The Fondation de l’Hermitage continues
its exploration of the great centres of western art in the 19th century
with an exhibition devoted to British painting from Turner to Whistler,
taking in the Pre-Raphaelites. Nearly 60 paintings, on loan from the
most prestigious collections in the United Kingdom and shown in
Switzerland for the first time, offer an unrivaled survey of art
produced during the golden age of the British Empire, highlighting its
captivating originality.
Alongside Turner, whose dazzling oeuvre anticipated
Impressionism, the exhibition pays tribute to artists who won renown
through landscape painting, such as Atkinson Grimshaw, Baker Pyne,
Brett, and Martin.
The exhibition places a special emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (Millais, Rossetti) as well as the Aesthetic Movement(Burne-Jones,
Watts), two circles of artists who found powerful inspiration in
literature, mythology and antiquity (Alma-Tadema, Egley, Hughes, Sandys,
Scott).
The industrial revolution and the rapid development
of cities and public transport give rise to compelling scenes that bear
witness to different facets of modern life (Emslie, Fletcher, Hicks,
Joy) along with its social repercussions (Collinson, Holl, Mulready,
Nelson O’Neil, Walker).
British Painting from Turner to Whistler is the first
exhibition devoted to British Victorian paintings in a Swiss museum and
is intended to reveal the many artistic directions that dominated the
visual arts in Britain after the death of Constable. Included in the
exhibition are three works on loan from the Royal Collection which
showcase the richness and diversity of paintings made during this
period.
Frank Holl, No Tidings from The Sea provides an example of a direct commission by Queen Victoria with the subject left to the painter's discretion.
The survey concludes with a section dedicated to
Sargent and Whistler, cosmopolitan artists of American origin: bold and
brilliant portrait painters, among the most celebrated of their era.
