Friends preview – 'Charles I: King and Collector'
24 January 2018 10am - 10pm25 January 2018 10am - 6pm26 January 2018 10am - 6pm
Main Galleries, Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
Free, booking required.
Friends of the RA book first
Charles I: King and Collector
We invite Friends of the RA to join us for an exclusive preview of the ‘Charles I: King and Collector’ before it is open to the public.
Discover the legendary art collection of Charles I. For the first time since the 17th century, this landmark exhibition will bring together the astounding treasures that changed the taste of the nation.
King Charles I amassed one of the most extraordinary art collections of his age, acquiring works by some of the finest artists of the past – Titian, Mantegna, Holbein, Dürer – and commissioning leading contemporary artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens.
Yet, following the king's execution in 1649, his collection was sold off and scattered across Europe. While many works were retrieved by Charles II during the Restoration, others now form the core of museums such as the Louvre and the Prado.
Charles I: King and Collector will reunite the greatest masterpieces of the collection for the first time. Celebrating the grandeur and breadth of this magnificent collection, we will include over 100 works of art, ranging from classical sculptures to 17th-century paintings, and from exquisite miniatures to monumental tapestries. In showing these works together, the exhibition will demonstrate their radical impact at the time and shed light on how they fostered a vibrant visual culture that was hitherto unknown in England.
Make sure you book your free timed ticket for Friends preview days to experience the most dazzling treasures of this unique collection reunited in all their glory.
Exhibition organised in partnership with Royal Collection Trust.