ANGELA CONNER (BRITISH B. 1935), ANDREW CAVENDISH, 11TH DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE ANGELA CONNER (BRITISH B. 1935)ANDREW CAVENDISH, 11TH DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE Painted plaster 45cm (17½in.) High Angela Conner and Andrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, became close friends after being introduced by Angela Conner's brother-in-law and playwright, John Osborne. From that first meeting, he was a keen collector of her work, at one point owning over forty of her sculptures, including busts of prominent British politicians, royalty, writers, and celebrities, as well as larger garden sculptures. Impressed by her work, Conner was then asked to produce portraits of the Duke of Devonshire himself and his Family, which were exhibited in 1975 at the Chatsworth Theatre Gallery alongside pictures by Lucian Freud. Cavendish was a British aristocrat and politician, best known for his contributions to the preservation and management of historic properties and cultural institutions in England. In addition to inheriting and restoring Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, he served as chairman of the Historic Houses Association and the Georgian Group, organisations dedicated to the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes in England. He was also actively involved in politics, serving as a Member of Parliament for almost twenty years and holding various government positions, including Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations. 'It's rather extraordinary how I came to meet her. I'd been to the theatre and [...] sat next to a lady who i'd never met before who said she was a sculptor, and just beginning to sculpt. Shes done a head of Roy Strong and I said I'd love to go and see it. [...] And that's how it all started.' The Duke of Devonshire, 3rd January 2001, from an interview with Helen Dempsey Provenance: Direct from the artist's studio collection