WMR pans Belgian Gallery & promoter

Pan of Belgian Gallery and exhibition promoter.

Rossetti, William M. "The Belgian Gallery." Academy (April 24, 1875): 155. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.

A strong condemnation in typically Rossettian circumspect construction, this essay in an almost wry fashion calls into question the "Belgian Gallery" in many ways. First, Rossetti states that he would be the last to discourage appreciation of continental art, but the present exhibition contains mainly "the small fry" of the continent and does so at the expense of legitimate British art, misleading the public and thereby calling public attention away from legitimate artwork. He cites the low quality of previous Belgian exhibitions promoted by J.H. Gammon and E.J. Vaughan and held at the Prince Albert Hall. The latest exhibition, Rossetti notes, had been cancelled and its reinstatement is not really a good thing due to the poor quality of the work displayed, which tends to be "in general caliber, slight, rough and even rubbishly performed."

Rossetti states that the "new" Belgian exhibition is far from satisfactory and implies that it is yet another example of promoters and sellers of "art" wasting the public's time. He corrects the notion that all of the painters are Belgian and pronounces the "so-called Turner display" a "palpable forgery, and a mere libel on an illustrious name."

A few works are analyzed unenthusiastically, prefaced with the disclaimer, "We are unable to say much of the Belgian Gallery, for little could with truth be propounded in its praise and reiterated objurgation would be tedious and unserviceable."