THE GREATS – Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland
Botticelli. Cézanne. Gauguin. Leonardo. Monet. Raphael. Titian. Velázquez. Vermeer. Even the most hardened resistor of art and culture has heard of these names and knows that they are revered. Now is the time to find out for yourself why they are known as the Old Masters.
One of the most significant collections of European old master paintings ever seen in Australia is now open at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), providing a once in a lifetime opportunity for Australians to contemplate the extraordinary quality of over 70 masterful paintings and drawings from across four centuries. The Greats marks the first time all but two of these artworks, by some of the world’s most well-known artists, have been exhibited in Australia.
Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW says The Greats is a rich and intimate show of remarkable quality.
“My hope is that audiences will savour their summer by slowing down and spending time contemplating the remarkable skill of these masters. I can guarantee a moving and absorbing experience for those who contemplate the collection – one work of art at a time.
“Each masterpiece – whether it be Titian’s luminous Venus rising from the sea (c1520-25) or Gauguin’s striking Three Tahitians (1899) – tells its own unique story. The Gallery looks forward to sharing these stories with visitors of all ages,” Brand added.
And this exhibition will really allow you to do that with its flexible ticketing arrangements. I highly recommend buying a multivisit ticket (only $10 more than a one off visit) meaning you can come back as many times as you like. It really is too much to tackle an exhibition, especially one of this depth and intensity, in one go. It’s exhausting. Much better to break it up if you can by spreading it over several visits and picking a small number of paintings to really look at on each occasion. The tickets are undated and untimed as well so you can really make it suit your own availability by, say, squeezing in half an hour at lunchtime one day, after work another day or on a weekend afternoon. To make it even easier, the AGNSW is also hosting Up late with The Greats, a series of late openings with free events on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights throughout January.
The ticket price also includes an exhibition audio guide to give you some insight into the pieces. My suggestion, however, would be to give yourself a little time in front of a painting to form your own thoughts and feelings before listening to the ‘expert’ – although I prefer the term ‘interpreter’. There is no ‘incorrect’ reaction to a work of art; what you feel about it is as valid as anyone else’s opinion. So why not gather that together before then taking advantage of the interpreter’s knowledge and experience to increase your understanding and maybe either confirm your initial impressions or surprise you with a different way of seeing it.
About the exhibition
The Greats: masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland unfolds in rooms devoted to the art of the Italian Renaissance, the Baroque in Southern and Northern Europe, the French and British Enlightenment, nineteenth century Scotland, and Impressionism. The exhibition has been carefully designed and installed to accentuate the grandeur of the paintings and foster an intimate experience with each of the artworks.
The first painting visitors encounter is Botticelli’s masterpiece, The Virgin adoring the sleeping Christ child c1485 which has not been exhibited outside the United Kingdom for 169 years. Visitors can also look forward to experiencing the Scottish National Gallery’s famous interior with part of the exhibition space inspired by the Edinburgh gallery’s octagonal rooms and adorned with fabric walls of a sumptuous red – the traditional colour on which to hang old master paintings.
A beautifully designed, fully-illustrated publication featuring an essay by Michael Clarke, produced by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, accompanies the exhibition. The publication is available for purchase from the Gallery Shop for $39.95.
Ticketing information
Tickets to The Greats are available to buy online or at the Gallery.
Tickets are undated and untimed.
Prices include an exhibition audio guide.
Adult $22 / Multivisit $33
Conc. $18 / Multivisit $27
Member $16 / Multivisit $24
Family $56 Child $12
Under 5 Free
For further information on The Greats please visit: www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/the-greats/
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