Velázquez in Liverpool: Walker Art Gallery to host 17th-century masterpiece - press release

- The Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez is coming to Liverpool as part of the 200th birthday celebrations of the National Gallery in London
- New display will challenge the male gaze by displaying rarely seen works by women and non-binary artists alongside the globally recognised masterpiece
- National Treasures: Velázquez in Liverpool opens at the Walker Art Gallery on 10 May and runs until 26 August 2024

One of the most recognisable paintings in the UK is coming to Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery as part of a nationwide celebration of the 200th birthday of the National Gallery in London. It will be presented in a groundbreaking new display challenging male desire in art.

The Toilet of Venus (1647-51) by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) – more commonly known as The Rokeby Venus – has long been a topic of public conversation and interest. This new display will challenge traditional views on the painting by setting it alongside a range of unexpected artworks by women and non-binary artists.

The painting is Velázquez’s only surviving female nude. Over the centuries, it has become symbolic of the male gaze, and has often been held up as an example of the objectification of women in art. National Treasures: Velázquez in Liverpool will consider new ways of seeing, focusing on the perspectives of women and Queer people through a range of works that have rarely been displayed before.

The work comes to the Walker Art Gallery as part of National Treasures, a programme celebrating the National Gallery’s bicentenary. The painting is one of 12 of the most beloved works from the collection in London which will travel to museums and galleries across the UK, each curating and creating around their painting. All 12 displays will open on 10 May 2024, the 200th birthday of the National Gallery. National Treasures is supported by Garfield Weston Foundation and other donors, and further digital content about the displays will be available on Bloomberg Connects.

Alongside Velázquez’s masterpiece, the display will include The Spanish Gesture (1934) by Scottish artist Ethel Walker. Long held in the Walker Art Gallery’s collections, the painting is an example of Ethel Walker’s alluring paintings of women. She is celebrated as one of the earliest lesbian artists to openly express their sexuality in their paintings.  

Other works include Puck (1855-1859) by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer. Hosmer was an American sculptor working in Rome who actively rejected the norms and social conventions expected of women, and lived in romantic relationships with other women.

A selection of works that have recently been acquired by the Walker Art Gallery will also be displayed, including a selection of photographs by South African artist Zanele Muholi named Miss Lesbian VII (Amsterdam) and Miss Lesbian I (Amsterdam) (2009). Rene Matić’s Chiddy Doing Rene’s Hair (2019), which considers race, beauty, and gender as a performance, will also be displayed at the Walker for the first time.

National Treasures: Velázquez in Liverpool opens at the Walker Art Gallery on 10 May and runs until 26 August 2024. Entry is free, with donations welcome. Find out more about the display and plan your visit at liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nationaltreasures

 

ENDS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Felicity Robinson
PR & Communications Officer
felicity.robinson@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Walker Art Gallery

The Walker Art Gallery houses an internationally renowned collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative art. It is one of Europe’s finest galleries, with a collection that ranges from outstanding modern and contemporary works to Medieval and Renaissance masterpieces. Some of the greatest British artists of the last century are represented in the modern and contemporary galleries, from Lucian Freud and David Hockney to Barbara Hepworth and Lubaina Himid, along with its globally renowned Pre-Raphaelite and Impressionist collections.

The gallery’s Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque displays reopened in Summer 2023 following a major redevelopment programme funded by the Department for Media, Culture and Sport. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walkerartgallery

National Museums Liverpool

National Museums Liverpool (NML) comprises seven venues, including some of the most visited museums in England outside of London. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic. We attracted nearly 2.5 million visitors in 2022.

Our venues are Museum of Liverpool, World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Sudley House and Lady Lever Art Gallery. National Museums Liverpool is regulated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

The National Gallery

The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to enhance the collection, care for the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free. www.nationalgallery.org.uk