Caricatures, Campagna, and Connoisseurs: Thomas Patch and the British Grand Tour in Eighteenth-Century Italy

Known primarily as a caricature artist, Thomas Patch (1725-1782) in fact engaged in a much wider array of activities. He was a landscape painter, experimental printmaker, and a dealer of antiquities and old master paintings. He was also among the first scholars of early Renaissance art. This exhibition will explore the many aspects of Patch’s art, life, and associations with the British community of diplomats, tourists, artists, and collectors in Italy.

Curated by Hugh Belsey.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the guest curator will present a lecture at Lewis Walpole Library on Thurs., Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Hugh Belsey, MBE, is the former curator of Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury (UK) and author of the award-winning catalogue of portraits by Thomas Gainsborough.