The National Gallery turns 200

Fourteen years before moving to the iconic Trafalgar Square location, the National Gallery opened its doors to the public on 10th May 1824 at 100 Pall Mall, a building that was far too small and modest to accommodate a growing collection whose democratic ambition was to be ‘a gallery for all’. Unlike most major European museums like the Prado, the NG is not the result of the nationalisation of a royal art collection, but it was rather born through the will of the British Parliament. In 1824 they voted £60,000 for the purchase and public display of 38 paintings, part of the collection of the late John Julius Angerstein. There are now over 2,300.

The relationship between the National Gallery and the people of London is visceral, and that became apparent during World War II. At a time when the museum was officially closed and the collection evacuated to secret locations in Wales, former director Kenneth Clark organised daily piano concerts that were open to everyone. Myra Hess and other musicians played over 1,600 lunchtime concerts from late 1939 until the end of the war. In 1942, spurred by a letter written by a member of the public to The Times, Clark was persuaded to take one painting at a time out of storage and put it on display so that Londoners would have something to admire.

Happy 200th birthday to what arguably ranks as one of my top 10 happy places on earth. Here are a few of my favourite pieces (no prize for guessing what genre and period I prefer).

#nationalgallery #NG200 #london #museum #painting #renaissance #artblog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

Andrea del Sarto

Portrait of a Young Man c. 1517-18

Titian

Portrait of a Young Man c. 1515-20

Titian

Portrait of a Lady (La Schiavona) c. 1510-12

Titian

Portrait of Geronimo Barbarigo c. 1510

Paolo Veronese

The Dream of Saint Helena c. 1570

Giovanni Bellini

Doge Leonardo Loredan c.1501-02

Palma il Vecchio

Portrait of a Poet c. 1516

Giovanni Battista Moroni

The Tailor c. 1565-70

Italy's 79th Liberation Day anniversary

While Italians get ready to enjoy their 79th year of peace and freedom, somewhere not too far from us the winds of war are howling. April 25th represents a symbolic date on which we commemorate the liberation from over twenty years of fascist dictatorship, five years of world conflict and twenty months of civil war.

Liberation Day remains one of the highest moments in Italian history, a day that should inspire and unite the country. Alas, in 2024 Italy historical reality is being challenged by the right-wing government. Revisionism is ripe, the full horror of fascism gets airbrushed, its devastating impact is trivialised, and a nauseating wave of fascistic nostalgia is gaining momentum polluting public discourse and betraying the memory and the legacy of anti-fascism.

The celebration of April 25th is not empty rhetoric, it is to honour a founding moment of Italian democracy. Italy is an anti-fascist Republic by law, not by opinion. Long live the anti-fascist Republic, long live the Italian Constitution, long live April 25th.

#25aprile #liberationday #liberazione #italy #italia #antifascismo #resistence #bellaciao #blog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

21/04/1945 - Bolognese citizens take to the streets to celebrate the city's liberation with Polish soldiers.

In Memoriam: Faith Ringgold 1930-2024

“The stigma attached to having been in jail for a woman is a very threatening one because of the idea of how dare her not be a good wife and mother. She goes to jail because she is not able to play her traditional role as a woman.” - Faith Ringgold

Trailblazing American artist, activist and author Faith Ringgold died yesterday at 93. Born in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, she is perhaps better known for spearheading the revival of the African American story quilt (there's a beautiful one at the Barbican right now) in the late 1970s. Prior to that, she painted bold and unapologetic pictures that explored the themes of race and gender in America.

I saw this painting, Ringgold's last large-scale oil on canvas, at the Brooklyn Museum exactly a year, a month and day ago. What makes it truly unique is that it was commissioned to be displayed at Rikers Island women's prison facility, where I believed it remained until 2022. To empower the inmates to rebuild their lives after being released, Ringgold painted women engaging in typically male-dominated professions such as NBA stars, cops, bus drivers and doctors. I read she took inspiration from actual conversations had with the inmates about their aspirations, which makes it all the more poignant.

#faithringgold #americanartist #blackartist #painting #artblog #beyondthecanvasblog

Faith Ringgold

For The Women’s House, 1971