Uwe Wittwer, The spoils of ward

When Uwe Wittwer visited the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 2017, he was fascinated by a peculiar display. The 94 Dutch still lifes, all from the 17th century, collected by Daisy Linda and Theodore W. H. Ward and donated in 1939, are presented densely hung in one gallery. According to the will of the donors, the collection must always be shown in its sprawling entirety. The Ward Collection and its presentation inspired Wittwer to an artistic “update.” All in the exact size of the originals, he transferred each painting into his own artistic language. All 94 Spoils of Ward are reproduced in the exhibition catalogue and accompanied by an essay by Lena Fritsch, curator at the Ashmolean Museum.