Picker House is a remarkable late 1960s modernist home specifically
designed to accommodate a superb collection of modern and contemporary
painting and sculpture. Situated on the outskirts of London, in Kingston
upon Thames, it is a rare surviving example of a spacious and
progressive late modern house and garden that remains unaltered.
Designed by the British modernist architect Kenneth Wood in 1965, it
still retains its period interior décor, contemporary furnishings
acquired through the then recently established Terence Conran Group, and
the distinctive art collection of its owner - including works by
Chagall, Frink, Hepworth, Lowry, Rodin and many more - which was an
integral part of its conception. Based on previously unpublished
material and photographs, this heavily illustrated publication brings
together leading researchers in their respective fields who examine in
depth every aspect of this unique place.
Picker was a New York born cosmetic manufacturer who settled in London
in 1936. He made his wealth in the 1960s through Gala Cosmetics,
launching his new brands Miners, Outdoor Girl and Mary Quant. This book
offers a complete investigation into the architecture and design of
Picker House, its interior furnishings and décor, the Japanese inspired
landscaped gardens and Picker's significant modern and contemporary art
collection of paintings, drawings and prints and sculpture. It concludes
with a glimpse of the ongoing life of the collection and of Picker's
Fellowship legacy through the recent work of artist Elizabeth Price and
designer Ab Rogers, amongst others.
