During the reign of King George IV, Buckingham House - acquired by his father as a 'family home' in 1761 - was converted into a Palace. Nash's designs included a central spine running along the middle of the building, lit from above by a series of saucer domes, the ideal location in which to display George IV's remarkable collection of paintings. The Picture Gallery survives to this day - although sadly not to Nash's original design - and can be visited as part of the public opening of the State Apartments every summer... however, in a tour of roughly 90 minutes this would allow you, at most, quarter of an hour in the Picture Gallery - barely enough time to look at even one painting. So this exhibition - in The Queen's Gallery, adjacent to the Palace - allows you to stop in front of the works and look at them under museum conditions, and includes masterpieces by artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Canaletto and Titian. During this talk we will look at as many of the paintings as possible, stopping to consider precisely what makes a painting a masterpiece.  

As always, I'm afraid this talk will not be recorded.