Enfilade at Dulwich Picture Gallery with
lanterns (photo John Hammond) |
Opened in 1814, the Dulwich Picture
Gallery is the oldest public gallery in Britain.
The core of the Dulwich College
collection was created in the 17th century by Edward Alleyn,
founder of the school, and 200 years later it was transformed
by the outstanding collection of 17th and 18th-century works
collected by Noël Desenfans, a French art dealer.
These paintings were intended
for the National Gallery of Poland but, after the abdication
of King Stanislas, they passed on Desenfans's death to his
English wife and then to his friend Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois.
The Desenfan-Bourgeois collection
was given to Dulwich College, for the foundation of a Picture
Gallery, according to the terms of Bourgeois's will.
In 1811 Sir John Soane, Bourgeois's friend, was commissioned
to design a building to house the collection. The Neo-Classical
building incorporates Soane's mausoleum for the gallery's
three benefactors.
In 2000 the gallery was reopened
after Rick Mather Architects completed improvements, including
the restoration of Soane's original design, particularly in
the front elevation. A glass-sided extension has also
provided new facilities such as a practical art room, space
for temporary exhibitions and a café.
When the gallery was closed
its collection of over 300 pictures, especially rich in 17th-century
European painting, embarked on a worldwide tour. Now
returned, the paintings on display include works by Rembrandt, Rubens,
Raphael, Canaletto, Poussin, Cuyp, Gainsborough and Van Dyck.
Rembrandt's 'Jacob II de Ghyen'
has been stolen from the Dulwich Picture Gallery four times!
As well as its permanent collection,
the gallery also hosts temporary shows.
Dulwich Picture Gallery is surrounded
by grounds, and across the road are the 75 acres of
Dulwich Park.
Admission charge
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