Unseen Constable masterpiece unveiled in Brighton

An unseen painting by the artist John Constable that was previously unknown to art experts has gone on display.

Colliers Unloading on Hove Beach is on long-term loan to Brighton's Royal Pavilion from art dealer Danny Katz.

Mr Katz, who is from Brighton, said the "unique" sketch appeared on the market and he felt compelled to acquire it.

He said he was "very proud to be able to send the picture home for a period of time," where it could be enjoyed by both visitors and residents.

The masterpiece had belonged to 19th Century Paris art collector Camille Groult.

Unknown to Constable experts, the painting stayed in the Groult collection until the family consulted scholars in 2017.

The family decided to sell the painting in 2021, which is when Mr Katz acquired the work for an undisclosed sum.

At the time, the sales brochure said Groult was "intensely private" about his collection and although highlights were exhibited in 1905, no official catalogue of his collection was produced.

London collector Mr Katz, who owns the Daniel Katz Gallery in Mayfair, started his career working in the family business of antique dealing in Brighton and he is now one of the world's leading art dealers.

Hedley Swain, chief executive officer of the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust, said the artwork was being displayed nearly 200 years after its creation.

The trust has described the painting as "a significant addition" to the body of Constable's work.

Mr Swain said it was about 200 years since architect John Nash finished transforming the pavilion so it was "particularly timely for us to unveil this beautiful and important painting, once again at home in Brighton".

Nash began transforming what was the Marine Pavilion in 1815 and the building was completed in 1823.

Constable first visited Brighton in 1824 and moved his family there for his wife's health, visiting while he continued working in London.

By then, the English Romantic painter was at his most productive and had completed The Hay Wain, one of Britain's most famous paintings - which was recently the subject of a climate change protest at the National Gallery.

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