Rokeby Venus Abroad

If you're planning a visit to the National Gallery in London, be warned that one of its most famous paintings won't be there. Diego Velázquez's Venus With Mirror (also called The Rokeby Venus) is on loan to the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid for the inaugural exhibition in its new extension: Velázquez’s Fables: Mythology and Sacred History in the Golden Age. The exhibition opened today and continues until 24 February 2008. For Londoners, this means an entire winter deprived of the most pattable bum in the business. Sigh.