Gallery Stroll

GALLERY A IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM Wyndham Lewis •25 June - 11 October 1992· A major exhibition of works by one of die leading figures in twentieth-century British art and literature. It brings together over 60 drawings and paintings from Britain, die United States, and Canada reflecting the artist's interest in the nature of war and covering the period 1912 - 1950. THE NATIONAL GALLERY Edouard Manet & The Execution ofMaximilian •1 July - 27 September 1992· The execution by firing squad in 1867 of Maximilian, the Emperor installed in Mexico by Napoleon ??, was one ofthe most sensational episodes in the history ofdie French Second Empire. It inspired Manet's only large-scale history painting The Execution ofMaximilian, which occupied him for several years. This exhibition will unite for the first time the large painting of the subject from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Gallery's own version of the painting, which has survived in four fragments, and the final version, widely regarded as the masterpiece of Manet's career as a political artist, from the Stâdische Kunsthalle in Mannheim. Paintings, prints and photographs documenting the story of Maximilian will be displayed and, in addition, key loans from American and European museums will illustrate the artistic context of Manet's work in the 1860s and reveal how he tackled a range of contemporary political issues—an important aspect of his art that is frequently overlooked. Edvard Munch: The Frieze ofLije •12 November 1992 - 7 Febniaiy 1993· The exhibition will focus on the cycle of paintings known as The Frieze ofLife. "We must paint living men who breathe, feel, suffer and love," wrote Munch in 1889. During the next decade, in the Frieze cycle, Munch explored the themes of love, anxiety and death, and painted some ofhis most memorable and influential images, such as The Scream, Madonna and The Dance ofLife, all of which are included in the exhibition. 98Victorian Review NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY George Bernard Shaw •10 April - S July 1992· A biographical exhibition chronicling the life and works of George Bernard Shaw. Orator, socialist, pamphleteer and musk critic, Shaw's greatest fame was achieved as playwright with works such as Pygmalion. Part of a wide circle of artists, actors and writers, he was painted and photographed by leading exponents ofthe day, including AugustusJohn, Dame Laura Knight and Edward Steichen. One of the most considerable triumphs of British biography in recent years has been Michael Holroyd's life of Bernard Shaw. To salute both this and its subject, one of Britain's greatest playwrights, the National Portrait Gallery pays tribute with an exhibition celebrating in pictorial form Shaw's life and achievements. Working in collaboration with Michael Holroyd, the Gallery has assembled an entertaining selection of original images, artifacts and documents relating to Shaw, his plays, his friendships and his travels. Coinciding with the exhibition, "Pygmalion" is opening at the Royal National Theatre on 9 April (previews from 3 April), with Alan Howard playing Professor Higgins and Frances Barber as Eliza Doolittle. The production is directed by Howard Davics. BP Portrait Award 1992 •5 June - 6 September 1992· The annual national competition for young portrait painters, inaugurated in 1980. The exhibition includes works selected from the compétition entries by a distinguished panel of judges, and points to some of the most exciting developments in modern portraiture, as well as giving an opportunity to spot the great portraitists of the future. Allan Ramsay 1713 - 1784 •16 October 1992 - 17 Januaiy 1993· Allan Ramsay is one of the most highly respected of eighteenth-century British artists, known for the sensitivity and elegance of his portraits. Scottish born, Ramsay studied in Italy before setting up his successful portrait studio in London. This definitive exhibition of about one hundred paintings and drawings has been organized by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. TATE GALLERY Turner and Byron •3 June - 13 September 1992· An exhibition which will explore Turner's interest in Byron's poetry. The Swagger Portrait (working title) From Van Dyck to Augustus John •14 October 1992 - 3 Januaiy 1993· Contributors99 This important exhibition will demonstrate the scope of English portraiture at its most ambitious, notably in the field of the full-length...