THE KING’S FOUNDATION WELCOMES MARIA MANETTI SHREM AS A PRINCIPAL PATRON OF THE GARRISON CHAPEL AND DUMFRIES HOUSE ESTATE.

In recognition of her generous support, The King’s Foundation is pleased to announce the exhibition space at the charity’s Garrison Chapel will be named the Maria Manetti Shrem Gallery.

The King’s Foundation exhibition space at The Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks, showcases the work of the charity, including projects by its students and graduates, with a particular emphasis on traditional arts and heritage craft skills. The Chapel also hosts special exhibitions and events in collaboration with external partners, as well as workshops for the local community and schools. Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, is the headquarters of The King’s Foundation and serves as its flagship regeneration project.

Born in Florence, Italy, Maria Manetti Shrem moved to San Francisco, California, in 1972. She became instrumental in the internationalisation of some of the world’s most iconic fashion brands, such as Gucci and Fendi.

Maria and her husband, Jan Shrem, have long contributed philanthropic support in the US, Italy, and the UK to about 50 charitable programmes. The Manetti Shrems are co-founders of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis. The extraordinary architectural design of the museum was listed in ARTnews as “One of The World’s 25 Best Museum Buildings of the Past 100 Years.”

Maria has received numerous prestigious awards and recognition as an outstanding and influential cultural ambassador and philanthropist, such as Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy; The Keys of the City of Florence; The Angels of the Arts Award from the Festival Napa Valley; The Spirit of the Opera Award from San Francisco Opera; the 2023 UC Davis Medal honorary degree as the major philanthropist of the arts at UC Davis. The City and the County of San Francisco proclaimed June 22 Manetti Shrem Day for Philanthropy.

Today, on International Women’s Day, The Future is Female exhibition by The Art Link opened in the Maria Manetti Shrem Gallery at the Garrison Chapel. The exhibition will run until Saturday 6th April and features over 40 artworks from 14 contemporary female artists.