Here in London are two historical exhibitions which treat more of human identity, national and individual, than they do of pure painting. Each one showcases art, but in the wider context of the artefacts of a particular period. For a nation which loves to visit country houses (courtesy of that great institution, the National Trust), both exhibitions should prove reassuringly familiar in format and content.
Searching for Shakespeare, at the National Portrait Gallery (until 29 May, sponsored by Credit Suisse), celebrates the 150th anniversary of the NPG appropriately, given that the very first painting presented to the gallery in 1856 was the famous ‘Chandos’ portrait of Shakespeare. This supposed depiction of the Bard, looking like a retired buccaneer, forms the centrepiece of this exhibition which sets out to investigate the man behind the myth. It has been famously said that scholars and biographers would practically kill for a sight of Shakespeare’s laundry lists, so little hard information is available.
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