The painter as king

The first thing to be said is how good this exhibition looks upstairs in the main body of the National Gallery, hung in large, well-proportioned rooms, in natural light, rather than in the dungeons of the Sainsbury wing, where most temporary shows have been consigned in recent years. At last common sense has prevailed at the NG, and fabulous loan exhibitions may be seen in a favourable context. To have gathered together these 40 works by Velázquez — almost half his surviving output — is a remarkable achievement and not likely to be repeated during our lifetime. It is only right and proper that they are shown in the best setting. Such a rare event is to be savoured, which is why I find the comments of certain critics churlish when they complain that since Velázquez’s great masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’ is not among the exhibits, the display is irredeemably flawed.