Rare and Wondrous: Birds in Art and Culture 1620–1820

While some museums are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are currently open as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

The age of Empire in Europe sparked huge curiosity in ornithology. With lavishly illustrated anthologies, paintings and decorative artworks, this show at the Toledo Museum of Art (24 April–25 July) explores the role played by artists in creating and disseminating images of exotic birds from across the globe. Highlights include the six volumes of Ornithologie (1760), written by Mathurin-Jacques Brisson and handsomely illustrated by François-Nicolas Martinet – a recent acquisition for the museum. Find out more from the Toledo Museum of Art’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Plate 20 from Ornithologie, Volume 1 (1760), illustration by Mathurin-Jacques Brisson. Toledo Museum of Art

The Feather’d Fair in a Fright (1770s), after John Collet. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Plate 16 from Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, Volume 1 (1806), illustrated by François Le Vaillant. University of Michigan Library