The Whitechapel Gallery Presentations of Art from the British Government's Collection

Written by Cameron Tebbitt Sunday, 12 February 2012 03:12

London.- The Whitechapel Gallery is pleased to present the latest in the series of exhibitions featuring works from the British Government Art Collection, with "Travelling Light", a personal selection chosen by historian and TV presenter Simon Schama, on view through February 26th. The exhibition sees Simon Schama explore ideas of travel in the works of British artists from the 16th century to present day. Britain has always been an island nation of explorers, from aristocrats embarking on the Grand Tour to romantic exiles like Lord Byron.  In this display, Schama explores the nature of British culture that longs to go abroad, and the way artists have brought a distinctly British view to their depictions of people and places overseas. Simon Schama said: ‘Travelling Light is what British artists have sought and – sometimes – how they’ve found it. Known for our contrasting characters, we often look inwards to the insular pastoral before breaking loose offshore towards bluer horizons and palmier strands; only to then better understand what it is to be at home. Travelling Light is all about - setting off, trying to picture something, never-quite-catching it but in the process doing something beautiful.’

A highlight of the exhibition is a 1814 portrait of Romantic poet and famous traveller Lord Byron by Thomas Philips, brought back specially for the display from the British Ambassador’s residence in Athens, Greece. The romantic urge for adventure and escape is seen in Bloomsbury Group painter Vanessa Bell’s portrait of a woman as a Byzantine Lady, 1912 and Edward Lear’s painting "View of Beirut", circa 1861. Schama’s selection also includes Howard Hodgkin’s "Mud on the Nile", 1993 and Yinka Shonibare’s "Nelson's Ship in a Bottle", 2009, a model for his recent Fourth Plinth sculptural commission for London’s Trafalgar Square. Grayson Perry’s "Map of an Englishman", 2004, is an extraordinary chart of the artist’s mind. Resembling an early Tudor map, it illustrates an imaginary brain-shaped island surrounded by jagged seas named ‘Schizophrenia’, ‘Delirium’ and ‘Anorexia Nervosa’. Schama also places a strong emphasis on the journey itself and its fleetingness, as captured in Rachel Lowe’s "A Letter to an Unknown Person No. 3", 1998, in which the artist’s hand strives to sketch the landscape as it rushes past a moving car’s window. The display also includes works by artists including Tacita Dean, Roger Hilton, Richard Long and Cornelia Parker.


Showcasing Schama’s personal take on the role of international cultural diplomacy, this is the third in a series of five displays of works from the Government Art Collection. The final two exhibitions feature staff from10 Downing Street (the prime-minister's official residence) choosing their favourite works (March 9th through June 10th 2012) and a special exhibition of art commissioned during the Cultural Olympiad to coincide with London hosting the Olympic Games (June 21st through September 2nd 2012). For 113 years, the Government Art Collection has acquired more than 13,500 paintings, sculptures and work in other media dating from the 16th century to the present day. On display in more than 400 embassies and government buildings worldwide, their purpose is to promote British art and artists. It is shown for the first time in a public art gallery.

The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, it was founded in 1901 as one of the first publicly-funded galleries for temporary exhibitions in London, and it has a long track record for education and outreach projects, now focused on the Whitechapel area's deprived populations. It exhibits the work of contemporary artists, as well as organising retrospective exhibitions and shows that are of interest to the local community.The Gallery exhibited "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso in 1938 as part of a touring exhibition organised by Roland Penrose to protest the Spanish Civil War. For the history of post-war British art, the most important exhibition to have been held at the Whitechapel Gallery was This is Tomorrow in 1956. Initiated by members of the Independent Group, the exhibition brought Pop Art to the general public as well as introducing some of the artists, concepts, designers and photographers that would define the Swinging Sixties. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.whitechapelgallery.org

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