How gallerist Jenna Burlingham puts art at the centre of her quietly creative world
Art does, of course, exist outside the capital. Nonetheless, the art market is decidedly London-centric, which makes Kingsclere in Hampshire - an ancient village at the foot of chalk hills that were immortalised in Watership Down - a surprising site for a commercial gallery that offsets superb examples of Modern British art (a broad term for artworks that were produced primarily in the first part of the 20th century) with wallpaper from Brunschwig & Fils.
The first thing you see as you walk through the front door of Jenna Burlingham Gallery is a charming 1927 Chilterns landscape by surrealist Paul Nash; look right, and there is a delicately tinted 1937 still life by Mary Potter, whose works were collected by Beniamin Britten and Peter Pears. Another room holds a large and luminous postwar abstract canvas by St Ives artist William Scott - and a generous sofa ideal for lengthy contemplation.
A range of prints, works on paper and ceramics make the gallery a consistently exciting source for those with tighter purse strings too, and it has long been a favourite with art advisors and interior designers when shopping for clients, as well as themselves. Established 15 years ago, its success is the result of Jenna and her team's ingenuity - its manner of operating being just as remarkable as its location.
The path to its creation began in the aftermath of a move. Jenna, her husband Adam, who now teaches at Winchester College, and their children Isla and Robin (then six and three) had recently relocated from a two-bedroom flat in Hammersmith, W6, to Silchester. It was chosen because it was close to where Jenna grew up and also near a train station for easy access to London.
Jenna, an ex-Phillips auction house Modern British specialist, was working for London-based gallery Offer Waterman, which deals in Modern British art. 'I relate to the period,' she explains. 'I love the mix of subject matter and it is tangible, because it is so recent. It's a world where you are often dealing with the children or grandchildren of great artists, and the places they lived and painted are still there and are recognisable.
'I soon realised conclusively that commuting wasn't doable for me,' she continues. 'I had to make something work locally.' Equipped with impressive determination, knowledge, £15,000 of stock and an intention to offer 'entry-level as well as museum-quality Modern British art', Jenna opened on Kingsclere's Georgian high street in 2010. 'It is far prettier than the local towns, but big enough for a nice coffee shop and just over an hour from London. And you can walk straight onto the Downs,' she says. The business grew slowly. 'I had a small inventory, people consigned things and I started to do art fairs - London Art Fair, the British Art Fair, The Decorative Fair in Battersea.' Within a few years, the 'I' had become a 'we' (her team is now seven strong), and they were running out of space.
The answer came by way of the Italian restaurant four doors up, which had been languishing on the market. Jenna bought it in 2019, then purchased the car park behind it and the adjacent takeaway. 'None of it looked promising. The restaurant was a vision in 1980s royal blue, but I could see what it could all become,' she says of the Grade II-listed buildings that, in the 17th century, were the home and workshop of a rope merchant. 'The planning application and building work was overseen by Kit Harrison of contractors Kit & Co during the lockdowns - when we weren't spending on art fairs and had time to concentrate,' observes Jenna.
The previous gallery was also furnished. The idea came from other Modern British destinations such as Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, and Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears The Red House in Aldeburgh, where it is possible to admire great paintings in at-home-style circumstances. Though, in contrast to those, the interiors here are more classically contemporary than mid-20th century in feel, showing the versatility of Modern British. 'I think art can feel more accessible in a domestic setting,' Jenna says.
The main gallery runs across two floors. Artist and interior designer Gavin Houghton, who Jenna already knew, consulted on wallpaper and paint colours for six of the rooms. Jenna and her team, many of whom came from Modern British departments in London auction houses, did the rest, along with fitting out the more modern space across the courtyard. Jenna and her gallery director Nathan Barker trawled antique fairs and shops for pieces to furnish the space, while Camilla Trefgarne, another colleague and interiors specialist, shared the lead on sourcing further wallpapers and fabrics, and on decorating a small cottage and a flat created from areas of the former restaurant and takeaway zoned as residential. Charmingly pretty and comfortable, they can be rented and offer occasional accommodation for clients who might want to stay.
'Not being in London, we have to paddle quite hard,' says Jenna. Making themselves a desired port of call is a key part of this. 'Some people initially come for the interiors. The furniture is mostly not for sale, but all the ceramics, some lampshades and Welsh blankets are.' Having illustrated how knowledge of art can translate to an instinct for decoration, Jenna points out the reverse is true, too, and several visitors have become collectors. 'It's exciting, seeing that passion develop,' she says. Other clients are led by the work itself, having seen it at a fair, on the website, or hanging in the Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler showroom on Pimlico Road, SW1. This is thanks to an arrangement instigated by Philip Hooper, its joint managing director and a client of Jenna's, which sees a changing array of her pictures line the walls. She also sends paintings out via a twice-weekly van run, 'so clients can see work in their own homes'.
Much of the stock is sourced directly from artists' estates and private clients, and might never have been on the market before. At the time of our visit, there was a thrill in the air over some paintings by Patrick Heron, another St Ives artist and a Modern movement leader. ‘Though we edit by painting rather than artist and often have works by female artists who are less well-known than they should be’. says Jenna, mentioning Mary Potter, Winifred Nicholson and Sandra Blow. There are also works by contemporary artists: 'There is a shared aesthetic and those we have are a natural segue from Modern British.' Among the artists is Richard Ballinger, who paints his appealing landscapes and still-lifes in a studio close to Newlyn, 10 miles from St Ives.
In 2013, Jenna and Adam bought the house that she grew up in, moving in after her father died, which has enabled her mother to stay on. For the first 10 years, recalls Jenna, 'we didn't have the time or the resources to make any changes - all our energy was directed towards the gallery and bringing up children'. But, recently, Camilla has helped with a considerable refresh, and it has become a place where the gallery team also spend time. 'We're an extended family,' explains Jenna.
'I never imagined I'd be in a position to be here,' she says, referring to both the house and the gallery. 'I thought my life - if I loved art as I do - would have to be in London. But instead, I walk the same fields with my children as I walked with my parents.' A couple of her staff point out that she has, at the same time, enabled them to do the same.
The Summer Exhibition, and a Julian Trevelyan retrospective, Tide and Travels, are running in the gallery until July 12. Jenna Burlingham: jennaburlingham.com
Dean Hearne1/9Jenna rehanging art in her house. She and Nathan are holding Kate Nicholson's St Ives (1919), with David McClure's Anstruther Harbour (1952/53) on the wall above the chimneypiece. Camilla is sitting on a Heal's recliner from the 1940s.
Dean Hearne2/9The exterior of Jenna's family home, which dates to 1830.
Dean Hearne3/9In the kitchen, Pamela Burn's Stone Shore Islands (2022) oil on canvas hangs above the sofa, covered in Tinsmiths' ‘Karabair’ linen in teal, ink and ochre, which is paired with an Arts and Crafts wooden coffee table and a Swedish rug.
Dean Hearne4/9Jenna with her mother Susan and daughter Isla in the garden of their house.
Dean Hearne5/9In the dining room, Isla helps to lay the table; the jug used as a vase is typical of the Aldermaston pottery that Jenna's gallery also specialises in. William Turnbull's Fugue Suite of nine screenprints hangs on the wall behind Isla, and Sandra Blow's Blue Square Collage is above the chimneypiece, next to a wall light from Litten Tree Antiques. The rug is from Joshua Lumley and the seats of the chairs are upholstered in Robert Kime's 'Russell' cotton linen.
Dean Hearne6/9Jenna with the artist Richard Ballinger, who is represented by her gallery, in his studio in Cornwall; she is standing in front of his 2017 oil painting In the Garden.
Dean Hearne7/9Discussing Richard's new works on paper. His style and the subject matter of his paintings chime with the aesthetic of the Modern British art that Jenna deals in.
Dean Hearne8/9The artist Richard Ballinger
Dean Hearne9/9Jenna with her daughter Isla and members of the gallery team walking through one of the fields near her house that have been rewilded in recent years.
