Claudia Massie

It’s a miracle this exhibition even exists: Audubon’s Birds of America reviewed

It may be that time’s up for this controversial figure. Catch his astounding art while you can

An ornithologist’s dream: detail of a print depicting a raven, from Birds of America by John James Audubon. Credit: © National Museums Scotland

In 2014, an exhibition of watercolours by the renowned avian artist, John James Audubon, opened in New York. The reviews, from the New York Times to the Guardian, were unambiguously enthusiastic, celebrating the painter as a legendary genius who ‘exceeded the limits of his era’. Fast forward eight years, and a rather different vibe hangs over the latest outing of his bird portraits, one that reflects both the limits of that era and the limits of the man.

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