More than 30 years after the National Gallery commissioned Paula Rego’s mural for the Sainsbury Wing’s new dining room, the monumental work will be displayed with the 15th-century altarpiece by Carlo Crivelli that inspired it (20 July–29 October). The Madonna of the Swallow (after 1490) depicts a number of women – the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine, Mary Magdalene and Delilah among them – from biblical history and folklore; in presenting a contemporary homage to courageous women, Rego based many of her own figures on family, friends and museum staff. Several of her preparatory life drawings will also be on show. Find out more on the National Gallery’s website.
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La Madonna della rondine (The Madonna of the Swallow) (c. 1490), Carlo Crivelli. Photo: © The National Gallery, London
Crivelli’s Garden (1990–91), Paula Rego. National Gallery, London. © Ostrich Arts Ltd
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The many faces of Mary Magdalene