Dreweatts is delighted to declare open, from tomorrow, the long-awaited public viewing of the private collection of King Charles III’s interior decorator and the man known the world over as a ‘titan of design’, a polymath, and the ‘great assembler’ of beautiful things, Robert Kime (1946-2022). The three-day auction will take place next week on October 4th, 5th & 6th, 2023 and is a celebration of the most respected and loved decorator of his generation. The sale will offer the opportunity to obtain works from Robert’s very own personal collection, which he meticulously amassed over his lifetime, through his travels around the country houses of the UK, to Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
Dreweatts galleries at Donnington Priory assembled as the dining room of Robert’s London home, which housed his cherished chair Image copyright Dreweatts
Robert’s fascination with objects grew from his childhood; he was collecting and selling antiques even as an undergraduate. His passion and broad knowledge encompassed Middle Eastern art, including textiles and antiquities, European antiquities, modern art, ceramics, gardening, architecture and interesting objects from around the world.
This intellectual engagement created wonderfully varied, fascinating and comfortable interiors filled with the exotic and every day. King Charles III said of his unique aesthetic sensibility: ‘’You often hear of people who are said to have ‘a good eye’, but Robert Kime’s must surely be one of the best’’
This ‘eye’ and academic rigour drew the Royal Family and collectors from around the world to ask for his help in designing their homes and building their collections. Despite this he was unpretentious and believed in creating comfortable, homely interiors, whether a small cottage, palace, flat or country estate. It was this keen eye that enabled him to alter a room, not just by adding decoration in the form of textiles and harmonious pieces, but in his own words he was an ‘assembler’, who could create a ‘lived in’ look, to even a newly refurbished room, as if it had always been that way. He cleverly combined a sense of history with a fresh approach in designing their homes and building their collections.
Dreweatts galleries at Donnington Priory assembled as the open living area of Robert’s London home
Image copyright Dreweatts
The collection, which has been laid out in recreated rooms from Robert’s homes in London and Provence, are on display at Dreweatts stunning Berkshire salerooms ‘Donnington Priory’ in Newbury. The rooms housing his collection give us a close-up view of Robert’s passions and show the man through his objects. His collection includes furniture, rugs and textiles, books, art works and ceramics to one-off stand-out pieces that had a personal meaning to Robert.
