William Dobson at Tate Britain

William Dobson, the forgotten genius of British art, has gone on show at Tate Britain. And they say there is no God!

William Dobson at Tate Britain

Restoration of ‘Portrait of a Musician’ by William Dobson

Ferens Art Gallery in Hull commissioned Critchlow and Kukkonen to restore one of William Dobson’s masterpieces – ‘A Portrait of a Musician’. The restoration was financed by Waldemar Januszczak and ZCZ Films through “Adopt a Painting’ scheme.

Restoration of 'Portrait of a Musician' by William Dobson

A new Dobson on show at the Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a magnificent new painting by William Dobson on show. Painted in Oxford in 1643, the ambitious triple portrait shows a group of Royalist heroes gathered around a table, pledging a mysterious troth. Who are they? What are they pledging?

William Dobson in Oxford - a new identity

Dobson self-portrait up for sale at Bonhams Auctioneers

In July 2016 this early self-portrait by Dobson will be up for sale. Bonhams Auctioneers were kind enough to let us make a short film about this special painting. Lisa Greaves, Director of Old Master Paintings, explaining just why it’s such an important work in the history of British art.

William Dobson Self Portrait, at Bonhams Auctioneers

Dobson’s finest self-portrait will be on show at Osterley Park and House until 2024

In March 2014, Dobson’s finest self-portrait went on show at Osterley Park and House. Here is a short film about the exhibition with collections manager Judith Evans. The sumptuous Georgian estate West of London was designed by Robert Adam in the 1780s for the Child family, and was home to the Dobson for almost 250 years.
The current owner, the 10th Earl of Jersey, has loaned a number of great works of art, design, and furniture from the original Child collection back to Osterley Park, amongst which is the William Dobson Self-portrait.
Having been hidden away for so long, it is great to see such a fine and important work of art on display, and we implore you to go and visit.

William Dobson at Osterley Park

Two films, presented by Sunday Times art critic Waldemar Januszczak, were made for the 2011 celebration of William Dobson.

The Lost Genius of British Art: William Dobson was broadcast on 22nd September 2011 on BBC 4. Uncovering the fascinating life and times of the artist, Januszczak examines over thirty Dobson masterpieces and the impressive settings in which they can be found. He travels from great houses to museums, castles to palaces, across Britain from London all the way up to Scotland. He explains why Dobson is such an important artist and explores his impact on British art. The film is not available from the ZCZ Films online shop.

The Lost Genius of British Art - William Dobson Trailer

This deleted scene explores Dobson’s mysterious relationship with St. John’s College at Oxford. Was Dobson a Catholic?

The Dark Secret of St John's - William Dobson

A second film was shown in a special lecture given by Januszczak at the Courtauld Institute of Art on 19th October 2011. It exposes the two men captured in one of Dobson’s greatest paintings, An Old and a Younger Man in the Courtauld Gallery, and explore the fascinating circumstances that led to their involvement with the King’s court in the Civil War. It turns out that one of the men was a rough and ready water-boatman who once rowed Shakespeare across the River Thames in London.


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