Adriano Aymonino Wins the William MB Berger Prize with Enlightened Eclecticism: The Grand Design of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland

Adriano Aymonino’s Enlightened Eclecticism: The Grand Design of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, a Paul Mellon Centre publication, has been announced as the winner of the 2022 William MB Berger Prize for British Art History.

Enlightened Eclecticism is a beautifully illustrated exploration of opulent tastes and the power of patronage in eighteenth-century Britain, examining four houses refurbished in eclectic architectural styles by the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland.

The annual prize was created in 2001 to recognise excellence in the field of British art history by the Berger Collection Educational Trust and The British Art Journal in honour of the late American collector and patron William M. B. Berger.

Three out of four of the shortlisted titles were published by the Paul Mellon Centre. The other two shortlisted nominations were A Biographical Dictionary of British and Irish Engravers, 1714–1820 by David Alexander and London’s ‘Golden Mile’: The Great Houses of the Strand, 1550–1650 by Manolo Guerci.