The Friends of the Gallery Library
‘Drawing a Long Bow? Boccherini and the Madrid Visit’
Sophie Matthiesson
Curator, International Art, National Gallery of Victoria
Thursday 27 May, 2010, 6pm for 6.30pm
This lecture follows the young virtuoso composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini to the Spanish court, where he arrived in 1768, aged twenty-four. The glittering cultural scene of Madrid and its surrounding royal palaces boasted some of Europe’s finest artists and attracted a stream of noble and diplomatic visitors and many key figures of the Enlightenment. In such a cosmopolitan milieu numerous opportunities existed for a portrait of this musical celebrity to be painted. The origins of the National Gallery of Victoria portrait of Luigi Boccherini continue to elude scholars and curators. This discussion opens up a new and unexplored avenue of inquiry, by proposing a Spanish context for its creation.
Cost: Friends of the Gallery Library – Free, Guest – $15 (includes refreshments on arrival)
Bookings essential: 03 8620 2331 (Voicemail, please clearly state your name and the number attending), email – gloria.folino@ngv.vic.gov.au or download booking form (word doc) Booking Form
Venue: Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road (enter North entrance, via the Arts Centre forecourt).
