In mid-nineteenth century Britain, a group of rebellious young artists emulated the spirit of early Renaissance painting in protest against the art establishment of the era and society at large. Radically flouting convention, these artists revelled in the use of brilliant colour, meticulous detail and exquisite layering. The Pre-Raphaelites drew inspiration from the great love stories of history and literature, the tempestuousness of lustful entanglements, and the wonder of religious icons. They created a new artistic genre, sometimes poetic and sexy and sometimes raw, that combined medieval romanticism with modern life to produce literary scenes, portraits and landscapes rich in symbolism.

Love & Desire features 40 of the Tate’s most famous and best-loved works, alongside 40 loans from other British and Australian collections. With masterpieces such as John Everett Millais’ Ophelia 1851–52 and William Holman Hunt’s The Awakening conscience 1853, this exhibition is a stunning survey of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

These masterpieces are rarely lent, most have never been seen in Australia before and the exhibition represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunit

Love & Desire Exhibition
14 December 2018 – 28 April 2019
National Gallery of Australia
www.nga.gov.au

They are richly varied and represent all media in which this remarkable group of artists worked. The collection reflects the role of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, their place in the development of the illustrated book and their profound influence on later generations of artists.

The NGV’s collection has recently been significantly augmented with a number of key works, including the portrait of the Baroness Deslandes by Edward Burne-Jones as well as preliminary drawings for this painting, a stained glass window designed by Burne-Jones and a significant portrait by John Everett Millais.

This exhibition not only focuses on the collecting of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood by the NGV, but includes key works in private collectors and institutions in Melbourne, reflecting the broad interest in this group of artists.

Medieval Moderns – The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Exhibition
11 April – 12 July 2015
NGV International
www.ngv.vic.gov.au