David Mlinaric and Hugh Henry | An Education in Interior Decoration and Style

Brought up between South Africa and the United Kingdom, Ulfane travelled frequently between the two, attending St Paul’s School in London and later Brasenose College Oxford. Her parents’ restoration of Ashdown House in Oxfordshire and Castello di Fighine in Tuscany with David Mlinaric and Hugh Henry provided an education in interior decoration and style. Her own distinct approach to collecting and design developed over time, including the interior of her Paris home, which incorporated historic and contemporary influences. Hugh Henry notes “Melissa’s wonderful collection at her home in Paris, spanning eras and cultures, reflects her instinctive visual taste. 'Spirit of Place: The Collection of Melissa Ulfane' brings together these sensibilities, paying homage to history while infusing it with a modern energy.”

The Influence of Christopher Gibbs, Robert Kime, Nicolas and Alexis Kugel and Alessandra Di Castro

Following careers in film making and publishing, in 1997 Ulfane founded Pushkin Press. The house became known as a champion of classic and contemporary European titles in translation. Renowned for its cover designs, the small, beautifully presented editions of Pushkin Press were admired for their aesthetic and cultural value, reflecting the richness of Ulfane’s knowledge and mirroring her approach to collecting. It is this same sense of exploration, discovery, and engagement with the world that underlies the objects in Spirit of Place: The Collection of Melissa Ulfane. In 2012 Ulfane sold the press, her legacy in publishing assured.

This highly original and idiosyncratic collection is representative of what Ulfane terms ‘the spirit of place’; inspired by homes in different places and her many voyages. The influence of her friend and mentor Christopher Gibbs, whose eye she admired above all, is clear throughout. The importance of other trusted friends including Robert Kime, Nicolas and Alexis Kugel and Alessandra Di Castro, is also reflected across the many and varied objets and artworks. Ulfane’s collection started with Old Master Drawings, while her passion and understanding of contemporary art was honed by her friendship with Thaddaeus Ropac, through whom she met many of the artists represented in the collection. Exposed to a rich mix of influences, Ulfane acquired an aptitude for unexpected combinations and a layering of cultures and textures to create depth. The resulting style is an eclectic mix of the traditional and contemporary.

A Profoundly Personal Collection

Talking about her collection, Melissa said, “This is a profoundly personal collection, from which it will be difficult for me to part - it mirrors many phases of my own life, starting with the early purchase of a 17^th Century Flemish tapestry in Venice. My work at Pushkin with contemporary writers corresponded with the growth of my contemporary art collection - Anselm Kiefer, Jörg Immendorff, Miquel Barceló and Jules de Balincourt among others. This collection is one I have lived alongside for so many years. It tells the story about places I’ve travelled to, homes I’ve made and the books I’ve published through my work with Pushkin Press. And I do hope the eclecticism of this collection will inspire others.” 

Joe Robinson, Head of the House Sales and Private Collections, commented, “Melissa’s near encyclopaedic knowledge of art and design is on full display in this collection. Her ability to collect pieces of great historical importance alongside those that evoke contemporary intrigue and allure is unsurpassed. She has curated a collection which tells story upon story of cultural connections, the people and the places who have influenced her along the way.”

Auction Highlights

Anselm Kiefer, Aperiatur Terra (2004)

Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945, Germany) is regarded as one of the most important and influential artists working today. This work takes its name from the Book of Isiah, and translates as ‘let the earth be opened’ and continues ‘and bud forth a saviour and let justice spring up at the same time’.

Exhibitions of Kiefer’s painting, sculptures, drawings and installations have been staged extensively over the past four decades and his work is included in the world’s most prestigious private and public collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Tate Gallery (London), and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam.

Miquel Barceló, Cette baie là (2015)

One of the most important names in Spanish contemporary art, Barceló (b. 1957, Spain) is known for his mixed-media paintings, bronze sculptures and ceramics. This mixed media work on canvas depicts his home in Mallorca, and the effect of light and the changing colours of the sea.

Born in 1957 in Felanitx, Mallorca, Barceló lives and works between Paris and Mallorca. He gained international recognition after his participation in the São Paulo Biennial (1981) and documenta 7 in Kassel (1982). In 2009, he represented Spain at the 53^rd Venice Biennale and has exhibited at renowned museums worldwide.

Jules de Balincourt, The Spectacle of Space and Other Fallacies (2015)

Born in Paris, Balincourt moved to Los Angeles, California with his family in the early 1980s and graduated from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. He now splits his time between Brooklyn, New York and Costa Rica. He has had a number of international solo museum exhibitions and most recently was the subject of a major show at Victoria Miro in London.

Robert Byng, Carpenter, Lord Craven’s Hunter, held by a page (1701)

One of a handful of pieces from Ashdown house, this oil painting is by Robert Byng (1666-1720), a portrait artist from Wiltshire. He worked as a studio assistant to Sir Godfrey Kneller, a leading portrait painter working in England during the late 17th and early 18th century. As well as working in Kneller's studio Byng produced a number of works in his own right. Examples of his paintings can be found in public art collections including Wells City Council, Thetford Museum & the University of Oxford.

A Flemish biblical tapestry (17^th century)

This large-scale tapestry, measuring 380 x 260 cm, from the Paolo Asta’s Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice, depicts the Biblical story of Judith Beheading Holofernes, who saved her people by seducing and beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes.

Sam Taylor-Johnson, The Guitar Player (Alex James) (2001)

This print depicts the Blur bassist Alex James. Taylor-Johnson is a contemporary British photographer and filmmaker. Part of the Young British Artists group that emerged in the 1990s, she is now best known for her mainstream feature-length films. Her works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, among others.

Meissen porcelain chandelier (18^th century)

An exceptional Meissen porcelain chandelier, with vibrant tonality and playful florals contributing to the distinctive character of this 18^th century rococo design from one of Europe’s most celebrated porcelain producers. The piece was acquired from the collection of the royal House of Hanover, from Marienburg Castle in northern Germany.  

Middleton Jameson, Portrait of James Crichton (1581)

Painting depicting the orator, linguist, man of letters, and scholar commonly called the “Admirable” Crichton. Considered by many in his era to be the model of the cultured Scottish gentleman. This depiction of Admirable Crichton dates to 1581 and comes from Middleton Jameson, the famed Scottish artist whose works sit in major institutions across the UK including the National Portrait Gallery.

A pair of four-tier open bookshelves, designed for the Cité Universitaire of Paris by Eugène Printz (1935)

A highlight within a group of Cité Universitaire furniture included in the sale is a pair of four-tier open bookshelves. Upon its creation in 1925, the campus of Cité Universitaire attracted the best luxury designers of the period, including Printz, who were chosen to make basic furniture for students. Printz designed 81 student rooms for the University with the same furnishings - a bed, armoire, bookcase, desk, one side table, screen, armchair and two chairs. Examples from the wider collection are featured in the sale, including pieces by André Deveche.

Attributed to Laurent Delvaux (1696-1779), Figure of Hercules  

This terracotta sculpture depicts Hercules standing, his body slightly supported, in a resting posture after the work imposed by Hera. Similar to examples held in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Milton Greene, Photograph of Marylin Monroe, signed by Monroe (1955)

Photograph of Marilyn Monroe, depicting the famous subway grate scene in the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch. From the actress’s personal collection, the photo includes a note from Monroe to famed American filmmaker and screenwriter Billy Wilder ‘Dear Billy, I love you forever, Marilyn.’

A pair of Renzo Mongiardino polychrome wood bookshelves

From the celebrated Italian architect, set designer and decorator known as ‘the Architect of Illusion.’ A pair of wooden bookshelves made to imitate marble and marquetry, reflective of the designer’s signature visual trickery and play on perspective, the foundations of a fantastical approach to operatic interiors.  

Auction Details

Tuesday 4 March, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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