Bartolomé Esteban Murillo at Dulwich Picture Gallery

At Dulwich, the display focuses on the friendship between Bartolomé Esteban-Murillo and his close friend Don Justino de Neve, canon of Seville Cathedral and highly respected churchman. The exhibition space at Dulwich has been transformed to resemble the interior of a church allowing paintings to be hung at the correct height so that visitors see them as originally intended.

Highlights of the display include The Immaculate Conception of the Venerables Sacerdotes (1660-65) which has been united with its highly decorated baroque altar-frame for the first time in many years.

Also on display is The Baptism of Christ (1667-68). This beautiful piece was originally located in Seville Cathedral and this is the first time it has been shown outside Spain. 

Another outstanding oil sketch is The Adoration of the Magi (1660-65). The work has recently recently been the subject of a major conservation project. Several layers of old varnish were removed and as a result the painting has now been fully attributed to Murillo, whereas before it was catalogued as being 'after Murillo', i.e: painted by one of his students or followers.

Although Murillo was renowned for his religious paintings, we must not forget his genre paintings.

Dulwich Picture Gallery is home to a comprehensive collection of Murillo's genre paintings which are also on display. One in particular, 'Spring’ (?) as a Flower Girl (1665-70), has been restored with sponsorship from the Bank of American Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project. X-radiography of this painting reveals evidence of an earlier Immaculate Conception.

A fully-illustrated catalogue provides a permanent record of the exhibition. Edited by Gabriele Finaldi, the book includes contributions by leading Murillo scholars including Dr Xavier Bray, Ignacio Cano Rivero, Elena Cenalmor Bruquetas, Peter Cherry, Teodoro Falcon Marquez, Benito Navarrete Prieto and Jaxier Portus Perez.  The book can be purchased directly from Dulwich Picture Gallery priced at £19.99, and Museo del Prado, priced at 19.00 Euro.

Murillo & Justino de Neve: The Art of Friendship can be seen at Dulwich Picture Gallery from 6th February to 19th May 2013. Tickets and further information are available from Dulwich Picture Gallery. Additional works by Murillo can also been seen at the Wallace Collection in their exhibition entitled Murillo at the Wallace Collection: Painting of the Spanish Golden Age. This display is open until 12th May 2013.