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Eila Grahame

Eila Grahame-Wigan, known as Eila Grahame (2 October 1935 – 25 November 2009) was an English antiques dealer known for her sure eye and judgement.

Biography

Grahame was born Eila Grahame-Wigan on 2 October 1935 in London, England. Her father was Lewis Gretton Grahame of Claverhouse, Dundee, and her mother was Eira Grey Wigan. She could trace her family tree on her father's line back to Robert III, King of Scotland in 1466.[1][2]

During World War II, Grahame's mother was killed by a bomb and she was sent to live with an aunt in Loudham.[2] She was educated first at home, then at Downe House before coming out as a debutante.[1]

Grahame established her antiques shop on Church Street in Kensington, London, in 1969,[1] and specialised in English glass.[3] Among her customers were Lucian Freud.[2]

She died on 25 November 2009, aged 74.[2]

Legacy

Grahame's personal effects were sold at auction by Cheffins in December 2016 with the proceeds going to the Art Fund and the church of St Mary of the Assumption at Ufford, where she is buried.[2][4] The sale reached a total value of £577,000.[5]

A bequest of 136 glass objects from Grahame's collection was given to the collection of Dudley Museums Service, and was permanently loaned to the new White House Cone Museum of Glass from 2018. The objects include important examples of 18th-century British glass.[3]

In August 2017, it was reported that previously unknown sketches by Alberto Giacometti were found buried under piles of dust-covered antiques in Grahame's shop in Kensington Church Street.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Barker, Nicolas (15 March 2010). "Eila Grahame: Antiques dealer whose shop was a magnet for curators and collectors". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e Cornwell, Richard (29 November 2016). "Dealer's rare items to benefit church in Ufford". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Collection of 136 objects of glassware". Art Fund. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  4. ^ Cheffins. "Cheffins Fine Art Sale ignites market with stellar prices across the board". Cheffins.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Lost Alberto Giacometti Drawings Auctioned To Benefit The Art Fund". Artlyst. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  6. ^ "A Haunting Sketch Discovered in a London Antiques Shop Is Actually a Lost Giacometti". artnet News. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  7. ^ Brown, Mark (9 August 2017). "Drawings found in London antiques shop accredited to Giacometti". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Lost Giacometti drawings to be sold in Cambridge". Antique Collecting. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2025.