The Prince of Wales, the future Charles III, is expected to accept an honorary role overseeing two exhibitions on illustrious royal collectors, Charles I (1600-49) and Charles II (1630-85). Although a decision has not been finalised, he is likely to head a committee of honour. The two shows are being separately organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal Collection. A joint launch event was held at Buckingham Palace yesterday (22 May).
For scheduling reasons, the Charles II show is opening first, with a Royal Collection exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace (8 December-13 May 2018), to be followed shortly afterwards by Charles I at the RA (27 January-15 April 2018).
The RA show, Charles I: King and Collector, will reunite 150 works, of which 91 will be lent by the Royal Collection (its largest loan to a single exhibition since 1946). Most of the works owned by Charles I were sold off after the Stuart King was executed in 1649. Many ended up in foreign collections, and the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid are lending generously. Around a third of the foreign loans are works that are being reunited for the first time in nearly four centuries.
The other exhibition, Charles II: Art & Power, will comprise only Royal Collection works, since virtually all his paintings have remained there. Among key pieces will be a regal portrait of Charles II by John Michael Wright (around 1676), a “Windsor Beauty” portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (around 1665) by Peter Lely and Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Massacre of the Innocents (around 1565-67).
To accompany the pair of exhibitions, the art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon will be presenting a four-part BBC television series next year.
