Festivals and Films

Thomas Lawrence. Regency Power and Brilliance.

From 20 Oct 2010 to 22 Jan 2011

21 October-23 January 2011. Lawrence was the greatest portrait painter of his age and as president of the Royal Academy and with George IV as his patron he made portrait painting fashionable at a time when historical painting was all the rage.

There was hardly an important European monarch, noble family or politician who was not painted by Lawrence. However his reputation went into decline in the Victorian era, partly because of his love affairs with two sisters, Sally and Maria Siddons.

One of his most well known portraits was that of George IV at his coronation, and his most beautiful and unconventional that of Elizabeth Farren.

54 works are on show from international private and public collections, including three from the Queen