Palace masterpieces to go on display

Stunning old masters by renowned painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer and Canaletto are to be exhibited together for the first time, the Royal Collection Trust has said.

The 65 paintings are the highlights of the Royal Collection and will go on display later this year as Buckingham Palace’s picture gallery, where they are hung, is about to undergo reservicing work. When the exhibition opens in December visitors will be encouraged to examine the techniques of the painters who were masters at the use of light, pigment, brush strokes and artistic devices to create emotion and realism.

The picture gallery is being reserviced as part of a 10-year programme of work to overhaul the palace’s essential services and key infrastructure, including lead pipes and ageing electrical wiring and boilers, costing more than £350 million.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a display charting the evolution of the palace’s picture gallery after Buckingham House was acquired by George III and Queen Charlotte in 1762.

Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace will be staged at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from December 4 to January 2022.