Italian masterpiece hidden in Welsh slate mine during Second World War returns to Wales
ITV Wales journalist Lewis Rhys Jones reports
An Italian masterpiece painting has returned to Wales after it was evacuated here during the Second World War.
Canaletto's The Stonemason's Yard is being displayed at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth from 10 May until 7 September.
The exhibition includes the story of how the painting first travelled to Wales as a "refugee".
It was sent, along with others, to Manod slate mine in Bleanau Ffestiniog for safekeeping during the Second World War.
In 1940, the British were worried about a German invasion, and wanted to protect the national art collection should that happen.
The Manod slate mines were chosen as a hiding place and small brick "bungalows" were built in the slate caverns to protect the paintings from the humidity.
By 1941, the whole collection was housed in the mine, where they were kept until the war ended in 1945.
The homecoming is part of the National Gallery's 200th anniversary, with 12 paintings going on loan at 12 locations around the UK to mark the institution's birthday on Friday.
Mari Elin Jones, interpretation officer at the National Library of Wales, said: "Being able to welcome Canaletto’s masterpiece back to Wales after having taken refuge here 80 years ago is tremendously exciting, and we cannot wait to share with the public this fascinating story."
The National Library of Wales has had a 10.5% cut to funding this financial year, but their new Chief Executive Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, is hopeful this won't affect projects like these in the future.
"We're able to live within our means for the time being and that's the same for a lot of other cultural organsations as well" he said.
"But we're confident that we can look to the future and continue our mission, which is to gatehr those treasures , present that material, tell the story of wales through the art and through the literature.
Venus and Mars, by Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, will be displayed at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum.
The other 10 locations where works from the National Gallery are on loan, and the artists whose work will go on display from Friday, are: Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Vermeer; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, Turner; York Art Gallery, York, Monet; Ulster Museum, Belfast, Caravaggio; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Velazquez; Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, Renoir; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, Constable; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, Artemisia; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, The Wilton Diptych; Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton, Rembrandt.
The paintings will be loaned for between two and four months, with the final displays concluding on September 10, 2024.
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