Two Royal Exhibitions in London: Charles I and Charles II Collections

Two major exhibitions dedicated to the art collections of Charles I (1600-1649) and Charles II (1630-1685) of England are scheduled for 2018 in London. Charles, Prince of Wales, son of Queen Elizabeth and future king, serves as honorary committee member presiding over the project. The launch event took place on May 22, 2017 at Buckingham Palace. The first exhibition, "Charles II: Art & Power," opens at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace from December 8, 2017 to May 13, 2018. It features paintings that remained in the Royal Collection, including a portrait of Charles II by John Michael Wright (c. 1676), a portrait of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (c. 1665) by Peter Lely, and "The Massacre of the Innocents" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1565-67). The second exhibition, "Charles I: King and Collector," runs from January 27 to April 15, 2018 at the Royal Academy of Arts. It assembles 150 works, 91 of which are lent from the Royal Collection—the largest single loan from the collection since 1946. After Charles I's execution, most of his possessions were sold and dispersed across foreign collections and international museums such as the Louvre and the Prado. Approximately one-third of the loans reunite works for the first time in four centuries. Art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon will dedicate a four-part television series on the BBC to the double exhibition.