Gainsborough's Blue Boy (Paperback)

Christine Riding

ISBN 10: 1857096800 / ISBN 13: 9781857096804

Published by National Gallery Company Ltd, London, 2022

About this Item

Paperback. This richly illustrated publication explores the lasting influence of Gainsboroughs Blue Boy on British art and culture Marking the return of Gainsboroughs Blue Boy to the UK exactly 100 years since it left for the United States, this richly illustrated publication will explore the lasting influence of this iconic painting on British art and culture. During the nineteenth century, the paintings fame grew and full-length portraits by Gainsborough and his contemporaries became much sought after by wealthy American collectors. The sale of The Blue Boy to the American railroad magnate and collector Henry E. Huntington in 1921 was unsurprisingly viewed as a national tragedyemblematic of a shift in economic and cultural power. However, its afterlife, as a permanent ambassador for British art, has undoubtedly fed into ideas of Britain and Britishnessits history, society, culture and characterthat still resonate today. Including a select group of paintings that demonstrate the profound influence of Sir Anthony van Dyck and the old master tradition on Gainsboroughs practice and identity, Gainsboroughs Blue Boy will examine this masterpiece within the context of the National Gallerys collection. This richly illustrated publication explores the lasting influence of Gainsboroughs Blue Boy on British art and culture Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781857096804

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Gainsborough's Blue Boy (Paperback)
• Publisher: National Gallery Company Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1857096800
• ISBN 13: 9781857096804
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This richly illustrated publication explores the lasting influence of Gainsborough’s Blue Boy on British art and culture

Marking the return of Gainsborough’s Blue Boy to the UK exactly 100 years since it left for the United States, this richly illustrated publication will explore the lasting influence of this iconic painting on British art and culture. During the nineteenth century, the painting’s fame grew and full-length portraits by Gainsborough and his contemporaries became much sought after by wealthy American collectors. The sale of The Blue Boy to the American railroad magnate and collector Henry E. Huntington in 1921 was unsurprisingly viewed as a national tragedy—emblematic of a shift in economic and cultural power. However, its afterlife, as a permanent ambassador for British art, has undoubtedly fed into ideas of Britain and Britishness—its history, society, culture and character—that still resonate today. Including a select group of paintings that demonstrate the profound influence of Sir Anthony van Dyck and the old master tradition on Gainsborough’s practice and identity, Gainsborough’s Blue Boy will examine this masterpiece within the context of the National Gallery’s collection.

Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press 

About the Author

Christine Riding is the Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department and Curator of British Paintings at the National Gallery, London.