Dulwich Picture Gallery

23/10/2023

Rubens had a profoundly visual memory.

On his travels in Italy between 1600 and 1608 he was mesmerised not only by ancient sculpture but also
by the work of Italian Renaissance artists, most especially Michelangelo.

This drawing contains copies of the figure of Night, one of four marble figures sculpted by Michelangelo on the Medici family tombs in the Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy) in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence. Rubens probably made the core part of the drawing on the spot, as the light corresponds exactly with the light on the sculpture there.

Rubens took from Michelangelo’s n**e women a sense of strength. Ancient sculptures and ideal
physiognomies of the sixteenth century were to have a profound effect on Rubens’s formation of the female n**e in the following century. 

Discover Rubens & Women, until 28 January (book via the 🔗)

Peter Paul Rubens after Michelangelo, Night, c. 1600-3, paper, black chalk, brown wash, goache  , 36 x 49.5 cm. Foundation Custodia Frits Lugt

20/10/2023

Dutch Golden Age painter Aelbert Cuyp was .

Here's a film we made with our Curator Helen Hillyard about his diminutive masterpiece 'A River Landscape'.

In the first video of our new In the Frame series, Curator Helen Hillyard explores the depths behind Aelbert Cuyp's diminutive painting A River Landscape.Exp...

16/10/2023

🛠️ Join our team
We're looking for a Site Assistant to support our team in maintaining the Site, Offices and Gallery.

Deadline: Sunday 5 November.

Find out more and apply:

Find out about our current vacancies and be a part of the team at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

11/10/2023

This half-length portrait of a handsome young woman is arguably one of Rubens’s most compelling early portraits. Still a young man and an emerging artist, Rubens succeeded in convincingly recording the sitter’s physical presence and capturing her character and psychological make up. She gazes at the viewer with an almost daring invitation to be taken seriously.

The Spanish fashion of high ruff and elegant bodice are swiftly sketched, and the sitter plays with a gold chain in her right hand. The sketchiness of the paint application, with the edges of the work left unfinished, may indicate that this is a study for a more finished portrait. Alternatively, it may simply be a clever device to impress the viewer into wonderment at the precision of the artist even while painting at speed.

If you’re keen to learn more about Rubens’ remarkable career, our curator’s talk with co-curator Dr Amy Orrock takes place at the Gallery tomorrow – final tickets are available via the 🔗

Discover a different side of Peter Paul Rubens in our new exhibition Rubens & Women (book via the 🔗).

Friends go Free to all our exhibitions.

Image: Peter Paul Rubens Portrait of a Young Woman Holding a Chain c. 1603–1606 Oil on canvas 85.5 x 66 cm, The Klesch Collection

10/10/2023

French Rococo painter Jean-Antoine Watteau was born on this day in 1684.

Read a piece by our curator Helen Hillyard on his celebrated work from our collection, Les Plaisirs du Bal: https://dpg.art/AaJlTk

05/10/2023

Its , so we're highlighting our offer for teachers: from studio sessions inspired by our collection and exhibitions to self-led tours. We love teachers, let us help you!

https://dpg.art/schools

04/10/2023

Rubens & Women co-curator Dr Amy Orrock was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row yesterday by Samira Ahmed.

Listen back to a fascinating discussion:

Samira talks to Patsy Ferran, discusses Rubens' women and explores black British cinema.

29/09/2023

We are pleased to introduce our new display by .shamma.artist.

In Bold Spirits, Shamma responds to the Gallery’s historic Collection with a focus on paintings of women. Shamma's new works channel the spirits of these female figures while also connecting them to moments from her own life, retelling their stories for contemporary viewers.

Each of Shamma’s paintings presents a powerful and thought-provoking interpretation of works by artists including Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Lely, Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens. Shamma explores identity, death, motherhood and unexpected beauty in works that demonstrate her technical expertise as an artist, as well as her long-standing appreciation of the Old Masters.

Viewable as part of your ticket to Rubens & Women (book via the 🔗)

Photos by Graham Turner

27/09/2023

★★★★★ ‘a riotous feast’ The Guardian

Our new exhibition, Rubens & Women is now open! 

Featuring masterpieces from international and private collections, many appearing in the UK for the first time, this landmark show reconsiders one of art history’s most influential figures, revealing the varied and important place occupied by women, both real and imagined, in his world. 

Book now via the 🔗

Install photography by Graham Turner

26/09/2023

The Gallery reopens tomorrow, with our new exhibition, Rubens & Women.

See another side to Peter Paul Rubens and the powerful women who inspired him.

dpg.art/rubens-and-women

25/09/2023

Rubens & Women, a major exhibition of the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), opens this Wednesday 27 September. The first exhibition to challenge the popular assumption that Rubens painted only one type of woman, this show reveals the varied and important place occupied by women, both real and imagined, in his world.

Book now: dpg.art/rubens-and-women

27 September 2023 - 28 January 2024

20/09/2023

We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies' Digital Accelerator for Arts and Culture programme.

Our acceptance will fund the development of a new website that reflects who we are and what we do.

Learn more: https://dpg.art/sO89VZ

15/09/2023

Music from Latvia: lunchtime piano recital
Christ's Chapel of God's Gift, Dulwich
Tuesday 19 September, 12pm, admission is free, donations welcome.

Solveiga Selga, Latvian winner of international prizes in piano playing and composition, will give a lunchtime recital in Christ's Chapel of God's Gift, Dulwich.

Solveiga had a musical education in her native Riga and is now a sought-after concert pianist. Her programme will include pieces by Chopin, Liszt, Albeniz, Lasmanis, Brubeck, Pozzoli and Solveiga herself.

(image credit: Dulwich Picture Gallery Summer Late 2023)

11/09/2023

There are two days left to take part in our summer raffle. Don't miss your chance to win a two-night Poland art tour including flights, accomodation and entry to a number of wonderful museums and galleries.

Enter by midnight on Wednesday: http://dpg.art/summer-raffle

11/09/2023

Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone who attended this show and shared their enthusiasm for these beautiful paintings. If you missed out, the exhibition will be moving to a new home from 18 October. Head to their website to learn more!

The Gallery and Shop will be closed from now until 27 September as we prepare for Rubens & Women. You can book ahead for this exhibition via https://dpg.art/rubens-and-women

Our Café will be open as normal during this period, from Monday to Saturday, 8am–5pm and Sunday, 9am–5pm.

Image: Berthe Morisot, Venus asking Vulcan for Arms, after Boucher, 1883. Oil on canvas, 114 x 138 cm, Private Collection

06/09/2023

Day 4 of the :

Image: Peter Lely, Nymphs by a Fountain, c.1614

30/08/2023

When Julie Manet’s father died in 1892, his friend the poet Stéphane Mallarmé gave her a pet greyhound called Laertes, named after Hamlet’s loyal friend.

In Morisot’s poignant painting from 1893 she is shown with the dog, a blur forming an empty chair, which only increases the sense of absence.

Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism must end on 10 September. Don’t miss your chance to see these rarely seen paintings, and discover the moving stories behind them.

We’ve extended our opening hours to give more of you an opportunity to see this exhibition. You can see it we'll be open from 9.30am - 6pm on: Fri 1, Sat 2, Sun 3 & Sat 9 & Sun 10 September.

Book: https://dpg.art/morisot

Image: Julie Manet and Her Greyhound Laertes, (1893), Oil on canvas, 73 × 80 cm, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris

29/08/2023

Looking for inspiring activities for your little ones in these final holiday weeks?

Our free Family Storytelling sessions are tomorrow. Discover how pictures and stories were shared in the past and use paintings to inspire your own pictures and stories!

https://dpg.art/free-family-storytelling

25/08/2023

This September, discover another side to Peter Paul Rubens and meet the women who inspired him.

Tickets for our forthcoming exhibition, Rubens & Women are now available to book as well as our autumn season of events.

Uniting over 40 phenomenal paintings and drawings, the exhibition will be the first to challenge the popular assumption that Rubens painted only one type of woman, providing a more nuanced view and revealing the important places occupied by women, both real and imagined, in his world.

Head to the 🔗 to learn more and book.

Friends go Free and enjoy discounts on many of our events.

Image: Peter Paul Rubens, Marchesa Maria Serra Pallavicino, 1606, oil on canvas, 233.7 x 144.8 cm. ©National Trust Images/James Dobson

18/08/2023

The art critic Paul Girard said of Morisot (1852–1922): ‘She gave a unique grace to children and especially to girls. For no matter how hard one looks, it is
impossible to understand the process behind her paintings. It is the eighteenth century modernised.’

Due to popular demand we're extending our hours of for the final two weekends of Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism.

We'll be open 9.30am - 6pm on: Fri 1, Sat 2, Sun 3 & Fri 8, Sat 9 & Sun 10 September. Book in advance via the 🔗 to avoid disappointment.

Image: Berthe Morisot, Children with a Basin,1886, Oil on canvas,73 x 92 cm. Courtesy Musée Marmottan Monet.

18/08/2023

Did you know we have monthly free tours of the Gallery for people with lived experience of dementia? The next event takes place on 7 September.

Learn more: https://dpg.art/dementia-conversations

14/08/2023

Would you like to work on maintaining our beautiful Grade II listed building and gardens?

We are recruiting an Assistant Site Manager. Join our team at an exciting time as we develop the potential of our site and gardens.

Learn more: http://dpg.art/jobs

12/08/2023

Season 2 of Heartstopper has well and truly stolen our hearts … was amazing to have Charlie, Mr Ajayi and the whole crew in the Gallery a few months ago filming some (in our opinion) epic scenes for episode 5… More on THAT painting and those sparkly tights next week 📺 🖼️ 🍿

09/08/2023

Keen scholars of the Gallery’s history will remember that the Gallery’s collection was originally commissioned for Stanislaus II Augustus, King of Poland 🧐

We are pleased to partner with the Polish Cultural Institute to offer a fantastic prize for our summer raffle - a two night art tour in Poland, including flights, guided tours and accomodation. To have a chance of winning this, and many other great prizes, head to the 🔗

All tickets bought go towards supporting the work of the Gallery. Raffle closes midnight, 13 September 🕰️

07/08/2023

This painting shows Morisot’s sister Edma watering plants on the terrace of the Morisot family home in Passy, wearing a white housedress intended only for indoors. Morisot’s decision to place her in this attire, out in the open air against the backdrop of city buildings feels like a marker of frankness and sisterly intimacy. There is also a connection with Jean-Antoine Watteau’s female figures, seen from behind, but their frail shoulders have been replaced here with an assertive posture.

Don’t miss Berthe Morisot: Shaping Impressionism - now in final weeks, ending 10 September.

Berthe Morisot, Young Woman Watering a Shrub (1876) Oil on canvas, 40.01- 31.75 cm, Virginia Musuem of Fine Arts, Richmond, Collection of Mr and Mrs Paul Mellon, 83.40

03/08/2023

Don't miss the 'Drawing in Schools' exhibition Drawn to Life currently on display at the Allies and Morrison offices on Southwark Street. (On until 6 August from 11am-5pm)
 
The exhibition features work by students from Harris Academy Bermondsey and Haberdashers Borough Academy created after visiting the Anthony Daley Son of Rubens display earlier this year and in workshops facilitated by local artist Jo lewis.

Drawing in Schools is a collaboraiton between Dulwich Picture Gallery and Allies and Morrison.

29/07/2023

'In August 1875, Berthe Morisot and her husband Eugène Manet visited the Isle of Wight on her honeymoon. Painted from inside looking out, this painting of Manet looking out of the sitting room window of the couple's lodgings at Globe Cottage, encapsulates Morisot’s position as a new visitor to the island: hesitant to set up her easel in public, but alert to visual possibilities.

This weekend marks the beginning of Cowes week which has been held on the Isle of Wight in early August every year since 1826. ‘Shaping Impressionism’ co-curator Dr Lois Oliver travelled to the Isle of Wight earlier this year. Head to our blog via the 🔗 to watch a film about Berthe Morisot's trip and learn how it influenced her.

Image: Berthe Morisot, Eugène Manet on the Isle of Wight, 1875 © Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris

27/07/2023

From our friends at South London Gallery: create, play & have fun at their free Family Day!

Head to SLG on 29 July to celebrate Nigerian culture in Peckham. Including:

🎨Art & crafts
📢Family friendly tours
📚Storytelling
🎶Music
🥘Delicious Nigerian food

https://southlondongallery.org/events/lagos-family-day/

26/07/2023

Would you like to win a 2-night art trip to Poland?
Take part in our summer raffle! You can also win great prizes including a Friends Plus membership.

https://dpg.art/summer-raffle

All tickets sold support the Gallery.

25/07/2023

Today we’re remembering David Pike and his crucial contribution to the Gallery. He generously supported a number of projects including the conservation of important paintings such as Portrait of a Woman in White by John Vanderbank, as well as the new LED lighting at the Gallery, installed in time for Rembrandt’s Light.

19/07/2023

🌳 We are set to expand the experience of our visitors with plans for an interactive sculpture garden and a new building for families.

We have received planning permission for an innovative transformation of our site, in the biggest redevelopment we’ve undertaken in over 20 years. A brand new, free to access outdoor gallery will extend the visitor experience into the gardens, opening up previously inaccessible green space, while a new building and extension will reveal new views of the site and provide much needed facilities for families, with a focus on art and creative play.

Under the banner ‘Open Art’, the ambitious plans will maximise the Gallery’s unique potential - its building, art, gardens, people and location - for future generations. To deliver this vision, the Gallery has appointed award-winning architects alongside leading landscape artist Kim Wilkie.

We look forward to sharing more with you all in the coming months.

19/07/2023

We are set to expand the experience of our visitors with plans for an interactive sculpture garden and a new building for families.

We have received planning permission for an innovative transformation of our site, in the biggest redevelopment we’ve undertaken in over 20 years. A brand new, free to access outdoor gallery will extend the visitor experience into the gardens, opening up previously inaccessible green space, while a new building and extension will reveal new views of the site and provide much needed facilities for families, with a focus on art and creative play.

Under the banner ‘Open Art’, the ambitious plans will maximise the Gallery’s unique potential - its building, art, gardens, people and location - for future generations. To deliver this vision, the Gallery has appointed award-winning architects Carmody Groarke alongside leading landscape artist Kim Wilkie.

We look forward to sharing more with you all in the coming months. 🌳

Find out more: dpg.art/openart

10/07/2023

We are looking for an Exhibitions Manager to manage key exhibitions in the Gallery's programme.

Develop your skills and understanding of working with loans, interpretation and audiences in temporary exhibitions.

Deadline: midnight, 13 July
Learn more: http://dpg.art/jobs

06/01/2023

Symbolist artists’ concerns with the fast-encroaching modern world manifested most clearly in their representations of the changing city, impacted by rural depopulation and, in their view, the root cause of man’s fundamental disconnect with nature.

Čiurlionis’ representations of the city are quite different. His architecture is futuristic, playful even with its bridges and terraces, with a hint of the World’s Fair, while strangely reminiscent of ancient structures. For Čiurlionis these are not empty cities of death but tower-dome and spire-filled, luminous spaces of possibility and imaginings.

Discover fantastical worlds like these this weekend. Book online and get 10% off via the 🔗

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, The City, 1908, Courtesy M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art.

01/01/2023

Happy New Year!

The garden parties painted by Jean-Baptiste Pater show a type of outdoor entertainment which was then popular at the French court - although a bit chilly for this time of year! This light-hearted subject matter was perfect to decorate the walls of a vibrant Parisian townhouse, and Pater produced vast numbers of these scenes with wealthy French collectors in mind.

Jean Baptise-Pater, Fête Champetre, c. 1723–26

31/12/2022

What are your plans this evening?

Antoine Watteau was a master at depicting parties and festive occasions. On a loggia opening into a lush green park, an elegant couple executes the intricate steps of a minuet dance. The assembled party guests are absorbed in conversation or flirtation and pay no attention to the dancers. As viewers to this vibrant scene, we can imagine its many sounds: the rustling of silks, the chatter of voices, the tinkling of the fountain and the harmonious notes struck by the musicians on the right-hand side.  

Antoine Watteau, Les Plaisirs du Bal, c.1715-17

30/12/2022

It’s common to find yourself napping more often at this time of year. This painting by the Dutch artist Arent de Gelder, depicts an episode from the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Casting his bag aside, the figure of Jacob has lain down to sleep on the rocky ground. In his dream, he sees a ladder stretching from earth to heaven on which angels are ascending and descending.  

Arent de Gelder, Jacob’s Dream, c.1715

29/12/2022

And so to the pub: a great place for meeting friends, in moderation! Adriaen Brouwer’s characterful painting shows the lurid consequences of too much drinking. 🍻

Adriaen Brouer, Interior of a Tavern c.1630

28/12/2022

Is it time to write your Christmas thank you letters? This sitter’s desk is littered with letters, papers and receipts. The artist, Cornelis Pronk, has in fact signed his own name on the one of the letters on lower left side of the painting, a clever device allowing him to include his signature as part of the scene.  

Portrait of a Man, Cornelis Pronk, c. 1714

27/12/2022

Nothing like a festive walk!

This is one of Thomas Gainsborough’s early conversation pieces, featuring an unidentified couple, who seem to be members of the land-owning gentry. The wife holds a porte-crayon in one hand and a drawing in the other: Gainsborough has depicted her as an amateur artist.

Thomas Gainsborough, A Couple in a Landscape, c.1753