London, UK – U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley has transformed Winfield House, the American residence in London, with a display of impressionist paintings, including works by Monet, Cézanne, and Pissarro.The collection, drawn directly from the personal holdings of Ambassador and financier Warren Stephens and his wife Harriet, emphasizes Impressionism, a shift from previous displays favoring post-war American masters and loans from the State Department’s “Art in Embassies” program.
Stephens, who presented his credentials to King Charles in May, began assembling the collection in partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, later expanding into Abstract Expressionism. “It almost looks like it was commissioned for this room,” Stephens remarked of the Monet.
Winfield House, a 1930s neo-Georgian mansion boasting London’s largest private garden after Buckingham Palace, has historically served as a venue for American diplomatic efforts through art. Previous ambassadors,such as the Annenbergs in the 1970s,showcased Van Goghs,while Hartley previously favored artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Willem de Kooning.
The new display coincides with a busy summer for the stephens,including appearances at Wimbledon,Royal Ascot,and Trooping the Color,alongside their spaniel,Mamie. Warren Stephens heads Stephens Inc, an investment firm founded by his father and uncle, and Forbes estimates his fortune at $3.5 billion. He also owns the Alotian Club in Arkansas and frequents Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort in Scotland, having contributed $4 million to Trump’s 2021 inauguration.the Ambassador emphasized family ties to Britain and Scotland,and his grandfather’s service in world War I,stating,”We already feel a bond.” The Impressionist works, though privately owned and not necessarily permanent fixtures, aim to signal taste and status to visiting ministers, business leaders, and foreign dignitaries, continuing a tradition of “diplomacy by other means.”