Enfilade

Now on view in Plymouth:

The Influence of Italy
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, 24 October 2015 — 27 August 2016

Taking as its focus our newly-acquired sketchbook, which was completed by Sir Joshua Reynolds between 1750 and 1752, this display investigates what attracted the young artist to Italy and the lasting influence his tour had on his life and art. Scroll through a digital version of our sketchbook and see what caught Reynolds’s eye as he sketched his way across Rome. Discover why Italy’s art, history and landscape has had such an enduring influence on centuries of artistic imagination. Featuring works by Wilson, Guardi and Northcote, plus supporting loans from the De Pass Collection at the Royal Cornwall Museum and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, join us for a journey to la bella Italia.

◊  ◊  ◊  ◊  ◊

Now on view in Plymouth:

In the Frame: Plymouth’s Portraits Revealed
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, 13 December 2014 — 27 August 2016

Sir Joshua Reynolds, Self-Portrait, ca. 1746 (Plymouth City Council)

Come and see an exhibition that delves more deeply into Plymouth’s portrait collection and presents characters that are new or rarely seen as well as some more familiar faces. ‘In the Frame’ features one of our most recent acquisitions—an early self-portrait by Plympton-born 18th-century artist, Sir Joshua Reynolds. This is set amongst other paintings of artists including self-portraits by James Northcote and Edward Opie.

You can come face to face with some of Plymouth’s maritime greats, too—from Hawkins and Raleigh to 18th-century admirals and George Gibbon, the Lieutenant Governor of Plymouth in the early 1700s, painted by Thomas Hudson. Important local faces and families also feature—from the Edgcumbes and the Eliots, to William Cookworthy (the founder of the Plymouth Porcelain factory) and the last town crier of Devonport.

Find out more about the research and the development that took place for this exhibition on our Museum blog.