Tate Britain

Tate Britain

Tate Britain

photo by: Sofia Reyes
Director	Alex Farquharson
Established	1897
Location	Millbank, London SW1, UK

Overview

Tate Britain is one of the four Tate Galleries. It was founded by Sir Henry Tate. It is the second best place to observed British Art, the first being the The National Gallery.

Background or Origin of Article

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Displays

The main display spaces show the permanent collection of historic British art, as well as contemporary work. However, they also host different exhibits.

Summer 2017 Exhibits

Queer British Art 1861–1967

Featuring works from 1861–1967 relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) identities, the show marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England. Queer British Art explores how artists expressed themselves in a time when established assumptions about gender and sexuality were being questioned and transformed.

Deeply personal and intimate works are presented alongside pieces aimed at a wider public, which helped to forge a sense of community when modern terminology of ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘trans’ were unrecognised. Together, they reveal a remarkable range of identities and stories, from the playful to the political and from the erotic to the domestic.

With paintings, drawings, personal photographs and film from artists such as John Singer Sargent, Dora Carrington, Duncan Grant and David Hockney the diversity of queer British art is celebrated as never before. Organize each section of this article so that it has a logical flow. If you intend to discuss one aspect of the origin of a person, place, thing, or idea, identify the appropriate existing section of the article, or create that section if it doesn't exist. Then, make a clear subheading. If you notice that some other information is not organized clearly, rearrange the information, but do so cautiously and responsibly! The goal here is clarity for the reader.

David Hockney

"One of the most popular and influential British artists of the twentieth century returns to Tate Britain for his most comprehensive exhibition yet" Mr. Hockney is a renown artist that in the last sixty years has had various accomplishments in painting, drawing, print, photography and video. With almost eighty years old, he brings to Tate Britain an exposition that, according to him, he had never shown to the public before. What makes his work so outstanding from other contemporary artists is his flexibility and ability to adapt to the use of new technologies and applications to create his art. He changes his style and ways of working to appeal to the different audiences and he expresses it freely "I live in the now", he says. "Time is elastic, and I play with that idea" he also said in a promotional video for this exposition in Tate Britain.
In this exposition, available until May 2017, he shows his portraits and images of Los Angeles swimming pools, through to his drawings and photography, Yorkshire landscapes and most recent paintings. This exhibition shows how the roots of each new direction lay in the work that came before. It is describe by Tate as a "once-in-a-lifetime chance to see these unforgettable works together".

1780s

The Death of Major Peirson

by John Singleton Copley

John Singleton Copley

This piece was painted by John Singleton Copley. It shows the Battle of Jersey, where, in 1781, a French force invaded the island in an attempt to take it from the British. After the fall of the island’s capital, the governor was captured and agreed to a surrender to the French. However, the young Major Peirson fought off the French, and as the British were winning, he was shot by a French sniper. As shown in the painting, Peirson’s black servant avenged his master by killing the sniper. This painting shows Peirson dying in the battle, but in reality he died before the battle. This battle turned Peirson into a British hero, and therefore the painting was extremely popular when it was released.

1850's

William Holman Hunt

William Holman Hunt was the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group dedicated to creating quality ans sympathetic art, the expression of genuine ideas, and the study of nature, Hunt created his art following these principles. Currently on display in the 1850's room are four of his pieces Our English Coasts, 1852 ('Strayed Sheep'), Cornfield at Ewell, The Awakening Conscience, and Claudio and Isabella. The first two pieces are landscapes of the English countryside following one of the Brotherhood's main principles about painting and studying nature. The later two pieces are portraits that have two differing messages, but similar themes. In The Awakening Conscience, a man is portrayed with his mistress and evokes symbolism of innocence lost and plight of women. In his other portrait, Claudio and Isabella, Isabella stands in white as a symbol of purity where as Claudio stands in the dark as a foil to Isabella.

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  "Claudio and Isabella"

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  "Cornfield at Ewell"

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  "Our English Coasts, 1852 ('Strayed Sheep')"

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  "The Awakening Conscience"

William Blake

William Blake was an English poet, artist and print maker who was born and lived in London, England. Blake focuses most of his art on the creation and discovery which is exhibited in his eight works that are currently being displayed in the William Blake room on the upper level of the museum. The Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing focus on the last scene of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream where Titania is instructing her fairy train. Newton displays the scientist only looking at the scientific knowledge instead of the colourful rocks. representing creativity behind him. There is also The Ghost of a Flea, Elohim Creating Adam, The Good and Evil Angels, Pity, Nebuchadnezzar, and Epitome of James Hervey's 'Meditstions among the Tombs'.

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  Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing

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  Newton

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  The Ghost of a Flea

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  Elohim Creating Adam

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  The Good and Evil Angels

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  Pity

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  Nebuchadnezzar

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  Epitome of James Hervey's 'Meditstions among the Tombs'

Video Art

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