Madam, - A comment by Ronald de Leeuw, director of the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam, reported in the Guardian on December 22nd, sparked a flurry of interest in the Irish press. Mr De Leeuw, to everyone's delight, revealed that a loan exhibition from the Rijksmuseum would be shown in Cork in 2005. The Irish Times, among others, speculated that Rembrandt's Nightwatch might be included.
To set the record straight, I should point out that the promised exhibition is from the prints and drawings section of the Rijksmuseum, and while it will include works by Rembrandt, sadly the prospect of his Nightwatch ever travelling outside the Netherlands is remote.
On a more local level, our programme for 2004 includes an exhibition of topographical watercolours by the Irish artist George Petrie (1789-1866), organised with the generous assistance of the National Gallery of Ireland. Petrie's landscapes and views of monastic sites are a fascinating record of Ireland in the 19th century.
I would love to hear from readers who know of works by this artist in private collections, as we hope to make the exhibition as representative as possible. - Yours, etc.,
PETER MURRAY,
Curator, Crawford
Municipal Art Gallery,
Emmet Place,
Cork.