1838 in art

Events

• April 8 - The British National Gallery first opens to the public in the building purpose-designed for it by William Wilkins in Trafalgar Square, London.
• August 31 - Scottish-born scene painter David Roberts sets sail for Egypt, with the encouragement of J. M. W. Turner, to produce a series of drawings of the region for use as the basis for paintings and chromolithographs.

Works

• Asher B. Durand - Dance on the Battery in the Presence of Peter Stuyvesant
• Eugène Delacroix - Portrait of Frédéric Chopin and George Sand (unfinished; later separated)
• William Wyon - young profile head of Queen Victoria on coins of the pound sterling

Births

• March 28 - Jean-Paul Laurens, painter and sculptor (died 1921)
• June 11 - Mariano Fortuny, painter (died 1874)
• September 18 – Anton Mauve, painter (died 1888)
• November 18 – William Keith, painter (died 1911)
• November 28 - Alexander Opekushin, sculptor (died 1923)
• December 31 – Jules Dalou, sculptor (died 1902)

Deaths

• January 8 - Josef Grassi, Austrian painter especially of portraits (born 1757)
• March 2 - Benjamin Barker, landscape painter (born 1776)
• May 10 - José Aparicio, Spanish painter of the Neoclassic period (born 1773)
• June 4 - Claude Ramey, sculptor (born 1754)
• September 5 – Charles Percier, architect and designer (born 1764)
• date unknown - John O'Keeffe, Irish portrait and figure painter (born 1797)