Bristol arts champion and collector Ken Stradling dies 

A “collector, entrepreneur, retail buyer and raconteur”, Ken Stradling is a man who has left his mark on the art world.

The former managing director of Bristol Guild, who has died at the age of 100, leaves a legacy in the city through his remarkable collection that contains almost 2,000 design and applied arts pieces.

Announcing his death, trustees of the Ken Stradling Collection paid tribute to a collector who lived “a long and remarkable life”.

Born in the city, Ken attended Bristol Grammar School where the head teacher at the time, J.E. Barton, was an authority on art and design and had a huge influence on Ken.

He went on to serve in the army until 1948, when he joined Bristol Guild as a buyer, going on to become managing director 17 years later and providing many artists with their first exhibition in the Guild.

Travelling the world in search of the next standout piece of ceramics, art or furniture to sell at the Park Street venue, Ken began to amass an extensive personal collection.

“I never intended to set up a collection,” he told Bristol24/7 in 2016.

“It’s just things I’ve bought over the years, really, both to furnish my own home and as managing director of the Guild, travelling extensively, especially in Scandinavia. When I saw something I liked myself I would buy it for the home. I just like lovely things around me – that’s always how I bought.”

Someone who made a lifelong passion for design into a stellar career, Ken was an influential advocate, distributor and collector of world-class modern design, particularly from Europe and the Nordic regions.

The collector created a charitable trust to develop his incredible and diverse collection as an educational resource for future generations and gave it a permanent home at 48 Park Row.

Through sharing his collection with the public, he hoped to inspire a new generation of artists and makers.

Paying tribute, former Bristol mayor and architect George Ferguson said of Ken: “A remarkable 100 years of gentle brilliance. His star will continue to shine over Bristol.”

The Stradling Collection’s education programme, launched in 2014, works to inspire and engage secondary school children, students and teachers in the city and beyond. It also tells stories about the history of design through its exhibition programme.

In 2020, Ken was awarded an MBE by the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Peaches Golding, in recognition of the contribution he made to his city and its cultural life.

Alun Graves, senior curator at the V&A Museum, said: “Ken Stradling was an important champion of the new ceramic artists of the 50s and 60s, far ahead of the curve in his support for them at the Bristol Guild of Applied Arts.

“And he leaves a wonderful legacy in the Stadling Collection. A remarkable man.”

Main photo: Bristol24/7

Read more: Interview: Ken Stradling

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