Rountree Tryon Galleries are proud to announce their 60th anniversary this year. For over half a century they have been specialist dealers in Sporting and Wildlife art and are global leaders in their discipline.
Established in 1959, by the Hon Aylmer Tryon, the Tryon Gallery soon became the go to gallery for ‘Sporting and Natural History Paintings’. Aylmer’s passion for sporting pursuits, the flora and fauna of the countryside, and for wildlife and conservation were at the heart of his gallery. He travelled the world looking for talented artists and sculptors, who flocked to him as the reputation of the Tryon Gallery grew in success. Collectors with the same spirit of adventure and appetite for the great outdoors, became lifelong clients and friends, finding a kindred spirit in Aylmer.
This fostering of clients and artists and Aylmer’s ability to recognise talent, created a happy union between the creators and appreciators of sporting and wildlife art. Clients trusted his eye and returned to buy time and time again. It even got to the stage where a ballot system had to be introduced, such was the demand for certain artists new works. The Tryon name grew and established a loyal following, it’s strong client base being at the core of its success. This is summed up well by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who wrote in 2009:
‘For anyone interested in animals in art, The Tryon Gallery has become an essential port of call. For Fifty years it has been encouraging artists and attracting the attention of enthusiastic collectors.
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to pay a tribute to what has become a national institution, and to wish it continued success in the future.’
In continued recognition of the gallery’s achievements, The Duke of Edinburgh granted Rountree Tryon Galleries a Royal Warrant in April last year. Warrants are awarded to companies or people who have supplied goods or services to the Royal Household over the years and are seen as a trusted source. This endorsement further strengthens the company name and allows the gallery to display the relevant Royal Coat of Arms on their business for up to five years.
Jamie Rountree, director, was honoured to receive this prestigious stamp of approval sealing the gallery’s longstanding affiliation with the Duke of Edinburgh, ‘It is a testament to the traditional core values of Rountree Tryon that started with the Hon Aylmer Tryon in 1959 and remain strong within the company ethos today’, he said. The same inaugural values and passions persist in the gallery and are reflected in the art and artists still under their guidance.
In their 60th year, Rountree Tryon are delighted to be exhibiting works from some of their core artists. Lady Ann Fraser returns in May, exhibiting for the first time at the Petworth gallery and then on to the Ryder street gallery in London to coincide with Chelsea Flower show. As Alan Titchmarsh observed, ‘ Ann Fraser has that rare gift of being able to paint flowers with great accuracy but also with a liveliness that makes them spring off the page…I love her paintings; the only difficulty they present is in deciding which ones I like best!’
Rodger McPhail began exhibiting with the Tryon in 1977 and will also be back this May with his 17th show for the gallery. Producing more of his immensely talented observations of wildlife, and determined to capture as much as possible, Rodger famously said, ‘There is too much to paint and one lifetime is not long enough to paint it.’ Rodger’s new work is eagerly anticipated and there is not a more stalwart Tryon artists, whose values are in harmony with those original values of Aylmer Tryon.
This diamond jubilee year at Rountree Tryon is a significant marker for company. ‘Diamond’, from the Greek word ‘adamas’ meaning ‘unconquerable and enduring’, will define Rountree Tryon in their 60th year. Having moved their headquarters to Petworth, they have shown they can adapt to new working demands, but by retaining their St. James’s presence, they are also focusing on their core market. It is this new approach and flexibility, alongside their adherence to traditional values that will see them safely into the future. The gallery continues to focus on Sporting, Maritime and Wildlife art dating from the eighteenth century to contemporary.