Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788

February 9-May 11, 2003

Overview: 63 paintings and 30 drawings by Thomas Gainsborough were presented in this first comprehensive retrospective of the artist's work in more than 20 years. Included were portraits, landscape paintings, and scenes of the rural poor. 15 of the works were shown only at venues in the United States, and 2 paintings, The Watering Place and The Painter's Daughters with a Cat, were shown only at the National Gallery of Art.

The exhibition was organized by Tate Britain, London, in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Franklin Kelly, senior curator of American and British paintings at the National Gallery, organized the installation in Washington. The exhibition was made possible by General Dynamics and General Dynamics United Kingdom, Ltd. It was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 102,830 (92 days)

Location: West Building, Main Floor, Galleries 57 through 62

Catalogue: Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788, edited by Michael Rosenthal and Martin Myrone. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art; London: Tate Publishing, 2002.

Brochure: Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788, by Deborah Chotner. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 2003.

Web site: Selected images from the exhibition were available online. Related Online Resources

Other venues:

Tate Britain, London

October 24, 2002-January 19, 2003

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

June 15-September 14, 2003

Search past exhibitions
Previous | Next (chronological list)