EXHIBITION:  Dreams and Traditions: 300 Years of British and Irish
Painting from the Ulster Museum, Belfast

CONTENTS:  45 paintings by British and Irish artists, from the collection of
the Ulster Museum.  Represented artists include:  Thomas Bate (fl. c.
1692), Thomas Mitchell (1735-82), Nathaniel Hone (1718-84), Sir Joshua
Reynolds (1723-92), Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97), Francis
Wheatley (1747-1801), William Ashford (1746-1824), Joseph Paul
(d.1887), Walter Osborne (1859-1903), Roderic O'Conor (1860-1940),
Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), and Basil Blackshaw (b.1932).

AVAILABLE DATES:  8/2/97 - 9/28/97 and 10/18/97 - 12/14/97

SIZE:  85 running meters (280 ft.) estimated

FEE:  US $16,000.00

SHIPPING:  For U.S. venues, prorated, designated carrier, fee to be
determined; outside the U.S., incoming shipping from the point of exit from
the U.S. plus outgoing shipping to the next venue on the tour

REQUIREMENTS:  High security; submission of an AAM facility report

EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION:

Featuring 45 works selected from the Ulster Museum in Belfast, this
important exhibition, the first of its kind to tour North America, traces the
aesthetic evolution of British and Irish painting from the late 17th century
to the present day.

In the 17th century, painting was appreciated as much for its
documentary value as for its artistry.  Painters born and trained abroad
were often favored and their example emulated, especially in court
circles.  By the mid-18th century, however, artists had assimilated
foreign influences and developed a new approach to portraiture and
landscape painting which emphasized natural beauty rather than staged
grandeur.  Intimacy and repose imbue even the most stately portraits,
and serenity and grace fill the grandest panoramas painted during this
period.

Paintings of local subject matter, topographical views, and genre scenes,
already popular in the 18th century, proliferated in the early 19th century.
 Following the example of Dutch painters, artists turned in increasing
numbers to paint the peoples and places around them.  This practice
was encouraged by a growing middle class that appreciated the charm
and familiarity of these scenes.

As the effects of the Industrial Revolution became apparent, many artists
sought refuge in nature.  Others looked to earlier periods in history for
inspiration.  In Ireland this nostalgia was coupled with an emerging
nationalism, and found a visual complement in the Celtic Revival, a literary
and artistic movement of the mid-19th century that drew on the traditions
of the period considered by many to be the most glorious in Irish history.

Foreign models again became important in the late 19th century.  The
work of many British and Irish painters reflects the innovations seen in
France at that time.  The impact of early 20th-century movements, such
as fauvism and cubism, is also evident. From the 1940s on, however,
London exerted a stronger influence.  Artists working in Britain and
Ireland during this period assimilated the increasingly international
vocabulary of modernism, developing a complete range of individual
styles.

By bringing together British and Irish painting, this exhibition invites
comparisons, and provides a new perspective on the cultural traditions
of Britain and Ireland.

Dreams and Traditions was organized by the Ulster Museum and the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in association with the
British Council and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Nicole M. Bouvier
Scheduling & Exhibitor Relations Director
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES)
1100 Jefferson Drive, SW  MRC 706
Washington, DC 20560
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202.357.3168 x120 phone
202.357.4324 fax

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