We must confess that religious paintings are not our favourite subject, and we've tended to regard Spanish Catholic art as being, well, just a little too religious to cope with. So we approached the Francisco de Zurbarán exhibition at the National Gallery in London with a certain amount of trepidation. A degree of contrition is due.... Yes, there were monks, altarpieces and lots of saints, but we were blown away by Zurbarán's ability to depict textures and fabrics and to convey an intensity of feeling. It's an absolutely excellent exhibition, full of truly beautiful paintings. Such religious art was intended to bring the faithful closer to God, to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth, in an age when many could not read. Zurbarán was a master at it. Let's start with a saint: Just take a look at the fabrics, trimmings and gems in this picture. And the garments are even more striking when you are stood in front of this nearly life-size figure. This is Casild...
It's not opening until September 10, but tickets to see The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum go on sale at 1000 on July 1, so if you want to see it this year you'll probably need to get in early. Follow the link for details. Booking for the rest of the run, from January 1 through to July 11, 2027, will open later in 2026. If you've never seen this most astounding of historical artefacts in its natural habitat in Normandy, you'll want to seize the chance in London.
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But what about this month? Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) is regarded as one of Austria's finest 19th-century painters, and there's a free single-room show devoted to his views of the Alps, Vienna and Sicily from July 2 at the National Gallery. Waldmüller: Landscapes is on till September 20.
Richard Dadd (1817-1886) was already known as a successful painter of Shakespearean fairy scenes before he began experiencing delusions, leading him to kill his father. Confined to Bethlem and Broadmoor hospitals, he continued to create imaginative and fantastical art. See it in Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam at the Royal Academy from July 25 to October 25.
The celebrations of John Constable's 250th birthday continue with the visit of one of his most famous paintings to Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich. The show centred on The Hay Wain: Walking Constable's Landscape will include 70 loans, some from major collections, and it's on from July 11 to October 4.
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The enigmatic, silence-filled works of one of Denmark's greatest painters arrive at the Kunsthaus in Zurich on July 3 for Vilhelm Hammershøi: The Eye that Listens, an exhibition that will be on until October 25. The show comes from the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, where we saw it earlier this year.
If you hanker for something a bit more dramatic, you might prefer a trip to the Museum Folkwang in Essen, in Germany's former industrial heartland, the Ruhr. I, Gustave Courbet: Painter and Rebel is on from July 17 to November 8. This show about one of the most influential of all 19th-century artists was previously on at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, where opening hours were extended to accommodate the large number of visitors.
Over in eastern Germany, there's a very attractive-looking exhibition at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam. Symphony of Colours: Paul Signac and Neo-Impressionism will have over 90 paintings, more than a third by Signac. Other artists featured include Maximilien Luce, Théo van Rysselberghe and Georges Seurat. On from July 4 to October 11, after which it goes on to the Kunsthal in Rotterdam.
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And in our unceasing quest to alert you to interesting exhibitions in unfamiliar venues right across Europe, how about a visit to Montauban in south-west France, birthplace of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres? From July 3 to November 8, there's an exhibition on Ingres and Fashion at the Musée Ingres Bourdelle, with some 200 exhibits ranging from paintings to clothes.
Last chance to see....
You only have until July 5 to experience Monet on the Normandy Coast: The Discovery of Etretat and some spectacular cliffs at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. It's a tremendous show, with Courbet, Delacroix, Matisse and many others represented too; we saw it in Lyon late last year.
You only have until July 5 to experience Monet on the Normandy Coast: The Discovery of Etretat and some spectacular cliffs at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. It's a tremendous show, with Courbet, Delacroix, Matisse and many others represented too; we saw it in Lyon late last year.
And closing on July 19, a truly stunning Anthony van Dyck retrospective at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa, one of the best exhibitions of year: Van Dyck, the European is well worth the trip.
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Images
Segment of Bayeux Tapestry. © La Fabrique de patrimoines en Normandie/Antoine CazinJohn Constable (1776-1837), The Hay Wain, 1821. © The National Gallery, London
Paul Signac (1863-1935), Sails and Pines, 1896, Private collection
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, 1632 or 1633, Archbishopric of Olomouc, Czech Republic
You wrote "If you've never seen this most astounding of historical artefacts in its natural habitat in Normandy, you'll want to seize the chance in London". I saw this most astounding of historical artefacts in Normandy and now I would give anything to see it in London.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned is to move slowly - the scenes I knew well were easily analysed. The scenes I was NOT familiar with required far more visual analysis.