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On Sunday 13 July, the Tempo Half Marathon will begin and end at Compton Verney.

Please note that we are still open to visitors on this day, however there will be a rolling road block in the morning, and the site may be busier than usual due to this event so please allow yourself more time to travel.

Painting Childhood:
From holbein to freud

16 March 2019 – 16 June 2019

Children have always fascinated artists. This is a celebration of some of the most iconic paintings of children produced over the past 500 years.

Through stunning portraits, amusing genre scenes and touching ‘fancy pictures’, this exhibition explored the creative process and the specific challenges posed by painting children: from how to capture the fleeting moments of youth to how to encourage young subjects to sit still.

 

About the
exhibition

The exhibition addressed themes including royal portraits, play and learning, and the fantasy and reality of children’s lives.

It concludes with a series of paintings, sketches and sculptures by Stanley Spencer, Louise Bourgeois, Jacob Epstein and Lucian Freud. These offer deeply personal insights into the place of family within an artist’s life, and the ongoing dialogue between biography and creativity.