LONDON.- The
Houghton Revisited exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the world’s most celebrated art collections, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Velasquez, Poussin, van Dyck and Rubens, has been extended to 24 November 2013 in response to overwhelming popular demand. The exhibition, at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, has already attracted record numbers of visitors since it opened in May, with many dates completely sold out.
The BBC will transmit a special film about the exhibition and its genesis including rare coverage of a number of Russian museums on Wednesday 14 August 2013 on BBC4.
The exhibition reassembles in its original setting for the first time in over 200 years the magnificent art collectioncreated by Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1721-1742), which was later sold to Catherine the Great of Russia for the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.
The show includes over 70 paintings, drawings and magnificent silver from the collections of the Hermitage, Pushkin Museum, Moscow and other Russian museums; the V&A and the British Museum, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the National Gallery of Art, Washington; as well as loans from private collections
Houghton Hall is now the family seat of Sir Robert Walpole’s direct descendent, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley. It was designed by the most gifted architects of the day, Colen Campbell and James Gibbs, to house Walpole’s collection. Houghton is one of the best-preserved historic houses in the world and the magnificent interiors and furnishings designed by William Kent are still intact.
Such a reconstruction of a legendary collection within its original setting has never been attempted before and has captivated the critics and public alike.
The exhibition’s lead sponsor is BP. Other major sponsors of the Houghton Revisited exhibition include Christie's and the Oracle Capital Group.
The Houghton Revisited App, a stunning and detailed walk-through of the exhibition with information on all the pictures, is now available now for free download on iTunes.
