Prince of Wales Views Exhibition of Art Work From Collection of Charles I

The Prince of Wales was given a special viewing of the Charles I: King and Collector exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts on Monday evening.

Walking through 150 paintings from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, including the famed Le Roi à la chasse (Charles I at the Hunt) by Sir Anthony van Dyck, with curators Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Per Rumberg, Prince Charles became one of the first people to see the reunion of so many pieces from the magnificent collection of King Charles I of England (r. 1625-1649), over three and a half centuries after the collection was broken up following his execution.

The Royal Collection loaned 91 pieces for the exhibition, and, in a marvellous feat that the curators attributed to personal assistance from Prince Charles, five pieces from the Museo del Prado and three from the Musee du Louvre that have not been loaned out to Britain before.

“The Prince of Wales was a very helpful supportive figure in the background,” Mr Rumberg said, describing how the Prince was instrumental in confirming the loan of “key work” Charles I at the Hunt from the Louvre.

Prince Charles gave a speech at the viewing, saying they were “fortunate indeed to be the first generation in nearly 370 years, to appreciate them [the collection of Charles I] as my ancestors once did”.

The exhibition has been put together to celebrate 250 years of the Royal Academy of Arts. It will run until April 15.

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Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Art, Art Collections, Charles I of England, Exhibition, The Prince of Wales, The Royal Collection.