Edgar Bundy artwork • painting • for sale Finance

‘A problem painting’ During the 1913 exhibition at London's Royal Academy, three paintings were exhibited that addressed current social or political themes and were considered 'problem paintings'. At a time when the tabloid press was emerging for an audience hungry for melodrama and political scandals, artists had plenty of stories to tell. One of the three paintings in the exhibition was Edward Bundy's 'Finance,' inspired by the Marconi affair. In 1912, the British Admiralty negotiated a contract with the Marconi Company for the installation of a wireless communication system. All of England was captivated by the ensuing political and financial scandal. The Jewish Isaacs family, directors of the Marconi Company, were accused of cronyism, and three government ministers were charged with illegal stock speculation. In the spring of 1913, witnesses testified in the House of Commons, and a report was published and debated. In June, the three ministers were acquitted, and a new contract was signed in July. It was precisely during this period that Bundy's 'Finance' exhibition at the Royal Academy attracted considerable interest. The 'problem painting' offered viewers a wonderful opportunity to express their opinions on the scandal. The scene, with powerfully rendered, almost caricatural figures engaged in a heated discussion after a lavish meal, features a classic Bundy construction. It provides a snapshot of one aspect of an activity while simultaneously allowing the viewer to see that much more is happening in the background. After a second exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1916, the painting was acquired by William Lever, co-founder of the Lever Brothers, the forerunner of Unilever in Great Britain. In 1970, the work came into the possession of collectors John and Johanna Bass, New York, and in 1979, it was acquired by the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach.