From The Estate of MJ Long, Designer Of The British Library

Items from the homes of the architects Mary Jane (‘MJ’) Long (1939-2018) and Colin ‘Sandy’ St John Wilson (1922-2007), the husband and wife team that designed the British Library, are entered into the 20th Century Design sale on Tuesday 28 January.


Items from the homes of the architects Mary Jane (‘MJ’) Long (1939-2018) and Colin ‘Sandy’ St John Wilson (1922-2007), the husband and wife team that designed the British Library, are entered into the 20th Century Design sale on Tuesday 28 January.

MJ Long & Colin Sandy St John Wilson

Mary Jane (‘MJ’) Long (1939-2018) and Colin ‘Sandy’ St John Wilson (1922-2007)

The pair met at Yale University and began working together in 1965 after moving to London. Following their marriage in 1972, they began a commission for the new British Library, a task they would continue to work on for thirty years - it later became one of the youngest buildings ever given a grade I listing, for its outstanding architecture.

Interior Of British LibraryInterior Of The British Library

The lots in the collection give a tantalising glimpse into the couple’s friendships with artists that informed some of their design choices for the Library, artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005), whose 12ft bronze ‘Newton After Blake’ sits in the piazza, and RB Kitaj (1932-2007), whose massive tapestry hangs in its entrance hall. At the time it was made by the Master Weavers of the Dovecot Tapestry Studio in 1993, the tapestry, based on Kitaj’s painting ‘If Not, Not’, was the largest in the world at around 23ft (7m) across.

St John Wilson and Paolozzi had been friends since the pair both participated in the seminal ‘This is Tomorrow’ exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1956.

Kitaj was one of the fourteen artists for which MJ Long had designed studios, typically accepting paintings and drawings as part payment for her work. She later wrote about the projects in a 2009 book ‘Artists’ Studios’.

Long’s London home, built c.1926 as a studio for the sculptor Sir William Reid Dick, was adapted by the couple in 1974 into a family home. It housed post-war design classics, evident in the sixty-two lots within this sale, such as the chairs designed by Mies van der Rohe and the pair of Beehive pendant lamps by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.

MJ Long House © Michael Franke

MJ Long House © Michael Franke 

Long was a keen sailor and also included is a Canadian canoe from the home the couple shared in the West Sussex village of Bosham. One of their final projects together was to design a contemporary extension to the original Queen Anne townhouse of the nearby Pallant House Gallery. The new wing that opened in 2006, the year before St John Wilson died, had been a project particularly close to the couple’s heart; the space they created was used to house a collection of modern British art they had donated to the gallery a decade earlier.

 

 

If you would like more information about the collection, please contact

John Black

johnblack@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

 

 

 


 

Recent News

 

Inside the Relaunch

As you may be aware, Sworders’ London gallery at 15 Cecil Court was temporarily closed throughout much of June for refurbishment. We are delighted to say that we have now reopened for business, five days a week 11am-6pm and look forward to welcoming all our customers to a new-look space. Here Lizzie Lardner, head of Sworders London, talks about her plans for the gallery.

30 July 2025

A Photographic Rarity

A haunting carte-de-visite of David Livingstone’s coffin attended by Jacob Wainwright, captured in 1874, offers a remarkable glimpse into history. We are honoured to include this poignant photograph in our upcoming Out of the Ordinary sale, on Tuesday 19 August.

25 July 2025

Rebel Yell | Punk’s Battle Cry Against the Establishment

Join us for a journey through time as we reminisce the Punk revolution and its lasting effects woven through every part of popular culture, film, art and fashion, ahead of our 19 August Out of the Ordinary auction, where Punk makes a bold feature.

25 July 2025

 


 

Get Sworders News