Paintings and Sculpture

Particularly strong in the period from 1720 to 1850, the collection is unrivaled in the depth and comprehensiveness of its representation of painting from this era, especially in telling the stories of portrait, landscape, and sporting art. The Center also has the finest group of paintings by George Stubbs, John Constable, and J. M. W. Turner in North America. The collection accepts implicitly the transnational character of British painting and is strong in the art of the British Empire and increasingly in the art of the postcolonial present. Sculpture is represented by outstanding examples of portraits in different media, animalier bronzes, and ideal marbles, as well as important modern and contemporary work by such artists as Rachel Whiteread and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA.

Over 100,000 records from the Paintings and Sculpture, Prints and Drawings, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Reference Library, and Archives collections are searchable online, along with nearly all of the Center's historic frames.