Immerse yourself in British history with the Museum of Art’s Masterworks of British Painting, comprised mostly of work from the Georgian era, the reign of kings George I-III from 1714-1837, and the Victorian era, the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837-1901.

Many of the artists represented in this gallery were members of the Royal Academy, an institution founded by accomplished portrait painter Joshua Reynolds during the Georgian era. With the support of King George III, the Royal Academy became an influential and exclusive exhibition venue, giving rise to a distinctively British art tradition.

Great Britain’s deepening separation from the rest of Europe, a result of a series of wars with France beginning in the 1790s, also played a substantial role in what artists were painting. Landscape, history, culture and the people of Great Britain came to the forefront, as you’ll see in Masterworks of British Painting at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art until Sunday, February 24.

Image credit: Thomas Lawrence (British, 1769–1830). Baron Bexley, 1824. Oil on canvas. Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds raised by the Oklahoma Museum of Art Volunteer Association and Anonymous Donors, 1976.040