The Legacy of Eccentricity

Most people live their lives without leaving a mark. They are remembered for a generation or two by their loved ones, but once their children have passed on, their names will fade into oblivion. Their clothes will have been discarded and their worldly possessions either lost forever or displaced. Then there are those whose names linger on, and are learned by each new generation. Often it’s because they dared to break the mould, already during their lifetime they stood out from the crowd, following their intuition rather than doing as everyone else. Their homes are turned into museums, symbols of innovation and eccentricity (as the two often go hand in hand). 

Vittoriale degli Italiani, Gardona Riviera

Vittoriale degli Italiani – or in English, The Shrine of Victories of the Italians – is one of the strangest but also most beautiful places to visit in the region around Lake Garda. The original villa, Villa Cargnacco, in the centre of the vast estate, once belonged to the German art historian and specialist of Italian Renaissance, Henry Thode.  

As an art expert, Thode argued that German art, in order to become truly great, should not only be technically advanced and realistic in its expression, but it should also (and more importantly) embody the German spirit. Married to Daniela von Bülow, who was the granddaughter of Franz Liszt and daughter of Hans and Cosima von Bülow (who, in her second marriage was wed to Richard Wagner, with whom she founded the Bayreuth Festival), 

Thode was an integral part of German nationalist society around the turn of the last century, formulating the cultural policies of what would eventually become known as the Third Reich.

Following a falling-out between the German intellectual and the Italian government, the villa was confiscated by the Italian state, and subsequently purchased by the poet and novelist Gabriele D’Annunzio, who quickly begun reconstructing the compound together with architect Giancarlo Maroni according to his own vision and ideas.

As a poet, D'Annunzio was associated with the Decadent movement, promoting an aesthetic ideology of excess and artificiality. Politically, he was part of the Italian ultra nationalist movement. 

Though he never labelled himself a fascist, his ideas and visionary aesthetics had a fundamental impact on Benito Mussolini, and D'Annunzio is often described as one of the most important influences in the shaping of fascism. 

Initially, D'Annunzio's expensive renovations of the Garda estate were aided by the fascist regime, happy to keep him occupied in the countryside, far away from political power. In order to do so, they made huge sums available in order for him to expand the property and to further add on to the already impressive collection of books and art left behind by Thode (which had been confiscated along with the building). Construction began in 1921 and ended in 1938, following the death of d’Annunzio. The aim was to display the power of Italy. 

D’Annunizio himself had, for a brief time, been the dictator of the city of Flume (today known as Rijeka in Croatia), seeking to have Italy annex the city. When this was denied, they declared Flume an independent state (which foreshadowed the Italian fascist system, with D'Annunzio as its “Duce”). 

He declared war on Italy before finally surrendering in late 1920, after five days of fighting. 

In Gardone Riviera, he could focus on the more aesthetic aspect of his nationalist ideas, creating a tribute to the military victories of his and Italy’s past. 

In 1925, an aeroplane D’Annunzio had used to fly over Vienna distributing political pamphlets was brought to the estate, as was the MAS naval vessel he used to mock the Austrians, also part of his psychological warfare during World War I. 

A few months later, the protected cruiser Puglia was hauled up the hill and placed behind the house, which required further acquisition of surrounding land and buildings – today the area is vast and contains buildings, streets and several parks. The ship, placed behind the main building complex, is deliberately pointed towards the Adriatic Sea, seemingly ready to conquer the Dalmatian shores. 

D’Annunzio was supported by King Victor Emmanuel III, who in 1924 gave him the hereditary title of Prince of Montenevoso, while in 1937 he was made president of the Royal Academy of Italy. 

The actual villa, called the Prioria, is also an unusual experience. It holds two waiting rooms, one for wanted guests and one for unwanted ones (Mussolini often found himself in the latter, as the two were political rivals within the Fascist movement).

In the Relic room, there is a large collection of religious statues and images of different beliefs, placed together to make a statement on what D'Annunzio viewed to be the universal character of spirituality.

There are also other large buildings on the estate, such as the mausoleum, a circular structure situated on the highest point, and contains not only the remains of D’Annunzio himself but also of several of the men who served him.

A large amphitheatre, based upon classical Roman models, is today often used as the stage for dance performances and music evenings in warm summer evenings.

Leighton House, London

Holland Park is part of Kensington, composed principally of tree-lined streets with large Victorian townhouses. West London is the most affluent area in the English capital, and many neighbourhoods here exude a soft and luxurious kind of comfort. This was also the part of London farthest from Germany, which meant that it was least damaged during the Blitz. 

Lord Frederic Leighton was one of the most famous British artists of the Victorian age, quickly reaching international reputation. 

He was known to be both a gifted artist and a charming person, which made him popular in London’s social circles, including the royal family. He also became a figurehead for British art in this period. The family’s wealth came from Russia, as his grandfather had been the primary physician to the imperial Russian family in St. Petersburg. 

Leighton trained as an artist at Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt, under painting master Edward von Steinle. His first major painting was bought by Queen Victoria in 1855, which helped his career immensely. 

In 1878 he became the President of the Royal Academy of Arts. Little was known about his personal life. Just before his death he was ennobled, becoming Lord Leighton, Baron of Stretton, and is the only British artist to have been awarded this honour. 

Leighton House sits on the edge of Holland Park, and was a constant preoccupation of Lord Leighton, absorbing large amounts of his time, money, and effort. It combined spaces for living and working, and was regularly featured in the press, considered at the time an embodiment of how an artist should live. 

Even before it was built, Leighton knew that he wanted a purpose-built studio-house. 

He had met the person he wanted to design it already more than a decade before, while travelling in Italy. George Aitchison was specialised in warehouses, dock, and railway architecture, but hadn’t until this time designed a single house. 

His involvement with the Leighton House would however last more than 30 years, as he not only planned the house but also designed its interiors and furniture, and was involved in the continuous expansion of the house. 

Construction began in 1865. The south façade, facing the street, was given the appearance of an Italian palazzo. The north façade overlooked the garden, dominated by a large studio window. Internally, the building was at first relatively modest, consisting of a dining room, drawing room, breakfast room and a staircase hall. 

Upstairs were only two rooms, his painting studio and small bedroom. Only three years later, he began working on a series of extensions, gradually increasing the space of the house. 

Leighton had visited Turkey in 1867, Egypt in 1868 and Syria in 1873. During his travels, he collected textiles, pottery and other objects that were displayed at the house. In 1873, he visited Damascus, and this laid the foundations for his collection of tiles that line the wall of the Arab Hall extension. The main inspiration for this room was found in the 12th-century Sicilio-Norman palace La Zisa in Palermo. Several British artists were involved in its creation. 

The gold mosaic frieze was made in Venice and shipped in sections. 

The reason he had the winter studio installed was the problem of London smog. The smog made it difficult to work, especially in the winter (which was an important period, as submission for the Royal Academy was at the end of March). The studio, glazed on two sides and with a glass roof, allowed him to work in sunlight without having to deal with the polluted outside air. 

The last addition was the Silk Room, built on the first floor and designed as a picture gallery. The walls were lined with a green silk, and among the artists were John Singer Sargent, Albert Moore and Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Leighton died only a few months after its completion. 

In 1900, his house was opened as a museum. 

Museo Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon

History books tend to describe events on a macro level. It’s easy to lose sight of the impact of world events on single individuals.Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was of Armenian origin. 

Born in 1896 in Üsküdar, in the middle of the Ottoman Empire, he had to leave Turkey with his family to escape the genocide of the Armenian people. A brief period in Cairo was followed by a few years in London, where he became a British citizen before relocating again, this time to Paris. 

In Paris, Gulbenkian bought a small palace, and planned on settling down. When the Second World War broke out, Gulbenkian decided that it was better to relocate to Lisbon, farther away from the areas worst affected by the war. International geopolitical events helped to shape his path through the world.  

Regardless of where he lived, he continued to pursue his interest in art. Because of his heritage and complex history, he had a particular interest in art that reflected the intersection of different cultures, where religion and art had become intertwined. This resulted in a collection that was both eclectic and refined, totalling over 6,000 pieces from places all over the world, including ancient Egypt, Armenia, Persia, Europe and Japan. 

Visitors to the museum will recognize artworks by some of the most prominent masters of art history, including Carpaccio, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Manet, Degas, and Monet.

One of Gulbenkian’s personal favourites was the marble sculpture of Houdori’s Diana, which had previously belonged to Catherine of Russia (and which he bought from the Hermitage Museum in 1930).

 Initially as a strategy to avoid paying taxes, he created a “Gulbenkian Institute” for his art, but soon, due to the general turmoil in the world, he was declared an “enemy under the act” by the British government. This was because he had followed the French government to the Vichy region, and for many years after, he was involved in many complicated negotiations regarding ownership of his companies and art collections. 

After his death, the entire collection was brought to Portugal, where it was exhibited at the Palaces of the Marquises of Pombai for a few years in the late 1960s, before the new museum building was officially opened to the public.

The museum, located in the north part of the Gulbenkian garden, is today one of the most famous architectural statements of modern Portugal. Inaugurated in 1969, it was designed by three teams of architects – led by Ruy Jervis Atouguia, Pedro Cid and Alberto Pessoa – and it was built specifically to house the vast and exclusive Gulbenkian collection. 

The museum is particularly well-known for how the flow of light enhances the artworks and craft objects of display – the mirroring of lighting in the wooden floor and the tall windows that look out on the surrounding gardens, contrasted with the use of concrete and granite in ceilings and walls.

It was awarded the Valmor Prize for Architecture in 1974, and in 2010 it was classified as a national monument.

Casa Amatller, Barcelona

When chocolate baron Antoni Amatiler bought the house on Manzana de la Discordia (the discord block), he already knew that he wanted to radically change its appearance, to align it with the current style. He engaged architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to re-envision the structure. The result is a strange hybrid of Gothic and Flemish, one of the most interesting examples of Modernist Catalan. The architect was inspired by 17th-century Dutch townhouses. There are several nods to the source of the family’s fortune: sculptures (by Eusebi Arnau) that include chocolatiers at work, almond trees, and blossoms. The façade pattern resembles Flemish tapestry, specifically The Lady and the Unicorn with their backgrounds of mille-fleurs, similar to the flower tiles that coat the house. 

The story behind the name of the block refers to the tensions between the three leading architects of this time in Barcelona: Antoni Gadi, Lluis Domènach i Montaner and Josep Lluis Cadafalch. While Gaudi was the foremost representative of the Modernisme movement, Puig i Cadafalch orientated himself more towards a traditional style, and preferred to find inspiration in Gothic and Moorish elements. 

The colourful glass elements on the gable and the finely cut glass of the windows pay homage to Amatiler’s passion for collecting ancient glass vessels. In the building’s interior, there were many clever and elaborate design solutions. Where the café is now, there once was a rotating garage for Amatiler’s many cars. And placed behind the large fireplace is a sink, so the water was automatically heated. By the fireplace is a sculpture of a woman in a boat, symbolising Europe and America, as the family’s wealth was based in cocoa trading with America. 

The interior design, including the furniture, tiles, and floors made of fine wooden parquet or mosaic, was largely designed by Puig i Cadafalch. The walls are decorated with colourful tiles from Seville. 

Chocolates Amatiler was founded in 1797 and is today one of the oldest chocolate brands in Spain. When Antoni Amatiler inherited the business, he modernised production lines and embraced marketing, including commissioning Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to design the container for his chocolates. This was Amatiler’s first real introduction to Art Nouveau, and the positive effects were almost immediate, as sales increased dramatically. Everything from wrappers, tins, and posters were redesigned in this new style, making the Amatiler chocolate the perfect gift, while also serving as inspiration for the decoration of the family home.