European Museums visit 2023

Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna

• Saw paintings by Bernardo Bellotto who was nephew and student of Canaletto hence the similarity to his cityscapes. At first glance could be mistaken for Canaletto but all his works are darker. There were seven paintings there. His contrast of light and dark, particularly in intimate backstreet scenes, is better than his expansive views of palaces and grounds, though the picture of Schönbrunn Palace is very good. Two particularly good ones are Vienna, Dominican Church, and The Freyung in Vienna viewed from south east.
• There were two works by Canaletto and both are smaller than most of his works - about 24” x 18”. The Dogana in Venice is excellent. It has a great overall lightness to it with subtle shadows. Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice I found has too much the same lightness overall with very little gradation to shadow. It is an interesting composition but too much sky.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

San Marco Museum, Florence

Bargello Museum, Florence

Musea Brugge, Bruges

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Frans Hals Museum

Cityscapes and interiors by Gerrit Berckheyde of Haarlem were much like a Dutch version of Canaletto, though Berckheyde as a few interior spaces as well.

Saw a few still lifes that were very good.

Vincente Romero

A recent article highlights the Spanish artist Vincente Romero who is continuing the classical tradition in pastel. "Vicente Romero's artistic influences are rooted in the classical tradition. He holds a deep admiration for 17th-century masters like Rembrandt and Velázquez." Read the full article here.

Black Veil

Looking at the Future

Radiance

Vincente Romero in his studio

A Peaceful Afternoon

A New Day Dawns

Great Sculptures

From the article "History's Most Famous Sculptures" is a collection of long admired and regarded sculptures around the world, and a few that are more infamous than famous. Some I have seen, others I am looking forward to seeing and some I don't care if I ever see. I have seen Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo (both in the Louvre), and Perseus with the Head of Medusa and David by Donatello (both in Florence). I saw a copy of Michelangelo's Pietà that was about half the size of the original. It was very impressive.

Winged Victory of Samothrace (Louvre)

Pietà (Vatican Museum)

David by Michelangelo (Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence)

The Discus Thrower (Glyptothek, Munich)

Laocoön and His Sons (Vatican Museum)

Venus de Milo (Louvre)

Perseus with the Head of Medusa (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence)

The Rape of Proserpina (Galleria Borghese, Rome)

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome)

David by Donatello (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. )

Statue of Liberty (Liberty Island, New York)

Lincoln Memorial (Washington, D.C.)

Nefertiti Bust (Neues Museum, Berlin)

Terracotta Army (Xi’an, China)

Great Sphinx (Giza, Egypt)

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Pietà

David

And the not so great:

Manneken Pis (Brussels, Belgium)

The Thinker (Musée Rodin, Paris)

Monument to Yuri Gagarin (Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow)

Maman (National Gallery, Ottawa)

Venus of Willendorf (Natural History Museum, Vienna)

Unique Forms of Continuity (Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)

Cloud Gate (AT&T Plaza, Chicago)

Fountain by Duchamp (original lost, multiple copies world-wide)

Museums to Visit

A list of museums I have not yet visited but intend to:

Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, Scotland (Waterhouse) 

Tate Britain, London (Waterhouse)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Mauritshuis, The Hague

Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Historical Information Center for Thermopylae, Thermopylae

Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence (David)

National Etruscan Museum, Rome

Capitoline Museum, Rome

The National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano) is comprised of multiple buildings throughout Rome:

• Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (The Discus Thrower)
• Palazzo Altemps
• Crypta Balbi
• Baths of Diocletian

Palazzo Colonna, Rome

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome

Borghese Gallery and Museum, Rome

Vatican Museum, The Vatican

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Frick Museum, New York

Getty Museum, Los Angeles (Alma-Tadema)

National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (Vermeer)

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Cairo

Museums and galleries I want to visit again, typically because there is so much to see that it cannot all be viewed on one visit:

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester (Alma-Tadema, Waterhouse)

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol (Alma-Tadema)

The British Museum, London

The Louvre, Paris

Also look at those smaller museums that hold particular artists and works that I am interested in seeing. See pages on Vermeer, Canaletto, Leonardo, Bouguereau and Waterhouse.

Maritime Art

My interest in history and sailing combine in an interest in maritime art. I'm looking to acquire a powerful piece and am still looking.

For a more vigorous image I'm looking at scenes from Trafalgar by Auguste Ballin (1842-1909) whose prints are available from Art Marine UK, and Maritime Prints.

Trafalgar - 1:00pm (Victory firing into Buccaneer)

Some newer marine artists are Steven Dews, John Christian, R.G. Grimson and Geoff Hunt.

H.M.S. Pandora Gives Chase - Steven Dews

First Shots - John Christian

Stop and Search 1770 - R.G. Grimson

RMS Surprise off Calcutta - Geoff Hunt