Past Exhibitions

19th February - 15th May 2011

The exhibition introduced the least known group of Old Master drawings from Christ Church.The twenty-nine drawings on display offered a glimpse into the wide range of Neapolitan draughtsmanship, including works by Jusepe de Ribera, Salvator Rosa and Luca Giordano.

3rd November 2010 - 30th January 2011 (extended to 6th February)

This exhibition celebrated the tricentenary of the death of Henry Aldrich, Dean of Christ Church, architect, collector of music and prints, author of books on logic and architecture and considered 'one of the most eminent men in England'.  

Aldrich’s considerable influence on the academic, political and social life of Oxford (and England) was explored further during a study day on Friday 21st January 2011 at Christ Church, Blue Boar Lecture Theatre.

 18th September - 24th October 2010

  Click here to read more on Likenesses.

25th August - 22nd December 2010

An exhibition which showcased some of Christ Church Picture Gallery's least known, but most captivating treasures.

29th May to 16th June 2010

Works from Christ Church’s Fine Art undergraduates Cara George, Claire-Louise Shifrin and James Sutton,  from the Ruskin School of Art were on display.

A limited edition Napkin in Tube - designed by James Sutton after a drawing by Verocchio from the Gallery collection, was also on sale at £6.50.

25th May - 29th August 2010

The 34 drawings in the exhibition came from the collection of General John Guise (1682-1765), the Picture Gallery’s main benefactor. Guise combined his profession as a soldier with his passion for Old Master drawings. It is therefore tempting to assume that he might have had a special interest in military scenes. Unfortunately, this assumption is difficult to verify, but this exhibition showed some outstanding drawings which he might have studied in more detail and left it to the viewer to decide if our collectors’ fascination with war can be detected in his collection of drawings.

20th March - 30th May 2010

The depiction of the Madonna and Child is the most popular devotional image. Five rarely seen works from the Christ Church collection allowed visitors to re-acquaint themselves with this familiar theme and to re-visit the Madonna and Child paintings of our primary collection, by artists such as Piero della Francesca, Annibale Carracci and many more.

16th February - 16th May 2010

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564) is regarded as the most influential artists of all times. His fresco of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is the most replicated work of art. Artists from Raphael to Tintoretto copied his works in order to further their own artistic ideas. This exhibition brought together thirty-three drawings from the Christ Church collection of Old Masters to trace and understand Michelangelo's genius through his followers, imitators and admirers.  

2nd November - 7th February 2010

How drapery and clothes enrobe the human figure and how to depict the varied qualities of material was and remains one of the challenges in art. With more than thirty old master drawings this exhibition explored a seemingly mundane topic and illustrated its richness and creative power. Works on display included Leonardo da Vinci's Study of a Sleeve and drapery studies by Figino, one of Leonardo's followers. Despite their practical qualities all the drawings - in their rendering of the folds, play with light and shade and lines that follow or defeat the imagined body underneath - can equally be regarded as abstract poetic forms.

12th June – 4th October 2009

Christ Church’s collection contains a large number of drawings from the mid-sixteenth century. The importance of that period in art was only fully recognised in the twentieth century and with this recognition the treasures of Christ Church became focal points in the study of the era. Jacopo Pontormo’s preparatory drawing for his Lamentation in the church of Santa Felicita in Florence is probably the most famous example of this kind. More than thirty drawings were on display in this exhibition by artists such as Vasari, Salviati, Allori, Pontormo and many more.