Mediterranean market

Here, Frank Brangwyn’s bold colours and expressive brushstrokes capture the energy of a bustling Venetian market.

Brangwyn was among the most revered painters, printmakers, and muralists of his day. In 1915, he was commissioned to paint this mural and five others for the billiards room of Horton House, a manor in Northampton, England. When the mansion was later sold, the murals were shipped to New Zealand.

This painting was a familiar sight to visitors of the old National Art Gallery. It hung in the entrance stairwell for nearly 40 years – until artist Billy Apple de-installed it as part of a conceptual work critiquing the conservative art gallery.