The gallery intends to juxtapose the 15th-century Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca with Georges Seurat‘s pointillist Bathers at Asnières, which dates from 1884, in a rehang to mark its bicentenary. Van Gogh’s sunflowers will go on tourOut go the blocks of High Renaissance masterpieces and in comes a mash-up of art across the centuries. The National Gallery has unveiled plans for the most radical revamp in its 200-year history, as part of bicentenary celebrations that will also involve sending its masterpieces to 12 galleries round the country. SponsoredThe gallery’s entire collection is to be rehung for the first time in its history as it moves away from a chronological romp through European art in its galleries, instead pairing artworks for “surprising artistic conversations”. Its director, Gabriele Finaldi, said they would imaginatively “make new juxtapositions”, giving as an example the intention to pair the 19th-century pointillism of Georges Seurat with the rational, religious works of Piero della Francesca from the 15th century.

Source: The Times June 23, 2022 09:47 UTC