Mark Anthony Lawrence

Mark Anthony Lawrence
Born	(1986-10-17) 17 October 1986 Reading, Berkshire, England
💼 Occupation	Art Collector, Cultural Philanthropist, Connoisseur, Art Dealer
🌐 Website	www.museuminmotion.co.uk

Mark Antony Lawrence (born October 17, 1986) is a controversial British art collector, connoisseur, and cultural philanthropist.

Lawrence is best known for his controversial coverage in global newspapers during the summer of 2014 regarding the public display of an unauthenticated painting attributed to the artist Vincent Van Gogh, which led to a media storm when its authenticity was brought into question by a leading expert associated with the Van Gogh Museum.

History as a collector

Lawrence began collecting at age 7; his first purchase was a silver Queen Victoria golden jubilee card case. By the time he was 11, he had amassed a collection of over 200 antique items, not including a philately collection containing over 3,000 antique postal stamps. Lawrence has since amassed a private collection that contains over 1,200 works of art and historical artefacts, including one of the most impressive collections of Pre-Columbian art in the United Kingdom. Lawrence has made a number of minor discoveries in the field of fine art and antiques. On September 13, 2011, Lawrence appeared on the ITV program Dickinson's Real Deal when it visited Reading, Berkshire and demonstrated his skill as an antiques dealer when he sold an 18th-century Bohemian glass drinking flask for £100 and later revealed to the expert that he had only paid 50p for the item himself.

Lawrence has been a studio guest of Eddie Winship's Community Matters show at Reading College radio station Blast 1386AM three times since 2014.

Reading gallery controversy regarding Van Gogh authenticity

Lawrence made international news when, on July 9, 2014, he decided to support a local arts trail program by exhibiting a painting in his collection he believed to be by the artist Vincent Van Gogh that was purchased by his grandfather some years prior. It is unclear whether or not the media reported incorrect information, as Lawrence later stated, but the painting was publicly presented by the BBC as an authentic work worth millions of pounds. Lawrence later stated that he was asked about its value and declared to the reporter that he "did not wish to discuss such vulgar matters and that the painting had not yet been authenticated." Nonetheless, a Van Gogh expert in Canada, named David Brooks, quickly gave his opinion that the work was a rather poor copy and nothing more.

Later investigation revealed that the painting had in fact been purchased by Lawrence and was not a part of his grandfather's supposed collection that had been mentioned beforehand. Lawrence explained that this was an error on his part with the reporter of an earlier article and that he felt stupid to admit to it at a later date.

British newspaper, The Telegraph, even went so far as to call the whole affair "One of the world's greatest art hoaxes".

Philanthropy

Lawrence has been a major supporter of the arts in his hometown of Reading, Berkshire and acted as a trustee for a number of charities in the town. He is a strong believer in the statement that "Private art collections should be enjoyed by the public, as well as the owner," which was the main reason behind him founding The Museum in Motion Project. He was also instrumental in the promotion of Reading Borough Council's Art & Heritage forum, creating its social media outlet on Facebook, which increased its numbers from little more than 40 members to over 400. He continues to act as an admin for the forum and attend its quarterly meetings held in the Mayor's parlour.

Lawrence has gifted a number of items to local museums in Berkshire. Prior to the Reading Gallery controversy, Lawrence was nominated for a Pride of Reading award for Cultural Contribution in the town by Reading's leading newspaper, Reading Post.

In March 2016, Lawrence launched an online store called www.houseofalbertine.com as suppliers of fine art, antiques, antiquities, and home decor in support of The Museum in Motion Project; 25% of sales are pledged to help the project achieve its goals in relation to free exhibitions in public venues across Berkshire, including local schools, colleges, and universities.

Lawrence is a strong supporter of the arts in education and condemns the proposed changes in the curriculum that could see Art removed as a subject. He stated, "Our young people in local schools need to be exposed to cultural and artistic experiences; this includes those partaking in higher education. Art is a window onto our ever-changing world and a means of self-expression. To deny school children this creative outlet would be a great crime against humanity's artistic nature."

The Museum in Motion project

In 2015, Lawrence founded The Museum in Motion Project, a cultural community arts program that aims to provide free public exhibitions across Southern England and showcase the Albertine Collection, which Lawrence has personally amassed over 20 years of collecting. The collection contains over 1,200 works of art, antiques, and antiquities, but also looks after The Madeline Wetten Collection of Indus Valley Pottery, The Dr Noel Cochrane Collection of Pre-Columbian art, and the Eddie Winship Collection of Social and Historical artefacts.

Collection highlights include the believed first shirt of the infant George IV, a newspaper owned by John Quincy Adams, a mirror said to have been owned by Marie Antoinette, the possibly only period ivory carving of Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley, and a rare Italian Renaissance painting on copper known as the Francesco St Jerome, which underwent a two-year-long research and restoration program at The Courtauld Institute of Art for the benefit of studying students. MIM also works with local schools, colleges, and universities. The project is completely funded by Lawrence.

The project is currently organising a number of specially curated exhibitions across Berkshire, including an interfaith art exhibit and a sensitive exploration of the horrors of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Lawrence held Berkshire's first-ever public exhibition of Pre-Columbian art in "Modelled in Clay," launched in Reading on July 30, 2015, at Watlington House.

Links

• The Museum in Motion Project Official Web Site
• Official MIM Project Facebook page

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