Johannes Vermeer, Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman, c. 1660. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020.
Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace at The Queen’s Gallery brings together some of the most important Dutch, Flemish and Italian Old Master paintings in the Royal Collection from the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Artists represented include Titian, Vermeer, Rembrandt, van Dyck, Rubens, Jan Steen, Claude and Canaletto.
In this introductory talk, Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures and exhibition curator, will look at the qualities valued by the makers of these works and still appreciated today: the imitation of nature; the sensuous use of materials; the creation of beautiful design; and the ability to express human emotion. He will consider afresh what made them astonishing at the time of their creation, what they can offer a modern viewer and, especially, why these paintings deserve to be described as ‘Masterpieces’.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends. Bookings close one hour before the event.