John Tomlinson as Wotan
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “John Tomlinson as Wotan” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Pencil drawings by Ken Howard (obverse and reverse) of the opera singer John Tomlinson as Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle, signed by the artist and dedicated to Tony and Susan Gasson.
British operatic bass John Tomlinson (b.1946) first sang Wotan in his debut at Wagner’s Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1988. He was Bayreuth’s Wotan for five years (1988-1992) in the Ring cycle directed by Harry Kupfer, and again in a new production by Alfred Kirchner (1994-1998) - a record number of performances in the role there. He has also sung it in Berlin, Munich and Vienna, and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in productions by Richard Jones (1994-1996) and Keith Warner (2005 and 2007). It is the role with which he is most closely associated. On-line journal MusicalCriticism.com called Tomlinson ‘the leading Wotan of his generation’ (September 2006).
Read on
Ken Howard’s sketches show two aspects of Wotan – as the Wanderer in Siegfried, disguised in hat and coat, and as a more aristocratic figure. The drawings are dedicated to ‘Tony and Susan’, opera lover Anthony Gasson and his wife. Anthony Gasson (died 2012) was an enthusiastic collector of opera memorabilia and items from his collection have been acquired by the V&A.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- S.1718-2014
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
