Painting Childhood: From Holbein to Freud
16 March – 16 June 2019Book Now
Through stunning portraits, amusing genre scenes and touching ‘fancy pictures’, we will explore the creative process and the specific challenges posed by painting children: from how to capture the fleeting moments of youth,
to how to encourage young subjects to sit still. The exhibition addresses themes including royal portraits, play and learning, and the fantasy and reality of children’s lives.
It concludes with a series of paintings, sketches and sculptures by Stanley Spencer, Louise Bourgeois, Jacob Epstein and Lucian Freud. These offer deeply personal insights into the place of family within an artist’s life, and the ongoing dialogue between biography and creativity.
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, King Edward VII (1841-1910), When Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, 1846, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018