Exhibition of paintings depicting Shakespeare’s plays and characters a highlight of Shakespeare at Yale festival in 2012

At the Yale Center for British Art, “While these visions did appear”: Shakespeare on Canvas will feature works from the Center’s permanent collection of paintings to explore historic representations of Shakespeare’s scenes and characters by artists working in Britain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. On view 3 January–3 June 2012.

James Smetham, Imogen and the Shepherds, from “Cymbeline,” Act IV, scene ii, ca. 1874, oil over ink on panel, Paul Mellon Collection

The exhibition will focus primarily on depictions of Shakespeare’s comedies, but will also draw on comedic elements from the tragedies and histories, including The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Hamlet, and Cymbeline, by artists such as Francis Wheatley, William Hamilton, Robert Smirke, Benjamin van der Gucht, Joseph Noel Paton, and Charles Hunt. “While these visions did appear” will encourage consideration of the many ways in which the comedic elements in Shakespeare’s plays continue to inspire painters and audiences alike.

A second exhibition opening at the Center this spring, Making History: Antiquaries in Britain (2 February–27 May), will feature objects related to the renowned playwright, such as royal portraits and artifacts from battles fictionalized in Shakespeare’s history plays. The Center is also in the process of adding Shakespeare-related works from its prints and drawings collection to the searchable online catalogue at britishart.yale.edu.

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3. British Museum Announces 2012 Shakespeare Staging the World Exhibition