About Anne Hull Grundy
Lived 1926 – 1984 (aged 57). Anne Hull Grundy was a British art collector and author.
Anne Hull Grundy (née Ullmann, 9 December 1926–7 August 1984) was a German-born British art collector and philanthropist. Her 1978 gift to the British Museum comprised some of the finest netsuke and European decorative arts received by that museum.
Collections 19th-century memorial jewellery made from human hair in a case, from the Hull Grundy collection, now in Harrogate Museum. She had family wealth as well as income from the Keyser-Ullmann bank and this enabled Ulmann to collect art from the age of 11, especially ivory, ceramics, metalwork and jewellery.
A 1976 catalogue of an exhibition of decorative arts at the British Museum (Jewellery through 7000 years) made Grundy realise that the museum's collection ended in the 1700s. She resolved to update their holdings by acquiring 18th and 19th century objects. In 1978 she donated a large part of her collection to the British Museum. This possibly comprised the best of her collections as she had separately donated fine pieces to other museums in the UK, including the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge, Manchester and Glasgow. Some of the major pieces included a 1559 silver roundel by Lambert Suavius commemorating the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, and silver portrait medallions of Elizabeth I and James I by Simon de Passe. There were also cameos by Italian masters Pistrucci, Berini and Girometti. The value of her donation stemmed from the good documentation of the art works, especially those from European and American engravers and designers. From her Japanese collections were jizai okimono, articulated iron animals, as well as netsuke.
Later life Grundy wrote articles on the decorative arts both for the specialist and the popular press. Between 1958 and 1961 she contributed a 'collectors' column for The Times.
Grundy's husband died in 1984. She died the same year.
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Anne Hull Grundy?
collector
When was Anne Hull Grundy born?
Anne Hull Grundy was born on 9 December 1926 in Nuremberg.
When did Anne Hull Grundy die?
Anne Hull Grundy died on 7 August 1984.
What was Anne Hull Grundy's occupation?
Anne Hull Grundy was an art collector and author.
What nationality was Anne Hull Grundy?
Anne Hull Grundy was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Anne Hull Grundy. https://biography.guide/anne-hull-grundy/
MLA: "Anne Hull Grundy." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/anne-hull-grundy/.
Chicago: "Anne Hull Grundy." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/anne-hull-grundy/.
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