Tag: London art

National Gallery London offers chance to see magnificent Carracci cartoons

magnificent Carracci cartoons

Next spring, art enthusiasts will have the rare opportunity to witness the magnificent Carracci cartoons up close at the National Gallery. Displayed in Room 1, these extraordinary works, created around 1599, are not just impressive in size—nearly four metres wide and two metres tall—but also in their delicate execution using charcoal and white chalk. Given their fragility and grandeur, these masterpieces are seldom exhibited, making this a truly special occasion. The Carracci cartoons entered the National Gallery’s collection in 1837, thanks to a generous gift from Lord Francis Egerton. Before that, they belonged to the esteemed artist Sir Thomas Lawrence. Originally, these grand drawings were crafted as preparatory works for the painted ceiling in the gallery of Palazzo Farnese, one of Rome’s Renaissance treasures, now housing the French Embassy. The commission was initiated by Odoardo Farnese, a cardinal and the younger son of the Duke of Parma. In 1594, he enlisted the talented Carracci brothers from Bologna to adorn his family palace with artistic splendour. Upon their arrival in Rome, Annibale and Agostino Carracci drew from the grandeur of antique sculptures and the masterpieces of Michelangelo and Raphael to conjure an idealised vision of the classical world, celebrating the loves of the gods. The resulting ‘Galleria Farnese’ became a beacon of inspiration for generations of artists. The two cartoons on display are largely the work of Agostino, though Annibale is believed to have contributed to their creation. They depict scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses—stories of transformation that were integral to the frescoed ceiling in the Farnese… Read More

National Gallery in London has bought an iconic new piece of art

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The National Gallery has brought a new piece of art and if classical history is your thing then this will get you excited. Well, folks, the National Gallery’s 200th-anniversary bash just got a whole lot fancier. They’ve gone and added “After the Audience” by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912) to their collection. That’s right, this is the third piece they’ve snagged this year to mark the big 2-0-0. Not just any piece, mind you—this is a colossal work of art that screams ambition, scale, and historical oomph, fresh for your eyes in Room 45 starting today, Thursday, 15 August 2024. So, who is this Alma-Tadema bloke? Born in the Netherlands but a British darling by choice, he was the darling of the Victorian era, mesmerizing everyone with his pitch-perfect portrayals of Classical antiquity. While his work took a bit of a nap in the public eye posthumously, it’s been back in vogue since the groovy ’60s. “After the Audience” takes us way back to Ancient Rome and showcases Agrippa, the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus, striding up the stairs of his villa after a long day of listening to petitioners from all corners of the Empire. The gifts from these petitioners are sprawled out in the foreground, making for quite the visual feast. The National Gallery didn’t just stumble upon this masterpiece; it was a well-orchestrated acquisition from a private collection, thanks to the wheeling and dealing by Christie’s Private Sales. The purchase was made possible due to the generosity of Mrs. Martha Doris Bailey, Mr. Richard… Read More

Discover Constable and The Hay Wain at National Gallery London

Discover Constable and The Hay Wain

In the winter of 2024?25, as part of the NG200 celebrations, the National Gallery will host an extraordinary exhibition titled “Discover Constable and The Hay Wain”. This exhibition will centre on John Constable’s masterpiece, The Hay Wain (1821), and represents the first loan exhibition dedicated to Constable (1776–1837) at the National Gallery. The exhibition aims to explore the social, political, and artistic context in which The Hay Wain was created, highlighting the radical reception the painting initially received and its eventual acclaim. The timing of this exhibition is significant as it marks the bicentenary year of the National Gallery. In 1824, The Hay Wain achieved international recognition and was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon by French King Charles X. Today, The Hay Wain is a symbol of the quintessential British countryside and has become an icon in pop culture, though it was once regarded as a revolutionary reimagining of landscape painting. One of the primary goals of this exhibition is to trace the journey of Constable’s work into major collections and to celebrate significant donations to the national collections from Isabel Constable, his daughter, and art collectors such as John Sheepshanks and Henry Vaughan. The exhibition will delve into the acquisition history of The Hay Wain by the National Gallery in 1886 and examine the rise in both the painting’s and Constable’s popularity since then. The Hay Wain depicts a serene rural scene on the River Stour, near Flatford Mill, which was owned by Constable’s father. This setting reflects Constable’s intimate connection… Read More

The Royal Academy’s Exhibition 2024 prize winners, London

Royal Art painting

The Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition is a unique celebration of contemporary art and architecture, providing a vital platform and support for the artistic community. Each year, the Royal Academy presents a number of prizes for outstanding works within the exhibition. This year proves to be no exception, with a remarkable slate of winners reflecting exceptional talent and creativity. The Charles Wollaston Award The prestigious £35,000 Charles Wollaston Award, one of the most significant art prizes in the country and now in its 26th year, is presented to the ‘most distinguished work’ in the exhibition. The 2024 award was judged by Stephen Farthing RA, Anna Moszynska, and Joana Neves. This year’s prize was awarded to Tracey Emin RA for her work Did it Ever Get Any Better (Cat. 399, Gallery III). The AXA Art Prize UK 2024 Awarded £10,000 for an outstanding work of figurative art, this prize honours exemplary talent in the depiction of the human figure. Judges Jennifer Schipf, Mark Hampson, and Gillian Wearing RA selected Wendy Freestone’s piece, IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS (Cat. 2, Gallery I), as the winner. The Jack Goldhill Award for Sculpture Sculpture enthusiasts celebrate the £10,000 Jack Goldhill Award for Sculpture. This year, the judges Judy Goldhill, Tom Brent, Es Devlin, Georgia Kerr, Hew Locke RA, and Ina Sarikhani awarded the prize to Brigit Connolly for her work GIVE AND TAKE (Cat. 1581, Lecture Room). The British Institution Fund Award for Students Designed to promote excellence within student communities, The British Institution Fund Award offers £5,000 for… Read More

National Gallery’s Bicentenary gets a huge funding boost

National Gallery archway

The National Gallery is delighted to announce that it has reached its Bicentenary fundraising campaign target, thanks to a generous grant of £5m from the newly established Julia Rausing Trust. Launched in 2022 with a goal of £95m, the campaign is the largest in the Gallery’s history. The grant from the Julia Rausing Trust has enabled the campaign target to be reached two months after the Gallery celebrated its 200th birthday and the start of a year celebrating creativity, great art, and the history of the National Gallery. The Trust, founded by Julia’s husband Hans Rausing following her death in April 2024, will grant funds to organisations and causes which were important and meaningful to Julia Rausing, reflecting her significant philanthropy over a number of years. Many of the Gallery’s Bicentenary programmes are currently underway, with Art Road Trip’s travelling art studio bringing an experience of the Gallery to communities with particularly high barriers to arts and culture; and National Treasures, where 12 of the Gallery’s most famous paintings are spending the summer on loan to museums and galleries in cities around the UK. Work is also in progress on a suite of capital projects at the Gallery’s home in Trafalgar Square, improving the welcome visitors are given at the Sainsbury Wing and the facilities for learning and research at all ages and stages. The grant from the Julia Rausing Trust will be put towards aspects of the capital project, in particular a new underground link between the Wilkins and Sainsbury buildings, in the space… Read More

Take One Picture: children inspired by Henri Rousseau’s Surprised!

Surprised 1891 Henri Rousseau 1844 – 1910 oil on canvas

This summer, the National Gallery will showcase children’s artworks in the annual Take One Picture exhibition, with pupils across the country having taken inspiration from Rousseau’s Surprised! For nearly thirty years, the Gallery has been inviting primary school children nationwide to focus on one painting from the collection and respond creatively, following their own questions and ideas, and this year’s program has been the biggest yet: 300 schools took part – more than a 60% increase from last year. The program aims to put art at the center of children’s learning across the curriculum, inspiring creativity, curiosity, and a lifelong connection with artists’ work. By exhibiting a selection of the projects produced, the program also provides a platform for celebrating children’s work, building pride and confidence in their achievements, and fostering a sense of ownership and belonging in the Gallery. This year’s painting, Rousseau’s Surprised!, is perennially one of the Gallery’s top 20 most popular and visited paintings. Rousseau produced the work without ever leaving his native France; the foliage is a mix of domestic house plants and tropical varieties, which he had seen at the Botanical Gardens in Paris. An amateur artist who painted as a hobby and failed to get serious recognition from his contemporaries, Rousseau is now seen as a pioneer of the “naïve art” movement. Year 4 at Langland Community School, Milton Keynes, were drawn to the tiger’s worried expression and wondered if he was in danger from poachers. The children researched the endangerment of tigers and their habitat through deforestation… Read More

British Museum and Huw Locke explore legacies of Empire

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The British Museum has embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration with the esteemed Guyanese-British artist, Hew Locke, for a significant new exhibition delving into how the Museum’s collection reflects the enduring legacies of British imperial power from centuries past to the present day. This innovative exhibition, co-curated by Locke, will showcase iconic objects from the Museum’s vast collection alongside specially commissioned new works by the artist himself. Throughout his illustrious career, Locke has demonstrated a profound interest in objects and the narratives they harbor. His connection to the British Museum collection dates back to his formative years as a student in London, where he frequented the Museum of Mankind to draw inspiration from its ethnographic collections. This forthcoming exhibition marks a milestone as Locke’s first venture into artist-curated museum exhibitions, offering him a unique opportunity to delve deeply into a museum collection unlike ever before. The rich history and holdings of the British Museum intertwine closely with the narrative of the British Empire. This exhibition is poised to dissect these intertwined histories while engaging with the contemporary debates swirling around cultural heritage. By focusing on Britain’s historical interactions with Africa, India, and the Caribbean—regions that significantly influenced Guyana, Locke’s place of upbringing—the exhibition will serve as a personal exploration by utilizing interventionist techniques to reframe historical objects within the collection. Locke’s exploration aims to unravel the intricate ways in which museums are entangled in the legacies of Empire, embracing the complexities and ambiguities of these narratives. Rather than providing definitive answers, Locke seeks to provoke introspection… Read More

Good news for National Gallery London: Eva Gonzalès piece acquired

Eva Gonzalez painting art

On the occasion of the artist’s 177th birthday on Friday 19th April, the National Gallery has acquired La Psyché (The Full-length Mirror), about 1869-70, by Eva Gonzalès (1849-1883) thanks to three generous legacy gifts from Mrs Martha Doris Bailey, Miss Gillian Cleaver, and Ms Sheila Mary Holmes, and the National Gallery Trust. This is the first acquisition by the Gallery of a work by Gonzalès and the second acquisition of its Bicentenary year. La Psyché has not been seen in public for over seventy years and joins only one other painting by her in a UK public collection, The Donkey Ride, about 1880?2, at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Gonzalès is the 20th female artist represented in the National Gallery Collection, marking a significant addition. The story of Gonzalès’s reputation, during and after her life, reflects some of the reasons why women artists are not well represented in the National Gallery. These include being offered fewer opportunities in life and the lack of interest shown, consciously or not, in works by women artists by collectors of the era and onwards, from whose acquisitions the National Gallery’s own collection was assembled.  During her lifetime Gonzalès was an established artist who exhibited multiple times to acclaim at the official Paris Salon. She was the only official pupil of Edouard Manet (1832-83), with whom she studied from 1869. Gonzalès likely painted La Psyché around the same time that Manet was painting his portrait of her, Eva Gonzalès (1870). That work, in the Gallery collection, was the focal point of the recent exhibition, Discover Manet & Eva… Read More