CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Picture Gallery, Buckingham Palace

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The Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace displays many of the finest Dutch and Flemish Old Masters in the Royal Collection. Originally designed by architect John Nash as part of the transformation of Buckingham House into Buckingham Palace for King George IV in the 1820s, the 47-meter-long gallery was created specifically to showcase the King’s extensive collection of paintings.

The Gallery features approximately 120 masterpieces organized broadly by geographical region, period, and subject matter. Among the primary highlights from the Low Countries are Johannes Vermeer’s Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman, Rembrandt van Rijn’s The Shipbuilder and His Wife, and significant works by Frans Hals, Peter Paul Rubens, and their contemporaries. Because works are regularly lent for international and national exhibitions, the display undergoes periodic rotation. Today, the Picture Gallery continues to serve as a space for royal receptions and official state events, and it is accessible to the public during the annual summer opening of the Palace.


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