To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire

What makes a great collector, and what transforms admiration for an object into the desire to possess it? Join the Edgar Wind Society for a conversation between Dr Helen Jacobsen FSA, art historian, Executive Director of the Attingham Trust and former Senior Curator at the Wallace Collection, and Gonzague Mézin, creator of exceptional decorative objects and the driving force behind the revival of Lignereux, the historic French house of objets rares. Bringing together historical scholarship and contemporary creative practice, they will explore how taste is formed, how collectors and makers influence one another, and what makes an object truly exceptional. From the great collectors of the past to the creation of extraordinary objects today, the conversation will examine rarity, craftsmanship, connoisseurship and the enduringly human desire to possess beautiful things.