Dulwich Gallery
– A Royal Collection of Old Masters

The Dulwich Gallery is on the outskirts of London, in Dulwich Village.

The building that houses it was opened in 1817 and was built just to house the collection, making it the first public art gallery building constructed solely for that purpose.

It was designed by Sir John Soane and is a lovely structure of interlocking rooms lit by numerous skylights.

The Dulwich Collection was put together by art dealer Sir Francis Bourgeois and his business partner Noel Desenfans who were commissioned in 1790 by the King of Poland to amass a collection of masterpieces for his royal collection.

Five years later, the collection was complete but Poland had been partitioned away by its neighbours, leaving the dealers with no buyer.

Eventually, the collection was bequeathed to Dulwich College in 1811 along with money to fund the construction of a building to house it.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery has a well known and celebrated collection of paintings by the European Old Masters.

Works by Watteau, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, and Van Dyke grace the walls.

Rembrandt’s portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III has its home in the galleries, although it also has the dubious fame of being the most frequently stolen piece of artwork in the world.

It has been stolen a total of 4 times, the most recent being in 1983.

An upgraded security system coupled with its notoriety makes it unlikely that the painting with be stolen again, however.

Another curious fact about the museum is that it is also the final resting place of Sir Francis Bourgeois, Noel Desenfas and his wife, Margaret Desenfans.

There is a mausoleum near the centre of the building in which they were interred.

It was badly damaged during the bombings of World War II, and the bones were scattered over the grounds.

The bones were reassembled into skeletons, but no one is sure exactly whose bones were whose.

The gallery is a world class collection of art masterpieces in a low key and visitor-friendly setting.

It also has a reputation for excellence in programming; the temporary exhibitions it puts on three times a year are eagerly anticipated by art lovers all over.

The Dulwich Gallery is a must see destination for art lovers.