The Courtauld Gallery - “Pure bliss beckons” The Independent on Botticelli and Treasures from the Hamilton Collection

Visit The Courtauld Gallery in May

Final Weeks: Botticelli and Treasures from the Hamilton Collection

★★★★★  The Evening Standard ★★★★★  Time Out "A display focused on Botticelli’s illustration for Dante’s Divine Comedy confronts us with a talent and a vision so exceptional that it shocked me. I knew he was brilliant. I did not know he was this brilliant." The Sunday Times

This major exhibition features no less than thirty of Botticelli’s exquisite drawings for Dante’s Divine Comedy alongside a selection of outstanding Renaissance illuminated manuscripts. These works were all sensationally sold to Berlin in 1882 by the 12th Duke of Hamilton. Dated to around 1480-95 and drawn on vellum, Botticelli’s Dante drawings are very rarely exhibited. This is an exceptional opportunity to see a representative collection of the great Renaissance master’s interpretation of one of the canonical texts of world literature. Ten drawings will be included from each of the three parts of the Divine Comedy, charting Dante’s imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. The drawings will be accompanied by an extraordinary selection of illuminated manuscripts, many from the time of Botticelli. These include the monumental Hamilton Bible. One of the most important illuminated manuscripts in the world, this splendid princely volume is depicted in Raphael’s portrait of Pope Leo X and has never returned to the UK since its sale in 1882.

Organised in collaboration with

Benefactors Anonymous in memory of Melvin R. Seiden Friends of The Courtauld International Music and Art Foundation

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Bruegel in Black & White: Three Grisailles Reunited  Closes 8 May 2016 Bruegel: A Tree-mendous Discovery  Gallery Blog  This focused exhibition brings together for the first time Bruegel’s only three surviving grisaille paintings: The Courtauld’s Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, The Death of the Virgin from Upton House and Three Soldiers from the Frick Collection in New York. This exhibition includes replicas made by Bruegel’s sons, as well as other grisailles, in order to shed light on this genre in Northern Europe.       Supporters Friends of The Courtauld Johnny Van Haeften Ltd Eijk and Rose-Marie de Mol van Otterloo Displays at The Courtauld Gallery not only offer the possibility to see masterpieces in a different light and a different context but in preparing them, curators and conservators carry out a wealth of research on the works. Bruegel in Black & White: Three Grisailles Reunited was no exception, but the investigation yielded exceptional results....    Read the full blog here Book now Tickets now on sale Summer Showcase Georgiana Houghton: Spirit Drawings 16 June - 11 September 2016 Georgiana Houghton (1814-1884) was a Spiritualist medium who, in the 1860s and 70s, produced an astonishing series of largely abstract watercolours. Detailed explanations on the back of the works declare that her hand was guided by various spirits, including several Renaissance artists, as well as higher angelic beings. In 1871 Houghton rented a gallery in Bond Street and presented 155 of these works to an astonished London audience. Organised in collaboration with Monash University Museum of Art Book now

Ornament by Design, 23 April - 12 June 2016 Drawings Gallery

Ornament by Design: Behind-the-scenes

This display explores the ways in which ornament transforms buildings, objects, and other surfaces into something beautiful: objects of desire.  Ornament by Design presents a range of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French drawings: elevations and sections of buildings, ornamental motifs, garden ornaments, ceiling decorations, designs for frames and architectural capriccios.  They illustrate the variety of forms that ornament assumed and the functions it performed in the built environment of the ancien régime.

Discover what it takes to develop and execute a display like Ornament by Design at The Courtauld Gallery. Listen to our audio series to learn more about the works selected to be on display. Find out about the team of students and academics who carefully curated this show and view behind-the-scenes images and background information about each of the works.

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May Talks  Curator's Talks Wednesday 6 May 17.00 - 17.30 Join us on the first Wednesday of every month for a curator’s talk on the artwork, themes and ideas behind our latest exhibition. Talks are included in your admission ticket. Lunchtime Talks Every Monday & Friday 13.15 - 13.30 Lunchtime talks are delivered by students and researchers at The Courtauld Institute of Art.  They are informal and an interesting way of looking closely at the works in our collection. Included in your admission ticket. Sunday Talks Sundays 15.00 - 15.45 Explore highlights from the latest exhibition, or works from the collection, as they are examined by postgraduate students from The Courtauld Institute of Art. Included in your admission ticket, see our events calendar for dates. Sunday Music Sundays 15.00 - 15.45 Listen to performances inspired by the collection as you enjoy your visit. Included in your admission ticket, see our events calendar for dates. Find out more