Friends’ Lecture: Curator’s Introduction – The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea

INTRODUCTION

“The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea” is an outstanding exhibition currently on show at The Queen’s House in Greenwich, exploring the great masters of Dutch marine painting, Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem the Younger. We are delighted to welcome exhibition co-curator Dr Allison Goudie who will present an online introduction for our Friends programme.

The talk is a complimentary event for Friends of Art History in Focus only. Click here if you would like to join Friends of Art History in Focus and attend this event.

SUMMARY

For nearly 20 years during the late 17th century, The Queen’s House at Greenwich was the studio address of Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son, Willem the Younger. From here, as court artists to Charles II and James II, they established a taste for marine painting which inspired generations of British artists, most notably JMW Turner who was a great admirer of their work. Famed for his extraordinary draftsmanship and attention to detail, the Elder would even sometimes sail out with the Dutch fleet to record sea battles first-hand. The Younger, a master of light and atmosphere, transformed his father’s documentary sketches into dramatic oil paintings and fuelled the blossoming English art market’s thirst for shipwreck scenes.

To mark the 350th anniversary of their move to England, The Queen’s House plays host to the Van de Veldes once again, with a recreation of how their studio may have appeared during their residency. Home to the world’s largest collection of their works, The Queen’s House is the perfect location to explore their exquisite drawings, oil and pen paintings and to find out more about their time as court artists to the later Stuart kings.

Dr Allison Goudie is Curator of Art (Pre 1800) at Royal Museums Greenwich. Prior to coming to Greenwich she was Curator of Kenwood House and previously held curatorial positions at the National Trust and the National Gallery, where she co-curated the exhibition ‘Australia’s Impressionists’.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

This is a live-streamed talk at 5.00pm (UK time).  Tune in from anywhere in the world to watch or enjoy a recorded version of the lecture which can be accessed afterwards. The event will last approximately one hour.

The lecture will allow Friends to participate and ask questions using webcams and microphones (if you would like to use these) during an informal Q&A and discussion after the lecture.