Hugh_Leggatt

Hugh Leggatt

Hugh Leggatt

British art dealer and patron

Sir Hugh Frank John Leggatt (27 February 1925 – 8 March 2014) was a British art dealer and patron.[1] He was the senior partner in the gallery Leggatt Brothers, and art dealer to members of the Royal Family, including Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Leggatt financed the National Portrait Gallery's commission of the first official portrait of The Princess of Wales.[2][3]

Quick Facts Sir Hugh Leggatt, Born ...

Early life

Leggatt was born on 27 February 1925 in London, England the son of art dealer Henry Leggatt. He was educated at Eton College before going up to New College, Oxford. From 1943 to 1946, Leggatt served in the Royal Air Force.[1]

Career

Following his service in the RAF, he joined the family firm Leggatt Brothers, founded in 1820 by one of Leggatt's ancestors. The firm were purveyors of fine art to several members of the Royal Family. At various times they held Royal Warrants of Appointment to King Edward VII, Queen Mary, King George V and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.[4]

In 1988, Leggatt was honoured for his service to the fine arts, being elevated to the knighthood as a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II.[5][6]

Leggatt financed the commissioning of a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the National Portrait Gallery.[7] The Queen chose Pietro Annigoni to paint the portrait. His painting Her Majesty in the Robes of the Order of the British Empire was considerably less popular than his first painting of the monarch, painted in 1955 for Fishmonger's Hall.[8] The Queen, however, was said to have enjoyed the painting and later purchased one of Annigoni's studies for the painting for her private collection.[9]

In 2011, Leggatt donated £100,000 to the Art Fund to cover the National Portrait Gallery's cost of commissioning the first official portrait of The Princess of Wales. The gallery engaged Paul Emsley who's painting Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled in 2013 to mixed reviews.[10]

Personal life

Marriage to Jennifer Hepworth

In 1953, Leggatt married, firstly, Jennifer Mary Hepworth (known as Lady Leggatt after her husbands elevation to the knighthood in 1988 and as Jennifer, Lady Leggatt from 1991). The marriage was dissolved in 1990. They had issue: two sons.[11]

Marriage to Caroline Tregoning

In 1991, Leggatt married, secondly, the socialite and benefactor of public art galleries Caroline Gaynor Tregoning (known as Lady Leggatt after her marriage). Tregoning was born in 1938, a descendant of an English landed gentry family.[12] She was the daughter of William Leonard Tregoning, later a senior official in the British Control Commission for Germany, and his wife Doris Mary Elwes Josselyn.[13] Her sister, Judy Sophia Tregoning, married firstly Thomas Ernest Lane, grand nephew of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Sir Norman Angell, and secondly Sir Giles Floyd, 7th Baronet.

Lady Leggatt was a benefactor of public galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery and the Fitzwilliam Museum.[1][14] In 1995, she donated funds to the Dulwich Picture Gallery for the maintenance and displaying of George Knapton's portrait of Lucy Ebberton.[15]

Sir Hugh and Lady Leggatt's social circle included Princess Alexandra, Sir Angus Ogilvy, The Lord and Lady Kelvedon, and Sir Roy and Lady Strong.[16][17][18]

On 7 December 2021, Lady Leggatt died at the age of 83.[12]

References

  1. [1]
    "Sir Hugh Leggatt - Obituary". The Times. March 11, 2014. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  2. [2]
    Alberge, Dalya (July 17, 2011). "£100,000 Donation Paves Way for First Official Portrait". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  3. [3]
    Varney, Ronald (December 18, 2016). "Inside the Art Market: The Old Guard Vanishes". Ronald Varney Fine Art Advisors. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  4. [4]
    "Advertisements and Front Matter". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 22 (119): i–iv. 1913. ISSN 0951-0788.
  5. [5]
    "No. 51171". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1987. pp. 1–2.
  6. [6]
    "No. 51292". The London Gazette. 7 April 1988. p. 4089.
  7. [7]
    Bailey, Martin (March 1, 1998). "Pleasant and Acceptable: How Pietro Annigoni Came to Create a Second Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 1970". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  8. [8]
    Somers Cocks, Anna (February 2, 2012). "A True Icon: Pietro Annigoni's 1955 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  9. [9]
    Reynolds, Nigel (December 19, 2006). "Queen Buys Portrait in Rare Show of Approval". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  10. [10]
    Kennedy, Maev; Davies, Caroline (January 11, 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge Delights in First Official Portrait". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. [11]
    "Sir Hugh Leggatt - Obituary". The Telegraph. March 11, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  12. [12]
    "Caroline Gaynor Tregoning, Lady LEGGATT". The Telegraph. December 14, 2014.
  13. [13]
    "No. 38311". The London Gazette. 10 June 1948. pp. 3365–3396.
  14. [14]
    The Fitzwilliam Museum: Review 2002 - 2003. Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. 2003. p. 70. ISBN 0 904454 69 X.
  15. [15]
    "Lucy Ebberton by George Knapton". Dulwich Picture Gallery. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  16. [16]
    "Opening of the Exhibition 'Princes, Poets and Paladins'". The Daily Telegraph. January 22, 1998.
  17. [17]
    "Announcements: Memorial Service for Lord Kelvedon". The Times. June 13, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Service of Thanksgiving: The Honourable Sir Angus Ogilvy". The Times. March 3, 2005.
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