Tina Baxter on the rehang at the Guildhall Art Gallery – join her for a tour of the new displays on 24th January

landscape by Matthew Smith from the Guildhall Art Gallery Collection

The Guildhall Art Gallery is in the process of a transformational rehang for the first time in 15 years. The City of London Corporation has been collecting art for some 400 years and has in its possession some 4,500 works. The new display will show works which have never been seen before, with an imaginative use of space, the number of paintings on display will have been doubled.

The Victorian paintings, some familiar and others being a completely new curatorial selection on the theme of ‘Home’, ‘Beauty’, ‘Faith’, ‘Leisure’, ‘Love’, ‘Work’ and ‘Imagination’. There continues to be a number of works highlighting the City’s ceremonial aspects, which are most valuable to those who guide in and around the Gallery.

A particular favourite of mine, Sir Matthew Smith, his ‘ladies’ are now removed and he has a new display area showing his little known landscape paintings; showing a vibrant palette influenced by the French Post-Impressionists, particularly Gauguin.

The City of London Heritage Gallery opened last year and displays the City’s 1297 copy of Magna Carta, appropriate in this year is a celebration of the Magna Carta of 1215. However it is not on view for long. The Heritage Gallery was created to showpiece the many artefacts printed and otherwise held by the Guildhall Library and London Metropolitan Archives, and will change on 29^th January 2015.

Tower Bridge: A Celebration of 120 years, 1894-2014 is also on show.

No visit would be complete without viewing the sublime Roman Amphitheatre, the apple of London’s archaeological eye in its beautifully constructed space.

All this and more you can view, see and enjoy with me as your guide you on 24^th January at 1pm. Book here