Sir Grahame Sydney in his Central Otago studio. Photo / George Heard
Sir Grahame Sydney in his Central Otago studio. Photo / George Heard
One of New Zealand’s greatest artists is giving a personalised guided tour of Europe’s top art galleries, taking in classic works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Monet.
Sir Grahame Sydney will lead the remarkable art tour and help explain famous paintings housed by some of the world’s leading museums, including the Louvre and Musée D’Orsay in Paris, Madrid’s Museo del Prado, and Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.
Crossing Spain, France, Belgium and Holland over three weeks, Sydney and his wife Fiona say they hope to show a “treasure chest” of works “from every significant period of art history”.
“I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve seen and learned over my life as an artist,” said Sydney, whose striking Central Otago landscapes have become some of the most wanted artworks in modern New Zealand history, often fetching six figures.
An itinerary seen by the Herald shows the art history tour - costing $22,425 per person - leaving Auckland on May 17 next year for Spain.
Famed paintings by Vincent van Gogh will feature on the tour. Photo / 123rf
After acclimatising in Madrid, a day trip follows to historic Toledo to view Spanish master El Greco’s most well-known paintings in the Church of the Santo Tomé.
Back in the capital, tour-goers will explore the city’s markets and museums, including a viewing of Pablo Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece Guernica and a day at the Prado Museum, with works by Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, Velázquez, and Goya.
Paris highlights include the world’s largest and most visited art museum, the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Marmottan, Musee Picasso, and Monet’s house and garden.
The tour then takes in Belgium to see Jan Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, before experiencing Amsterdam’s artistic wonders.
Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofia in Madrid. Photo / Emilio Parra Doiztua, The New York Times
Sydney told the Herald that he is looking forward to sharing some insights and knowledge gained over half a century as a working artist.
“The leap from book pages and laptop screens to the real paint and actual dimensions has always been an astonishing one,” Sydney said.
“Seeing the paintings as they left the artist’s hand never stops fascinating me, as a maker of images myself, and I love sharing what I know of the artist’s life, their times and context, and the process. It’s what I know best after 50 years as an artist myself, and so much can be said about these images and the story behind them.”
Some of the major galleries have become “almost unmanageable” in their scale and overwhelming contents, Sydney believes, let alone the numbers of tourists who visit every day.
“It’s important to discover the smaller-scale gems, the lesser-known treasures, way off the well-trodden tracks, and I look forward to revealing many of these discoveries to our group,” he added.
“We want to look closely at the significant steps in Western art, how and why they came about. And we’ll walk so many of the same streets those artists did.”
“This is an exclusive, unique art history experience hosted by one of New Zealand’s greatest artists, who will share his insights whilst you visit many of the galleries - what’s happening within the canvas, the artist’s vision and much more.
“Such depth of knowledge is not provided by local guides. Sir Grahame and Fiona will be with you throughout the tour to guide you through the art world of these areas.”
