This exhibition gives an overview of the works of the Victorian English artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Rossetti’s paintings enjoy tremendous popularity, almost as much as do reproductions of his work. His best-known subjects are red-haired femme fatales with sensual lips. On display at the exhibition are Rossetti’s paintings depicting women in opulent Venetian surroundings full of hidden symbolism. The exhibition also contains watercolor paintings with medieval subject matter and sharp color contrasts. These, too, evoke feelings of lust and passion. Besides two hundred paintings, the Rossetti exhibition includes several pieces of furniture, photographs and jewelry. Furthermore, drawings of Rossetti’s favorite model, Elizabeth Siddal, are on display. The last major exhibition of Rossetti’s work was in London in 1973. Thirty years have passed since then, and so it is high time for a new survey of his work. This exhibition revolves around the themes of “Love and Morality”, “The Romantic Middle Ages” and “Beauties of the 1860s”. It is an exhibition on the most fascinating and perhaps best-known artist of the Pre-Raphaelites, co-founded by Rossetti. The Pre-Raphaelites practiced an unusual drawing style, with subject matter based on mythical objects. The female figures that are so characteristic of Rossetti’s work were first depicted in 1860, symbolizing the power of women over men.

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