George IV was a great patron of the arts.He undertook several large architectural projects and constantly altered and refurnished his existing residences. He collected paintings by European masters, such as Rembrandt and van Dyck, as well as contemporary British painters … Continued
How can a still image tell a story? Picturing stories features paintings and texts displayed together to demonstrate the different ways artists have interpreted the written word. Western art has traditionally been based on stories. History, literature, myth, legends and religion … Continued
George Albert Smith (1864-1959) was part of the Brighton School of cinematography and was one of the most influential figures in Victorian cinema. Before becoming a filmmaker, Smith was an established showman and would often perform as a magic lanternist, … Continued
This selection of caricatures focuses on George IV in his roles as Prince of Wales, Prince Regent and King. George IV’s extravagant lifestyle and portly physique made him a magnet for caricaturists during the golden age of political satire (1780-1830). … Continued
Artists at War Established at the outbreak of war in 1939, the War Artists Advisory Committee was chaired by Sir Kenneth Clark and included representatives of the armed forces and the Ministry of Information. The Committee’s brief was to create … Continued
How can movement be conveyed by a still image? How is motion evoked differently in photography and painting? These questions are addressed by showing photographs from Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion series (1887) alongside artworks from Royal Pavilion & Museums Fine … Continued
This display features a wide range of serious crimes and lesser felonies of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Some of the prints are cheap products of the gutter press while others are expensive copies of famous paintings. Some of … Continued
I felt very lucky to meet the RP&M Curator of Fine Art Jenny Lund for a private art master class. As I confessed in a previous blog, I’m not very confident about my knowledge around art and how to view … Continued
One of my favourite comedians Mickey Flanagan does a great piece about looking at art in galleries. In a Radio 4 series called What Chance Change? he talks about how galleries ought to have a little sign alongside the piece … Continued
I’ve always been happy to say I’m a feminist and a long time ago at university, I studied Women’s Literature and Women’s Studies for a year. Even so my knowledge of women artists is sketchy. To be entirely honest, my … Continued
The current Turner in Brighton exhibition in the Royal Pavilion reveals some of the views of Brighton produced by J M W Turner when he stayed in the town, such as his 1824 watercolour, Brighthelmston, Sussex. But where did Turner stay … Continued
I already blogged about the fantastic Object Stories gay and lesbian trail but I wanted to write a quick hat-tip to my favourite story I learnt from Kelly Boddington and Robert White on that guided tour – and mention these two … Continued
A surprising number of people – from friends, to working artists, to random people visiting Brighton Museum – mention that they’ve found an unexpected, low key connection between two exhibitions, so I think it’s worth passing on. Especially if you’ve … Continued
‘Creative Future, a local charity that works with marginalized and disabled writers ran a creative writing course at Brighton Museum in January. The following piece is one of the many great pieces of writing that came out of the course. … Continued
‘At Brighton she will be of less importance even as a common flirt than she has been here.’ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 41 Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published two hundred years ago today. Although Brighton … Continued
Update 2 April 2013: Tracy Anderson, who is currently researching the lives of the Pavilion’s servants, has discovered this picture and description of a fly from a volume of cuttings in the Brighton History Centre. Two unassuming buildings in a … Continued
On 4 December 1896 a storm destroyed the first of Brighton’s piers, the Chain Pier. It had been built in 1823, the same year the finishing touches were added to John Nash’s transformation of the Royal Pavilion into an Oriental-looking … Continued
In January 2012, we all held our breath during a nail-biting auction at Christies in New York. Under the hammer was a unique watercolour, Brighthelmstone, Sussex painted by JMW Turner in c1824. At the centre of Turner’s image stands the … Continued
The Royal Pavilion may be King George IV’s most famous architectural legacy, but it was far from the only building project he commissioned. After he was made Prince Regent in 1811, he began to develop projects that would enhance his … Continued
Royal Pavilion guide and researcher Alexandra Loske has recently curated an exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Frederick Delius. The centrepiece of the display is a rarely seen portrait of Delius … Continued
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