Pictured: Fitzwilliam Museum hangs modern art next to masters in inclusive shake-up

Rachel Slater
Gallery technician Niall Fall inspects 'An 18th-Century Family' by Joy Labinjo
Gallery technician Niall Fall inspects An 18th-Century Family by Joy Labinjo at the museum - Joe Giddens/PA

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge will reopen its five main painting galleries to the public in a rehang placing historical paintings alongside modern works of art.

The Cambridge University museum’s main galleries’ doors will open this week following a five-year refurbishment, with an emphasis on reflecting the “evolution of its collection”.

The museum will place 190 works of art from across Europe back on show in rooms based on themes rather than chronological displays.

Ahead of the reopening, technicians have worked to inspect and rehang the museum’s 208-year-old collection.

Gallery technicians Richard Carpenter (left) and Niall Fall (right) rehang Zipporah by Barbara Walke
Gallery technicians Richard Carpenter (left) and Niall Fall (right) rehang Zipporah by Barbara Walke - Joe Giddens/PA
Dr Rebecca Birrell, one of the museum's curators, looks into one of the galleries
Dr Rebecca Birrell, one of the museum's curators, looks into one of the galleries - Joe Giddens/PA

Luke Syson, the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, described the rehang as “not woke”, saying it should not be controversial to be “inclusive and representative”.

One room is set to be called “identity” and will feature 18th-century portraits by William Hogarth alongside contemporary artist Joy Labinjo’s An 18th-century Family, which imagines African abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.

The Fitzwilliam museum houses a collection of over half a million artworks and historical artefacts, the majority of which were left to the university by Richard Fitzwilliam in 1816.

Other notable works housed at the Trumpington Street space include masterpieces by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

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