Master Painters & Pioneers, 18th to 20th Century: presented by Winsor Birch
Master Painters & Pioneers chronicles an extraordinary journey of artistic innovation, from the founding principles of the Royal Academy, represented by Sir Joshua Reynolds, to the pivotal moment when that same institution finally welcomed female members, represented by Dame Laura Knight.
Works by Edward Burne-Jones, James Tissot and Frederic Leighton reflect the achievements of the late Victorian era's greatest innovators, which gave way to the impact of Impressionism at the close of the century. A still life by Camille Pissarro, the 'father of Impressionism' leads on to an important series of vibrant harvest landscapes by French painter Henri Martin, paying homage to rural labour. They form a dialogue with exceptional examples by George Clausen who, under the influence of the naturalist painter Jules Bastien-Lepage, concerned himself with the same subject.
The influence of Impressionism and its subsequent iterations had a dynamic impact on the course of British and Irish art in the early 20th century. The call to colour and light is seen in major works by Philip Wilson Steer, Stanhope Forbes, Alfred Munnings, Laura Knight and William Leech. Concurrently, a 1917 still-life by Mark Gertler shows the artist respond to the formal innovations of Cezanne, while a Camden Town interior by Spencer Gore connects the artist to the Parisian avant-garde via Walter Sickert.
The exhibition will be a unique opportunity to encounter rare examples by leading British and French painters, from the 18th century to the turn of the 20th. Consigned from private collections, these masterpieces embody not just individual achievement but also the remarkable collectors who have preserved them, often across generations.
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9.30am - 6pm
Weekend 11am - 5pm
