Diana on show

Metamorphosis (sponsored by Credit Suisse) is more than an exhibition, it is wider in its manifestations and implications. The Sainsbury Wing galleries are full of interesting works of art, but the Metamorphosis festival — for that is what it surely is — extends to the Royal Opera House and beyond, through dance and poetry. Unfortunately, there are only limited performances by the Royal Ballet, but these will be filmed and thus available for viewing, and the poetry is published in a handy illustrated paperback (price £8.99), with a learned but accessible introduction by the director of the National Gallery, Nicholas Penny.

The theme of the festival is Titian, and we are celebrating the NG’s recent acquisition (jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland) of ‘Diana and Callisto’, the third great Diana painting to join the national collection. ‘The Death of Actaeon’ was purchased by special appeal in 1972, and ‘Diana and Actaeon’ in 2009.