Blue plaque for city art pioneer

CHARLES EASTLAKE WAS FIRST DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL GALLERY

- By LORNA HUGHES

A PLYMOUTH-born pioneer of British art and first director of the National Gallery has been honoured with a blue plaque in his home city.

Sir Charles Lock Eastlake has been described as “the alpha and omega” of the Victorian art world. Born in Plymouth on November 17, 1793, he became one of the most influential figures in 19th-century British culture.

He was the first director of the National Gallery, transforming its collecting practices, conservation methods, and display standards and became president of the Royal Academy from 1855 to 1865, following in the footsteps of fellow Devonian Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Sir Charles was also secretary of the Fine Arts Commission, overseeing the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament. A distinguished art scholar in his own right, his 1847 work “Materials for A History of Oil Painting” remains influential today.

The Box welcomed Sir Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery to Plymouth, to celebrate the unveiling on Thursday (June 26).

The plaque is located at Hillside Court, Plympton St Mary - the site of the pioneering Victorian art scholar and first director of the National Gallery's former home ‘Hillside’.

The Box is currently working in partnership with the National Gallery to deliver The Triumph of Art, a nationwide project by artist Jeremy Deller, commissioned by the National Gallery as part of NG200, its Bicentenary celebrations.

Gabriele Finaldi said “Sir Charles Eastlake's transformative leadership established the foundational principles that continue to guide the National Gallery 200 years on today.