A gallery director at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, formerly of the National Gallery, will be "reunited" with Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars on loan from the National Gallery for the first time. The painting will be exhibited in Cambridge as part of the National Gallery's 200th anniversary celebrations, offering new audiences a chance to appreciate this Renaissance masterpiece.

A gallery director is set to be "reunited" with a Renaissance painting borrowed for the first time from the National Gallery.

Luke Syson, director of the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University and former National Gallery curator, previously cared for Sandro Botticelli's Venus and Mars during his tenure at the National Gallery.

The painting will be on display in Cambridge from Friday 10th May to Tuesday 10th September as part of the National Gallery's 200th anniversary celebrations.

Syson remarked, "It's not just for people who already know and love Botticelli. We are showcasing a painting that can resonate with them and also speak to contemporary audiences."

This marks the first time in 150 years since its acquisition in 1874 that the painting has left the National Gallery and will be viewed by new audiences outside London.

Reflecting on the reunion, Syson commented, "Having previously worked at the National Gallery, this reunion is a particularly special part of the narrative for me."

The exhibition also includes 11 other paintings from the National Gallery's collection, displayed in various museums and galleries across the UK.

Syson emphasised, "Artworks belong to the time they were created, but they also belong to every subsequent period. What we bring to them is just as significant as the artist's original intentions."