Unveiling ‘Goya to Impressionism’: A Masterpiece Exhibition in London

There are few artworks that captivate audiences as profoundly as A Man Suffering from Delusions of Military Rank, a haunting portrait by Théodore Géricault. Painted in 1819, this masterpiece is on display for the first time in Britain, loaned from a small Swiss museum fourteen miles from Zurich.

The Intriguing Géricault Portrait

This shattering image, featuring a nameless man gaunt with anxiety, invites visitors to ponder the mysteries of the psyche. Dressed in a military uniform, he wears a numbered dog tag, adding layers of intrigue to his identity. Modern interpretations of the piece suggest it captures madness, but standing in front of the portrait, these theories dissolve.

Géricault’s empathetic skill is mesmerizing, transforming the portrait from a clinical study into a deeply personal reflection. The painting, part of a series of ten “insane” portraits, has been missing for years, discovered and safeguarded by the Swiss collector Oskar Reinhart. Now, it is part of a gem of an exhibition in London.

Bringing Together Timeless Masterpieces

The Oskar Reinhart Collection is renowned for its preserved artworks, including Francisco Goya’s disturbing still life of salmon steaks. Painted amidst the chaos of the Peninsular War, this work exemplifies Goya’s genius in capturing both horror and beauty.

In addition to the Géricault portrait, the exhibition features other powerful masterpieces, including Gustave Courbet’s The Wave and Édouard Manet’s Au café. Manet’s work, on view for the first time in the UK, is a fragment of a bar scene, which the artist later divided into two parts. This split piece is an enigmatic reflection of the artist’s abilities.

The Reinhart Collection’s Impact

Oskar Reinhart, a Swiss businessman, collecting art was more than a hobby. His passion for French painting, from Francisco Goya to groundbreaking impressions of Daumier, Corot, and Courbet, defined his collection. Reinhart meticulously selected every piece, waiting years to acquire his prized masterpieces.

Including Renoir’s portrait of Victor Chocquet and Toulouse-Lautrec’s depiction of the enigmatic Cha-U-Kao, the Reinhart Collection offers a deep dive into lesser-known but equally powerful works. Paul Cézanne’s late watercolor, Mount Sainte-Victoire, is a testament to his mastery, capturing the essence of his familiar landscape.

Linder Sterling’s Symbolic Collages

While the Courtauld exhibition is a feast for art lovers, a retrospective of Linder Sterling at the Hayward Gallery complements this artistic journey with an equally compelling exploration of identity and representation. Titled Danger Came Smiling, the exhibition features Linder Sterling’s provocative and thought-provoking collages.

Born in 1954, Linder Sterling’s work is a radical commentary on societal norms. Her ambiguous self-portraits, juxtapositions of consumer durables with soft porn nudes, and surreal depictions of ballet stars in black and white all highlight the complexities of identity.

The exhibition showcases a range of her work, from early 1970s collages like the man holding a compliant woman by the waist, with the woman holding a fork to her eyes, to late works with roses covering porn models’ genitals. These pieces reflect on the exploitation and subversion of feminine ideals.

Rating the Exhibitions

Both exhibitions offer unique and diverse insights into art history. The Goya to Impressionism exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery is a must-see for anyone appreciating French art, rated ★★★★★. In contrast, Linder Sterling’s Danger Came Smiling at the Hayward Gallery provides a contemporary take on subversion and identity, rated ★★★.

Conclusion

The Goya to Impressionism exhibition offers a condensed museum within a museum, featuring 25 masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection. Until May, Londoners have a chance to experience these treasures without the pilgrimage to Switzerland. Meanwhile, Linder Sterling’s retrospective at the Hayward Gallery invites viewers to engage with the complexities of identity in contemporary art.

Visit Goya to Impressionism and Danger Came Smiling before they conclude. Your understanding of art history and contemporary art will be profoundly enriched.