Description
Join us for this last chance to see the RA’s exhibition of Angelica Kauffman, on our private morning viewing where we will be met and accompanied by exhibition curator Annette Wickham.
After coffee (self-treat), we take a short walk to the Philip Mould Gallery on Pall Mall to view Fruit of Friendship: Portraits by Mary Beale. With an introductory talk by Ellie Smith, curator of the show.
About the exhibitions:
Angelica Kauffman RA (1781-1807) was one of the most celebrated artists of the 18th century. In this major exhibition the RA traces trajectory from child prodigy to one of Europe’s most sought-after painters. Discover the remarkable life of the artist whom one of her contemporaries described as “the most cultivated woman in Europe”.
Known for her celebrity portraits and pioneering history paintings, Angelica Kauffman helped to shape the direction of European art. She painted some of the most influential figures of her day – queens, countesses, actors and socialites – and she reinvented the genre of history painting by focusing largely on female protagonists from classical history and mythology.
This exhibition covers Kauffman’s life and work: her rise to fame in London, her role as a founding member of the Royal Academy and her later career in Rome where her studio became a hub for the city’s cultural life.
Fruit of Friendship: Portraits by Mary Beale
Mary Beale (1633-1699) was one of Britain’s first professional woman artists. This exhibition at Philip Mould Gallery, Fruit of Friendship: Portraits by Mary Beale, features works from public and private collections. The exhibition spans her entire career and includes self-portraits, portraits of her family and friends, and formal commissions.
The exhibition sheds light on Beale’s studio practice and highlights its radical reversal of conventional gender roles for the period. Beale’s husband Charles dedicated himself to his wife’s career and supported her studio diligently by priming canvases, manufacturing pigments, and recording business in a series of notebooks. The exhibition presents a broad selection of works not seen in public before.
Tickets are free for Patrons, £20 for Friends and £25 for guests.
Location: Royal Academy – Burlington House. Nearest tube: Green Park
Meet at 8.35 in the entrance foyer of the RA (Burlington House, Piccadilly) for a prompt 8.45 start.
Image: Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting, 1794. Oil on canvas. 147.3 x 215.9 cm. Nostell Priory © National Trust Images/John Hammond
