Dante In Dunoon – Exhibition

An exhibition which offered a rare opportunity to see the art of leading Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti in Argyll and Bute.

Key works by the highly influential Victorian painter and poet were displayed in Dante in Dunoon at Dunoon Burgh Hall, a coup for the historic award-winning venue—the exhibition ended on Sunday, 11 June. A major exhibition is currently attracting crowds at Tate Britain. The London show focuses on Rosetti and his inner artistic circle, while the Dunoon show is devoted solely to Rosetti.

Dunoon Burgh Hall has become a vibrant cultural hub following its refurbishment six years ago. Dante in Dunoon had been planning for many years, with Burgh Hall staff working with curators at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Dante in Dunoon is a theme that originated with Degas for Dunoon, which visitors flocked to see in 2018.

Rossetti’s sensuous artworks, created during an era of innovation and industrialisation in Victorian England, reinterpret medieval and religious subject matter with a keen observational and symbolic style.

As a founding member of what was known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti and his group of fellow artists sought to disrupt what they viewed as the staid academic art establishment. The group aimed to return to the sense of moral and religious purpose and clarity they saw in early Renaissance painting.