British Painting - from Turner to Whistler

The Fondation de l’Hermitage continues its exploration of the great centres of western art in the 19th century with an exhibition devoted to British painting from Turner to Whistler, taking in the Pre-Raphaelites. Nearly 60 paintings, on loan from the most prestigious collections in the United Kingdom and shown in Switzerland for the first time, offer an unrivalled survey of art produced during the golden age of the British Empire, highlighting its captivating originality.

Alongside Turner, whose dazzling oeuvre anticipated Impressionism, the exhibition pays tribute to artists who won renown through landscape painting, such as Atkinson Grimshaw, Baker Pyne, Brett, and Martin.

The exhibition places a special emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (Millais, Rossetti) as well as the Aesthetic Movement (Burne-Jones, Watts), two circles of artists who found powerful inspiration in literature, mythology and antiquity (Alma-Tadema, Egley, Hughes, Sandys, Scott).

The industrial revolution and the rapid development of cities and public transport give rise to compelling scenes that bear witness to different facets of modern life (Emslie, Fletcher, Hicks, Joy) along with its social repercussions (Collinson, Holl, Mulready, Nelson O’Neil, Walker).

The survey concludes with a section dedicated to Sargent and Whistler, cosmopolitan artists of American origin: bold and brilliant portrait painters, among the most celebrated of their era.

A fine collection of photogravures complements the paintings in the exhibition, showcasing the great names in British photography: Cameron, Emerson, Frith, Hill & Adamson, Howlett, Robinson and Talbot. A series of photographic portraits of Jane Morris, muse to the Pre-Raphaelites, completes the selection.