The Elizabeth Burney Bequest | Pallant House Gallery

A view of humanity from the perspective of a journalist, criminologist and collector of art

Elizabeth Burney (1934-2018) was probably too modest to regard herself as a collector, yet she amassed an impressive collection of artworks that revealed a fascination with – and compassion for – humanity.

A journalist and criminal psychologist, Burney was a descendent of the 18th century musicologist Charles Burney, and related to the celebrated writer Fanny Burney. She decided to bequeath her collection to us following an inspiring visit to the Gallery where she attended a tour given by one of our exceptional volunteer guides.

The Elizabeth Burney Bequest includes etchings by Samuel Palmer, Camille Pissarro and Käthe Kollwitz, woodcuts by the Japanese master Hiroshige and drawings by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Christopher Wood. It includes several important new additions to our collection of Modern British art such as prints by Marc Chagall and Samuel Palmer that fill previous gaps. Works by Matthew Smith, Leon Underwood and Christopher Wood complement the existing collection.

A selection of works from The Elizabeth Burney Bequest went on display in spring 2019.

A sepia toned etching of a middle aged women with her hair tied back looking down.

Käthe Kollwitz, Gesenkter Frauenkopf. Study of a Woman with Head Bent, 1905

Käthe Kollwitz, Gesenkter Frauenkopf. Study of a Woman with Head Bent, 1905, soft ground etching on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Elizabeth Burney Bequest, 2018)

A riverside scene with people working at the shoreline

Camille Pissarro, Côte Sainte Catherine, à Rouen (1883)

Drypoint Etching and aquatint on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Elizabeth Burney Bequest, 2018)

A woman sits on a step outside an open door, engrossed in a book open on her lap.

Peter Ilsted, At Havedoren (In the Garden Doorway) (1913)

Mezzotint on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Elizabeth Burney Bequest 2018)

A woman sat at a writing desk with her back to us

Peter Ilsted, Girl Sitting at a Table (1909)

Peter Ilsted, Girl Sitting at a Table, 1909, Mezzotint on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Elizabeth Burney Bequest 2018)

A large group of people race after a horse, holding ont o ropes trailing from the animal

Utagawa Hiroshige, Station 41 Miya: Festival of the Atsuta Shrine, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô Road, 1834

Utagawa Hiroshige, Morning Mist on the Tenryu River, Mitsuke from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô, c. 1833-1834

A flock of sheep rests as a bright moon rises behind them.

Samuel Palmer, The Rising Moon or An English Pastoral (1857)

Etching on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (The Elizabeth Burney Bequest, 2018)