Vasari Art Codex

Gainsborough’s Powdered Wig Portraits Are Suddenly Hot in New York

A new exhibition at the Frick Collection in New York has assembled 25 portraits by the 18th-century British painter Thomas Gainsborough. The show focuses on his depictions of the era's elite, showcasing the powdered wigs, lavish fabrics, and social stature of his sitters.

newspaper New York Times Art Also: Le Journal des Arts open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Mar 16, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 4 link 2 artists

Thomas Gainsborough’s Portraits of Pride and Prejudice

A new exhibition at the Frick Collection, "Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture," re-examines the 18th-century English painter's work. It focuses on how his portraits, from early Suffolk "conversation pieces" to later Bath society commissions, used landscape and lavish clothing to visually encode social status, ownership, and belonging.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original