At museums across London, Old Masters cuddle up to the contemporary—what makes this curatorial approach so appealing?
From the National Gallery to the Wallace Collection, a wave of museum shows suggests the intergenerational hang is here to stay, despite lingering reservations
London's museums are currently offering a unique curatorial experience, blending Old Masters with contemporary works. This innovative approach is not merely a trend, but a longstanding practice that dates back centuries. Historical figures such as Italian Renaissance collectors, Netherlandish patrons, and 18th-century French amateurs routinely displayed ancient art alongside contemporary pieces.
More recently, institutions have begun curating intentional conversations between old and new works, inviting living artists to respond directly to historic collections. The Wallace Collection has been testing this concept for over two decades, starting with a Lucian Freud exhibition in 2004 that juxtaposed his recent paintings with works by 17th-century masters like Van Dyck, Velázquez, and Titian.
The institution continues this tradition with Rachel Kneebone's Metamorphoses, a collection of porcelain sculptures installed throughout the galleries, responding directly to Rococo works by François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. The Wallace Collection's director of collections and research, Alison Smith, acknowledges that such displays can encourage visitors to draw connections across time, but also warns that these juxtapositions can sometimes appear forced and may misrepresent historical works.
Penelope Curtis, former director of Tate Britain, and Nicholas Penny, former director of the National Gallery, have expressed reservations about the trend, with Penny going as far as describing it as "intrusive interventions" in major collections of Old Masters or ancient art. Despite these concerns, the trend remains popular, with contemporary artists frequently visiting institutions to draw inspiration from historic collections.
The Shonibare pairing at the National Gallery, organized for the tercentenary of Gainsborough's birth, explicitly challenges assumptions and disrupts traditional narratives. This cross-period approach to curating art not only enhances the visitor experience, but also fosters a deeper understanding of the evolution of artistic styles and influences.
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