Foundling Museum

22 September 2008
Sold Out

Opening especially for Friends, the Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, set up in 1741 as London’s first home for abandoned children. We learn about its connections with three major figures in British history: Thomas Coram, William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel. Hogarth, a founding governor of the hospital, set up a permanent exhibition of the work of contemporary artists, many of whom were instrumental in the formation of the Royal Academy. Our private tour includes paintings by artists such as Reynolds, Copley, Gainsborough, Hayman, Shackleton, Millais and Hogarth, plus a rare ‘fair copy’ of Handel’s Messiah and a sculpture of Handel by Roubiliac.

11am–12.15pm; meet at entrance, 40 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N

• Royal Academy of Arts