New Direction for National Gallery
London Museum to Focus on Unfamiliar Artists and Themes
Special exhibitions at London's National Gallery will emphasize artists and movements not well known by the public.
According to The Times, Sir Nicholas Penny, the new director of London's 184-year-old National Gallery, will foresake blockbuster special exhibitions of familiar themes and develop presentations on more obscure artists and subjects, a trend that he noted was popular 20 years ago.
On February 26, 2008, Dr. Penny said, "The responsibility of a major gallery is to show people something they haven’t seen before. A major national institution should be one that proves a constant attraction to the public. What is important is encouraging historical and visual curiosity in the general public.” To that end, he introduced plans for the National Gallery's upcoming exhibition Radical Light: Italy's Divisionist Painters 1891-1910.
It could very well be said that two recent exhibitions at the National Gallery, Renaissance Siena: Art for a City (October 24, 2007-January 13, 2008) and Art of Light: German Renaissance Stained Glass (November 7, 2007-February 17, 2008), presaged Dr. Penny's announcement.
