10 Hidden Gems from Top National Galleries Around the World
Mahatma Ghandi once stated, “a nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” The same argument can be made about the art that a culture produces. Serving as great illuminators of history, here are ten treasures from some of the world’s greatest national galleries.
This painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner features the British painter’s signature atmospheric dissipation of the horizon line. Rushing onwards, the train’s velocity is captured as it crosses a railway bridge over the Thames River in London. Turner’s thoughtful manipulation of landscapes and seascapes revolutionized the public’s understanding of the genre, paving the way for future artists to experiment further with atmosphere, perspective and horizon lines.
Celadon, also known as greenware for its signature jade coloring, is a category of ceramics that was produced as early as 900 A.D. during the Goryeo Dynasty. This particular porcelain incense burner is considered a “national treasure,” meaning that it has been designated by the South Korean government to be particularly valuable to the cultural history of the country. Incense was burned on the inside of the vessel, which produced aromatic smoke that would escape through the decorative lattice pattern on the top.
Diego Rivera was a leading member of the Mexican Muralist movement, combining elements of European artistic techniques with imagery relating to Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage. Diego felt that his “cubist paintings are my most Mexican.” This painting features objects such as a sombrero, rifle and cartridge belt, symbolic for their references to the ongoing Mexican revolution.
Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist whose signature style incorporated Balinese themes in his distinctive figure paintings. Kang was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, as well as one of the first artists to develop the Nanyang Style, a genre of visual art characterized by its Post-Impressionist gestural quality composed with Chinese ink and color on canvas.
Seminal American artist George Wesley Bellows was known for capturing boxers in their dynamic element. In the early 20th century, boxing was illegal due to corrupt practices in the sport. The title of this work refers to the practice of granting membership to boxers for entry into gambling venues only for the duration of their bouts.
Originally born in Greece, El Greco moved to Spain in 1576 and developed his now signature Mannerist style of painting featuring elongated figures and murky colors. Made between 1584 and 1594, this work is from one of El Greco’s most famous series of unknown officials from Toledo—all dressed in black against a dark background with a contrasting white ruffle around the neck.
Dmitry Savelyevich Saveliev’s sculpture of Alexandra Fyodorovna is a copy of an original work by Karl Friedrich Wichmann that was destroyed in the great Winter Palace fire of 1837. As consort to the last Emperor of the Russian Empire, Alexandra Fyodorovna was the last Tsaritsa. This sculpture was among many that decorated the interiors of imperial and grand-ducal palaces in St. Petersburg.
Widely regarded as the father of Danish painting, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg captures intimate exchanges and fleeting moments from everyday life. Through his tenure at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Eckersberg made a lasting impression on the future generations of Danish artists who he taught.
Irish artist Sarah Henrietta Purser captured Ireland’s first President, Dr. Douglas Hyde who was in office from 1938 until 1945. Established by artists and based in Ireland, the Royal Hibernian Academy was established in 1823 and still exists today to help support artists working in a variety of media; Purser was its first female member.
Victorian born Sam Atyeo’s contributions to the development of Australian Modern art are not well-known, even though he is credited with producing what is possibly the first Australian abstract painting. This Surrealist painting is one example of how the genre developed in Australia.
—Nicole Shaub, Institutional Partnerships Liaison
