Journal of Art Historiography (Jun 2020)
John Ruskin and the National Gallery: evolving ideas about curating the nation’s paintings during the second half of the nineteenth century
Abstract
Ruskin’s relationship with the National Gallery spanned almost half a century. This article will attempt to explain why he got involved with the institution at various points from the middle of the nineteenth century, what form his interventions took, and how such action fitted in with his evolving ideas about art galleries in general. The focus will be on Ruskin’s evolving thinking about what functions and what type of visitors a public art gallery should serve and what he regarded as best practice in relation to preserving great art and arranging, exhibiting and cataloguing it for public benefit. We will also consider, in passing, how his ideas about the National Gallery fitted within his later thinking in relation to other art institutions, including his own museum in Sheffield, and how his thinking related to a wider national discourse on the topic during the second half of the nineteenth century.
