Dulwich Picture Gallery 390539 225069657 2008-07-11T19:06:09Z Nancy 4560805 Quick-adding category "John Soane buildings" (using [[WP:HOTCAT|HotCat]]) [[Image:Dulwich Picture Gallery exterior.jpg|thumb|Exterior - east frontage]] '''Dulwich Picture Gallery''' is an [[art gallery]] in [[Dulwich]], [[London]]. It was built by [[Sir John Soane|Soane]] as the world's first purpose-built art gallery (the [[Foundling Hospital]], which contained a permanent art exhibition, being primarily for another purpose) and opened in 1817. ==History of the collection== The Dulwich collection was first put together by Sir [[Francis Bourgeois]] (1753-1811), originally from [[Switzerland]], and his business partner, Frenchman [[Noël Desenfans]]. The two ran a successful art dealership in London and in 1790 were commissioned by the King of [[Poland]], [[Stanislaus II Augustus Poniatowski, King of Poland|Stanislaus Augustus]], to put together a "royal collection", which the monarch lacked and thought would encourage fine arts in Poland. Touring around [[Europe]] buying [[fine art]], Bourgeois and Desenfans took five years to put the collection together, but by 1795 Poland had been [[History of Poland (1795–1918)|partitioned]] &mdash; divided up by its stronger neighbours &mdash; and no longer existed. Bourgeois and Desenfans attempted to sell the collection to other nations but were unsuccessful and instead sold small pieces to fund the purchase of further important works, keeping the collection in London. After the death of Desenfans in 1807, Bourgeois contacted the [[British Museum]] about bequeathing the collection on his own death, but was put off by the attitude of the Museum's trustees. A major addition to the collection came in [[1835]], when [[William Linley]] - last of [[Thomas Linley the elder#Children|a musical and theatrical family]] - bequeathed his collection of family portraits to the gallery on his death. In 1966 eight paintings were stolen; three by [[Rembrandt]], three by [[Rubens]] and one each by [[Gerrit Dou]] and [[Adam Elsheimer]]. They were worth at the time about £4.5 million in total but a reward of just £1,000 was offered for their return. The paintings were recovered a few days later in an investigation led by Detective-superintendent [[Charles Hewett]], who had previously investigated suspected [[serial killer]] [[John Bodkin Adams|Dr John Bodkin Adams]]. Michael Hall, an unemployed [[ambulance]] driver, was the only one of the thieves caught and was sentenced to 5 years in prison<ref>Hugh McLeave, ''Rogues in the Gallery: The Modern Plague of Art Thefts'', C&M Online Media, Inc. ISBN:091799082X</ref>. ==History of the building== [[Image:Dulwich Picture Gallery interior.jpg|thumb|Dulwich Picture Gallery interior]] When Bourgeois died in 1811, the terms of his will stated that the collection was to be left to [[Dulwich College]] and that a new museum was to be built by his friend, the architect Sir [[John Soane]], which would house the collection and would be open to the public. It also left £2,000 for construction costs. Soane's clear design and basic [[architecture]] of a series of interlinked rooms lit by natural light through overhead [[skylight]]s has been the primary influence on art gallery design ever since. The Dulwich College Picture Gallery (as it was named at the time) opened its doors in 1817. <!-- rem inexistent image [[Image:Dulwich Picture Gallery.jpg|thumb|The Gallery and grounds — although Sir [[John Soane]] took the radical step of designing a gallery with no windows in the walls, he could not balance the look of the facade without them. His solution was to use rows of 'blind' window arches seen along the external walls.]] --> Bourgeois and Desenfans, along with Desenfans' wife, who funded part of their work, are buried in a [[mausoleum]] that forms one wing of the museum. The mausoleum took a direct hit from a [[Germany|German]] bomb during [[World War II]] and, apparently, their bones were scattered across the lawn in front of the gallery. The three [[sarcophagus|sarcophagi]] in the mausoleum now once again contain approximately a [[skeleton]] each, but nobody was quite sure which bones were whose.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} [[Alms house]]s alongside the gallery were converted into exhibition space in 1880 and an extension was built in the early 20th century. A modern extension designed by [[Rick Mather]] was built in 1999, adding a [[café]], new entrance and covered walkway and joining the building to the chapel and offices of Alleyn's College. Parts of Soane's original design were also restored, having been changed during previous extensions. ==The Collection== Dulwich Picture Gallery houses one of the world's most important collections of European old master paintings of the 1600s and 1700s. ===Paintings=== [[Image:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 116.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Rembrandt|Rembrandt van Rijn]] - A Young man, perhaps the Artist's Son Titus (1663)]] ''Dutch School :*[[Aelbert Cuyp|Cuyp, Aelbert]] - 11 paintings; :*[[Gerrit Dou|Dou, Gerrit]] - 1 painting; :*[[Meyndert Hobbema|Hobbema, Meyndert]] - 1 painting; :*[[Pieter de Hooch|Hooch, Pieter de]] - 2 paintings; :*[[Aernout van der Neer|Neer, Aernout van der]] - 1 painting; :*[[Adriaen van Ostade|Ostade, Adriaen van]] - 5 paintings; :*[[Rembrandt|Rembrandt van Rijn]] - 4 paintings; :*[[Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruysdael|Ruisdael, Jacob van]] - 4 paintings; :*[[Adriaen van de Velde|Velde, Adriaen van de]] - 2 paintings; :*[[Willem van de Velde the Younger|Velde, Willem van de...the Younger]] - 3 paintings; :*[[Jan Weenix|Weenix, Jan]] - 1 painting; :*[[Philip Wouwerman|Wouwerman, Philip]] - 12 paintings; ''English School'' :*[[Thomas Gainsborough|Gainsborough, Thomas]] - 7 paintings; :*[[William Hogarth|Hogarth, William]] - 2 paintings; :*[[Edwin Henry Landseer|Landseer, Sir Edwin]] - 1 painting; :*[[Thomas Lawrence (painter)|Lawrence, Thomas]] - 3 paintings; :*[[Joshua Reynolds|Reynolds, Joshua]] - 9 paintings; ''Flemish School'' :*[[Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger]] - 1 painting; :*[[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens, Peter Paul]] - 12 paintings; :*[[David Teniers the Younger|Teniers, David]] - 19 paintings; :*[[Anthony van Dyck|Van Dyck, Anthony]] - 4 paintings; ''French School'' :*[[Gaspard Dughet|Dughet, Gaspard]] - 4 painting; :*[[Jean-Honoré Fragonard|Fragonard, Jean-Honoré]] - 1 painting; :*[[Claude Lorrain|Gellée, Claude]] - 4 paintings; :*[[Nicolas Poussin|Poussin, Nicolas]] - 6 paintings; :*[[Claude-Joseph Vernet|Vernet, Claude-Joseph]] - 6 paintings; :*[[Jean-Antoine Watteau|Watteau, Jean-Antoine]] - 2 paintings; ''Italian School'' :*[[Canaletto]], (Giovanni Antonio Canal) - 2 paintings; :*[[Annibale Carracci|Annibale]] - 4 paintings; :*[[Guercino]], (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) - 2 paintings; :*[[Raphael|Raphael, (Raffaello Sanzio)]] - 2 Paintings; :*[[Guido Reni|Reni, Guido]] - 2 paintings; :*[[Sebastiano Ricci|Ricci, Sebastiano]] - 2 paintings; :*[[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo|Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista]] - 3 paintings; :*[[Giorgio Vasari|Vasari, Giorgio]] - 1 painting; :*[[Paolo Veronese|Veronese, Paolo]] - 1 painting; :*[[Francesco Zuccarelli|Zuccarelli, Francesco]] - 3 paintings; ''Spanish School'' :*[[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo|Murillo, Bartolomé-Esteban]] - 4 paintings; ==Gallery== <Gallery> Image:Dulwich Picture Gallery TQ3373 142.jpg|Dulwich Picture Gallery exterior looking north </Gallery> ==Friends Association== The Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery play an essential role in the life and work of the Gallery. They are independent of the Gallery and raise funds to support the exhibitions programme and specific projects. Many of the Gallery's most popular events - concerts, lectures, dinners, parties, visits etc - are organised by the Friends. ==Late Nights== The gallery is open late on the 3rd Thursday of every month, from 6.30pm to 10.00pm The lates usually have a theme related to the current exhibition and often include short films, music, a bar, art activities and curatorial talks. The café, shop and chapel are also open at this time. ==Dulwich OnView== This magazine is associated with the Gallery. It is produced by local volunteers who are Friends of the Gallery, and it celebrates people and culture in the Dulwich area. It includes interviews, local diaries, exclusive looks behind closed doors, photos, films, podcasts and reader offers. Anyone can contribute. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Official website] {{commonscat}} {{London museums}} {{coord|51|26|46|N|0|05|11|W|display=title|region:GB_type:landmark}} [[Category:1817 architecture]] [[Category:Art museums and galleries in London]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Southwark]] [[Category:John Soane buildings]] [[cs:Dulwich Picture Gallery]] [[he:גלריית דאליץ']]