PROVO, UTAH

More than a century ago, Thomas Holloway, an 80-year-old English multimillionaire, purchased 77 of the finest contemporary British paintings available to furnish an art museum for the London's women's college he founded in 1879.

Image courtesy of Royal Holloway, University of London

Victorian-era artists David Roberts' and Sir Luke Fildes' meticulously crafted oils "Pilgrims Approaching Jerusalem" and "Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward," above, illustrate the talent and skills represented in the upcoming display at BYU.

Sixty paintings from the collection Holloway assembled will be on view at the Church-owned school's museum from Aug. 14 through Oct. 24. "Paintings from the Reign of Victoria: The Royal Holloway Collection, London" illustrates some of the highest achievements in figurative and landscape art of the 19th century. Many of these works were among the most visible and praised "modern canvases" in London in the 1880s. The majority of the paintings in this exhibit have never been displayed outside of England. BYU's Museum of Art is one of only seven venues on the U.S. exhibition tour.

Image courtesy of Royal Holloway, University of London

Victorian-era artists David Roberts' and Sir Luke Fildes' meticulously crafted oils "Pilgrims Approaching Jerusalem," above, and "Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward" illustrate the talent and skills represented in the upcoming display at BYU.

"All of the works in this exhibition are painted in the meticulously realistic style popular in late 19th century Britain," curator Paul Anderson said. "Their brilliant colors, fine craftsmanship and, in some cases, very large size give these paintings great presence and emotional power."

Thomas Holloway was a believer in the Victorian ideal of art as the ultimate civilizing influence, according to the museum. He saw art as a teaching tool with visual beauty as its medium, and he sought out only the best examples for his women's college, regardless of cost. The paintings Holloway selected for the collection depict scenes of contemporary life, as well as historical events, landscapes, animal studies and marine subjects that he hoped would encourage the young women of his college to engage in public service. As a result, this exhibit explores a wide range of the Victorian era's interest and issues that remain relevant for viewers today: poverty and social justice, societal pressures on lifestyle and landscape and life in a diverse, multicultural world.

"One of our primary educational goals in this exhibition is to help viewers connect in personal ways to the subject matter of the paintings," said Rita Wright, an educator at the museum. "Homelessness, financial difficulties, the environment and changing lifestyles helps us identify with the plight of many Victorians."

Image courtesy of Royal Holloway, University of London

Sir John Everett Millais utilized oil paint to create his 1878 work "The Princes in the Tower." Some 60 paintings are included in the BYU exhibit.

To enrich the exhibit experience, museum educators are putting together an audio tour that will feature the responses of local and national commentators to some of the relevant issues highlighted in the exhibition, as well as their personal responses to the paintings.

Admission to the exhibit is free of charge. Located on BYU's Provo campus, the Museum of Art is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Sunday. For more information, call 801-422-8287 or visit moa.byu.edu.