's biographer, Clive Fisher, that Watson hated "priggishness, pomposity and almost everything to do with public life," and he suspected that he had educated himself "through a love of beautiful works and of people in whom he saw beauty ...". He added "When I think of him then, I think of his clothes, which were beautiful, his general neatness and cleanness, which seemed almost those of a handsome young Bostonian."
Fisher writes that Peter Watson "was a figure of striking attractiveness; women in particular seem to have found his manners irresistible... almost everyone appears to have liked him." One of Watson's lovers was American male prostitute and socialite Denham Fouts
Denham Fouts
Denham Fouts was an American male prostitute, socialite and literary muse. He served as the inspiration for characters by Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, Christopher Isherwood and Gavin Lambert.-Biography:...
, whom he continued to support even after they separated as a result of Fouts' drug addiction
Watson was found mysteriously drowned in his bath on 3 May 1956. Some have suggested that he was murdered by his young American lover, Norman Fowler(from whom Bacon stole £300 to go gambling). Fowler inherited the bulk of Watson's estate and died 14 years later in the West Indies; he was also found drowned in his bathtub.
Watson's sister Florence Nagle, fought a prolonged battle against Britain's Jockey Club
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and...
, the controlling body for horse racing. His brother Norman provided funding for the early development of Lake Louise
Lake Louise Mountain Resort
The Lake Louise Ski Area is a ski resort located in Banff National Park, near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It can be reached from Banff, from where it is a 35 to 45 minute drive west on Trans-Canada Highway, or Calgary, a 2-hour drive...
, a ski resort in Alberta, Canada.