Not only was the art world full of praise for the “Houghton Revisited” exhibition which Oracle Capital Group has co-sponsored this year, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, was also impressed.
Prince Charles officially opened the exhibition at Houghton Hall, home of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondley, in May. He told those gathered for the occasion that the exhibition was “a once in a lifetime experience.”
His Royal Highness described his tour of the collection as a “pleasure” and added that, “I do hope that as many people as possible will have the option to visit”.
The paintings were originally collected by Britain’s first prime minister, (and Lord Cholmondley’s ancestor), Sir Robert Walpole. They were then sold to Catherine the Great of Russia in the 18th Century to pay family debts.
Over the past three years, the collection has been painstakingly re-assembled. Superb paintings by artists including Rembrandt, Velasquez, Rubens, Van Dyck, Murillo and Poussin were returned to the rooms they once adorned in Walpole’s original home for them at Houghton Hall.
Art critics from the major national newspapers and publications were hugely positive about the exhibition. The Times, for example, called it “spectacular”, while the Economist said “it promises to be one of the summer’s most sought-after exhibitions” and the Sunday Times described it as “exceptional”.
As well as having the privilege of Prince Charles opening Houghton Revisited, the Oracle Capital Group Charitable Foundation attended a preview reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibition at the Russian Embassy in London, in the presence of the Russian Ambassador, His Excellency Alexander Yakovenko and Mrs Nana Yakovenko.
“Houghton Revisited – Masterpieces of the Walpole Collection” opened on May 17, 2013 and will run until September 29, 2013.