Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting display at the Wallace Collection looking at the relationship between he 4th Marquis of Hertford and the artist Horace Vernet. Both the Marquis and Vernet admired Napoleon. Vernet’s work reflected this admiration both in his early work when Napoleon was in power and later during the Bourbon Restoration. He created a nostalgic image of Napoleon and of the generals and troops who had served under him. Richard Seymour, the 4th Marquis of Hertford, loved near Vernet’s studio in Paris and bought 46 paintings and 8 watercolours. He had been just 15 at the time of Waterloo. 25 of the pictures the Marquis bought were auctioned in1913 and didn’t make it into the collection and in this show one of these, on loan, was shown alongside seven belonging to the gallery. I’d read up on the show before I went and the paintings were smaller than I’m imagined despite their epic subjects. The pictures ranged from the overblown such as a picture of the death of Napoleon with the generals wa...

Fascinating exhibition at the Hermitage Amsterdam looking at the relationships between Napoleon Bonaparte, his wife Josephine and Tsar Alexander I. The first room looked at their friendship and the start of Josephine’s collection at Chateau de Malmaison. The main room then looked in detail at Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and his defeat there with the retreat from Moscow. Needless to say it was all very War and Peace. I loved the display of weapons in the centre of the room including some which turned. I find displays of guns and swords dry but his made them into an installation in their own right and yet had all the detail anyone who was really interested might need. I also liked the display of uniforms from both sides against a red background. Upstairs looked at Alexanders entry into Paris and how he won over the Parisians. He formed an unlikely affectionate friendship with Josephine and acquired much of her art collection on her death which is why it is the Hermita...

Excellent exhibition at the British Museum looking at how prints were used to promote the various views of Napoleon in England. Although the view was mainly negative, and this was the great age of caricature with Rowlandson, Cruikshank and Gillray, many people in Britain also admired Napoleon, particularly in his early career. I had needed a good history on Napoleon in this the 250th anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo and this show provided it. It went through his life story telling it through the prints and cartoons of the time. It was a great visual treat but also have a clear narrative and a well told story. The show was full of ‘fancy that’ moments. I loved the idea of a re-enactment of the Battle of the Nile at Sadler’s Well with real water, represented by a post for the event. Where can I get tickets?! Did you know there was an assassination attempt on Napoleon on his way to the premier of Haydn’s Creation in Paris? I loved the sections which lo...

Good exhibition at the Heritage Rooms looking at works of art and objects from Napoleon and Josephine's country retreat at Malmaison brought together for the first time since their dispersal in 1815. The displays focused on how the works were collected, by fair means and foul, and how such a large number of items found their way into Russian collections. The highlights for me were the paintings which included a St Sebastian by Ribera and Claude Lorrain's "Landscape with Tobias and the Angel". There was also a wonderful Canova sculpture of a dancer in a diaphanous dress. It was also good that the works were shown with more personal objects which had belonged to Josephine including a court dress and shoes. Personally I was impressed that she had hundreds of pairs of shoes! The exhibition was a good picture of the taste of one person who in turn influenced the taste of a generation as well as the nature of collections. Reviews Times Metro