'Private palace of art' marks 100 years as museum

The Leighton House Museum is an art museum in the Holland Park area

An artist's home - that also starred in the video for Spandau Ballet's 1983 hit Gold - is celebrating 100 years as a public museum.

Painter Frederic Leighton commissioned the building of Leighton House in 1864 and when he died in 1896 his collection was sold, but the house retained.

Visitors were allowed in from 1900, and when it was taken over by the council in 1926 its future as a public museum was secured.

Now people are being asked to share their memories of the place between then and now for "Leighton House: A Journey Through 100 Years".

Leighton House is considered one of the country's most important artist homes

Leighton intended to create a purpose-built studio-house where he could work and live.

His friend George Aitchison, whom he met in Rome more than a decade earlier, was employed as the architect.

The project lasted more than 30 years, and the house was designed as a showcase for artistic taste - and to entertain and impress artists, collectors and celebrities.

Between 1869 and 1895 it was transformed by a series of extensions.

Frederic Leighton lived in the red-bricked building in the 19th Century and his décor reflects his appreciation for Islamic art

The studio in 1895, showing recently recently completed works including Flaming June

Leighton House is the former home of artist Frederic Leighton

During World War Two the house was damaged by bombing and remained closed until the early 1950s.

Limited funds for restoration saw interiors whitewashed, floors stripped, and fluorescent lighting put in.

This neutralised much of what remained of Leighton's decoration, which has now been restored to its jewel-like tones and Middle Eastern influences.

This included re-gilding the dome and restoring the ziggurats on the roof of the Arab Hall.

Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp and John Keeble with guests at the London Designer Collections party at Leighton House Museum in 1981

Tobias and the Angel at the River Tigris, Christ and Peter and The Wine Press at Leighton House Museum

The centenary programme will feature several key exhibitions and the museum is asking the public to share their memories.

Kensington and Chelsea councillor, Kim Taylor-Smith, encouraged people to take part, dubbing Leighton House "Kensington's own National Treasure".

Senior curator of the council's museums, Daniel Robbins, said the programme "brings together every aspect of Leighton House that makes it distinctive, significant and still relevant 100 years later".