Not currently on display at the V&A

Glyndebourne

Print
1990s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Artist Sue Macartney-Snape came to London from Australia in 1980. Her humorous drawings, made in pencil and watercolour and turned into limited edition prints, capture the British social scene. Here she shows an audience picnicking in the grounds of the opera house at Glyndebourne.

Glyndebourne, a Sussex manor house, had belonged to the Christie family since the mid 19th century. In 1934 John Christie and his wife, the opera singer Audrey Mildmay, opened a theatre, built as an annex to the house’s organ room, with the intention of staging small scale professional productions of opera in an annual summer festival. The theatre had 300 seats and an orchestra pit large enough to accommodate a symphony orchestra. Over the years the building was enlarged in piecemeal fashion. In the late 1980s John Christies’s son George, who was then running the Glyndebourne Festival, determined to construct a completely new theatre. Designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners the rebuilt opera house, now seating 1200, opened in 1994. The manor and theatre can be seen at the rear of Sue Macartney-Snape’s drawing.

The Glyndebourne Festival takes place during the summer months and it has become traditional for opera goers to picnic in the gardens. It is customary to wear evening dress, following a tradition established by John Christie who saw it as a way of showing respect for the performers. Sue Macartney-Snape shows a host of very English characters enjoying the gardens. In the lower left hand corner are a pair of pug dogs. The Christie family are devoted to pugs – John Christie claimed to have called his son after a beloved pug, George.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGlyndebourne (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Printing ink on card
Brief description
Print by Sue Macartney-Snape of picnickers in the grounds at Glyndebourne, 1990s
Physical description
Print showing the audience relaxing in the grounds of Glyndebourne manor and opera house. Various groups of opera goers in evening dress are enjying their picnics or strolling and chatting. In the foreground, left, sit two pug dogs. Signed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 56cm
  • Width: 66.3cm
Copy number
Number 83 of 750
Marks and inscriptions
  • '83/750' (Print number, inscribed in pencil, lower left)
  • 'Glyndebourne' (Title, inscribed in pencil, beneath image, centre)
  • 'Sue Macartney-Snape' (Artist's signature, in pencil, lower right)
Credit line
Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A
Object history

Association
Summary
Artist Sue Macartney-Snape came to London from Australia in 1980. Her humorous drawings, made in pencil and watercolour and turned into limited edition prints, capture the British social scene. Here she shows an audience picnicking in the grounds of the opera house at Glyndebourne.

Glyndebourne, a Sussex manor house, had belonged to the Christie family since the mid 19th century. In 1934 John Christie and his wife, the opera singer Audrey Mildmay, opened a theatre, built as an annex to the house’s organ room, with the intention of staging small scale professional productions of opera in an annual summer festival. The theatre had 300 seats and an orchestra pit large enough to accommodate a symphony orchestra. Over the years the building was enlarged in piecemeal fashion. In the late 1980s John Christies’s son George, who was then running the Glyndebourne Festival, determined to construct a completely new theatre. Designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners the rebuilt opera house, now seating 1200, opened in 1994. The manor and theatre can be seen at the rear of Sue Macartney-Snape’s drawing.

The Glyndebourne Festival takes place during the summer months and it has become traditional for opera goers to picnic in the gardens. It is customary to wear evening dress, following a tradition established by John Christie who saw it as a way of showing respect for the performers. Sue Macartney-Snape shows a host of very English characters enjoying the gardens. In the lower left hand corner are a pair of pug dogs. The Christie family are devoted to pugs – John Christie claimed to have called his son after a beloved pug, George.
Collection
Accession number
S.1735-2014

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 16, 2015
Record URL
Download as: JSON