The Great Age of British Watercolors: 1750-1880

May 9 – July 25, 1993
West Building, Ground Floor, Central Gallery, Outer Tier

John Robert Cozens, *Cetara on the Gulf of Salerno*, 1790, watercolor over graphite on wove paper, Gift in honor of Paul Mellon by the Patrons' Permanent Fund with additional support from Dick and Ritchie Scaife, Catherine Mellon Conover, Rachel Mellon Walton, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Walton and an anonymous donor, 1992.19.1

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: This exhibition of 258 watercolors by 79 artists was chosen from collections in Great Britain and the United States. The show was arranged according to 6 themes, including the theory of landscape, the figure in the landscape, atmosphere, and naturalism.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and the National Gallery of Art. Advisors included Andrew Robison, Andrew W. Mellon senior curator, and Judith Brodie, associate curator of drawings, both of the National Gallery of Art; and MaryAnne Stevens and Norman Rosenthal of the Royal Academy of Arts. The works on display were selected by Andrew Wilton, keeper of British art at the Tate Gallery, and Anne Lyles, curator of the Tate's British collection.

Sponsor: A special Tuesday lecture series entitled The Great Age of British Watercolors: 1750-1880 was held May 11, 18, and 25. The exhibition was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 310,965

Catalog: The Great Age of British Watercolours: 1750-1880, by Andrew Wilton and Anne Lyles. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1993.

Other Venues: Royal Academy, London, January 15–April 12, 1993