Surrounded by landscaped gardens (in the case of Trent Park and Port Lympne) and filled with priceless works of art, all three were used by the government for high-profile cabinet meetings and receptions of foreign dignitaries and celebrities. A Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party, Sir Philip Sassoon made active use of his three great residences, Park Lane (now destroyed) and Trent Park in London, and Port Lympne in Kent. The exhibition also highlights the distinguished properties of the Sassoons in the United Kingdom. Of a younger generation, Hannah Gubbay, a Sassoon on her mother’s side, was a major collector of 18th century art, furniture, and porcelain, as was her cousin, Mozelle Sassoon. Her painting collection, sold at auction in 1927, listed, among other great works, one drawing and 15 paintings by Corot, a Constable, and a Peter Paul Rubens. Rachel Sassoon Beer became the first woman in Britain to edit two newspapers, The Sunday Times and The Observer, and played a crucial role reporting on the Dreyfus affair in Britain. The exhibition pays special attention to these unsung patrons of art. He aligned with and benefitted from British colonial interests soon extending his business to China and England by deploying his sons to oversee new branches in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and London.Īlthough less known, the Sassoon women were discerning collectors. His activities soon grew to include the opium trade, which had escalated after the collapse of the East India Company in mid-19th century, ending its monopoly and allowing private companies to engage in this profitable enterprise. Establishing himself in Mumbai (then Bombay) and initially involved in the cotton trade, his vision led the family from Iraq to India, China, and finally England where his descendants gradually settled over the decades. The exhibition narrative begins in the early 1830s when David Sassoon, the patriarch of the family, was forced to leave his native Baghdad due to the increasing persecution of the city’s Jewish population. The Sassoons explores themes such as discrimination, diaspora, colonialism, global trade, and war that not only shaped the history of the family but continue to define our world today. Among the highlights are Hebrew manuscripts from as early as the 12th century, many lavishly decorated, and Siegfried Sassoon's journals and anti-war statement. Over 120 works - paintings, Chinese art, illuminated manuscripts, and Judaica - amassed by Sassoon family members and borrowed from numerous private and public collections are on view. It follows four generations from Iraq to India, China, and England, featuring a rich selection of works collected by family members over time. New York's The Jewish Museum's latest exhibition is The Sassoons, revealing the fascinating story of a remarkable Jewish family, highlighting their pioneering role in trade, art collecting, architectural patronage, and civic engagement from the early 19th century through World War II.
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