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V&A's paintings catalogued
Louise Jury, Evening Standard7 Mar 2008
The glories of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection of paintings are revealed today.
A new catalogue shows treasures including a ballet scene by Edgar Degas, the first Impressionist work to enter a British gallery, and more than 100 oil sketches and paintings by John Constable.
The museum has collected paintings since its foundation in 1852 but they are little-known compared with its holdings of applied arts such as ceramics, furniture and jewellery.
This is the first time all the 2,500 oil paintings have been catalogued together. It was done as part of a charitable initiative by the Public Catalogue Foundation to detail all the paintings in public institutions in Britain. Foundation director Andrew Ellis said: "What struck us is the range and size of the V&A collection - it is bigger than the National Gallery's.
"To many people that will come as a surprise."
The foundation expects to eventually produce 17 volumes on London art. So far, it has also catalogued the paintings at the Slade and Imperial War Museum.
The V&A catalogue is available for £20 (softback) and £35 (hardback).
Reader views (1)
The V&A is a national treasure with wonderful paintings that to many are unknown. I found Constable's cloud sketches to be wonderfully 'Impressionistic', long before the Impressionists were around!
I must admit that I am a little sad that these paintings are now to be publicised - no longer will they be 'just for me' on a rainy day in South-Kensington.
- David, The Hague, Netherlands., 07/03/2008 14:31
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