Europe

By establishing his firm Cottier & Co in London in 1869 Cottier became part of a movement that became known as the Aesthetic Movement, represented by several prominent individuals such as the painter James McNeill Whistler and the poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.

Cottier’s London business address was to be at 8 Pall Mall and his house was on Regent’s Park. London was an ideal base from which to travel to Europe for this successful entrepreneur with an interest in the art market particularly the Dutch Realists and the French Barbazon School.

Cottier recruited a young Dutch professional art dealer Elbert Jan Van Wisselingh who was also a friend of Theo and Vincent Van Gogh to manage his London gallery.

Another Dutch artist Matthew Maris, one of three brothers who produced high quality easel paintings, was recruited by Cottier who persuaded him to come and work in his London shop and gave him lodgings in his London house.

Vincent Van Gogh visited Van Wisselingh at Cottier’s London premises and wrote to his brother praising sketches for two stained glass windows he had seen there.  Recently these windows have been identified in a Hampshire church and the story behind them has been researched by Cottier expert Max Donnelly for an article in the Burlington Magazine.