Saturday 1 August 2015

The Courtauld Gallery - New Displays | Bloomsbury Competition

The Courtauld Gallery
August 2015
What makes a work of art 'finished'?

This year’s Summer Showcase Special Display brings together paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century that have all been described—accurately or not—as 'unfinished'.

Many of the works on display were abandoned by a dissatisfied artist or left incomplete upon their death, providing a fascinating insight into the interrupted artistic process.
  
Others occupy a more ambiguous territory: the Impressionists were widely criticised for displaying works that looked unfinished and the late nineteenth century saw clashes between artistic intention and public reception. 

These works of art, all from The Courtauld Gallery collection, allow us to explore what it means for an artist to consider a work as finished and what happens when critics disagree.

★★★★                                                  
The Guardian            
                         
"You feel as if you’re looking over the shoulder of the artist"
The Times

Until 20 September 2015

Book tickets>
Join us for a curator's tour on the first Wednesday of August and September, 17.00 – 17.45.
A 'remarkable exercise in self-scrutiny'

Until 20 September 2015

Come face to face with Jonathan Richardson the Elder,one of eighteenth-century England’s most significant cultural figures in the Drawings Gallery.

A 'remarkable exercise in self-scrutiny' (Apollo Magazine), see Richardson adopting a wide range of poses, guises and dress, in some cases deliberately evoking other artists, such as Rembrandt and Bernini, whose works he owned.

Also included in the display are four portraits of Richardson’s beloved eldest son, who shared his artistic and literary interests. Richardson was so close to his son that he even referred to him as ‘my other Self’.
Coming Soon:
Bridget Riley     
Bridget Riley: Learning from Seurat

17 September 2015 
– 
17 January 2016

Next month explore Bridget Riley’s early breakthrough encounter with Georges Seurat’sBridge at Courbevoie, a highlight of the collection.

This display will bring together, for the first time, the copy that Riley made of Bridge at Courbevoie in 1959 with Seurat’s original painting to consider this remarkable moment of artistic connection and inspiration.

On show will be a small group of Riley’s seminal paintings to chart how her understanding of Seurat’s art has led her to create some of the most radical and original abstract works of the past five decades.
>
>
Auerbach's Back              
Earlier this year the Gallery acquired two major works by Frank Auerbach, Rebuilding the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, 1962 and Summer, Tretire, 1975.

These works are back on display in Room 13 alongside works by Lucian Freud, Walter Sickert and David Bomberg.

Our Modern British display also includes two new loans to the Gallery, Leon Kossoff's Christ Church, Spitalfields, Early Summer and Frank Auerbach's Head of Leon Kossoff.
Bloomsbury Competition         
Works by the Bloomsbury group are back on display in Room 14. To celebrate, we have one copy of The Bloomsbury Cookbook: Recipes for Life, Love and Artto give away!

This beautiful volume published by Thames and Hudson is packed full of illustrations, quotations and nearly 300 recipes.

In July 1913 the Omega Workshops opened to the public. To win, tell us - 
What was the London address of the Omega Workshops?

Send your answer, full name and postal address tomarketing@courtauld.ac.uk to enter!

Competition closes 10am on Thursday 20 August 2015.

Find more Bloomsbury inspired gifts in the Gallery Shop.
>
>
Wednesday 5 August
17.00 – 17.45

Join Dr Karen Serres on the first Wednesday of every month for a curator's tour of Unfinished… Works from The Courtauld Gallery.

Free with admission
Every Sunday
15.00 - 15.45

Don't miss August's Sunday Tours focusing on Unfinished... Works from The Courtauld Gallery.


Free with admission
Find out more>
Find out more>
A Big Thank You
This year's Annual Fund appeal was record-breaking!

Thank you to all those who supported the appeal.

This incredibly generous support will help fund The Courtauld’s core day-to-day work and ensure our continued and significant contribution to creating access to the visual arts through our unique combination of teaching, research and outstanding resources.

>
What's On Elsewhere
The Foundling Museum
Until 6 September 2015

An exhibition at The Foundling Museum exploring the rich tradition of decorative plasterwork, from the Rococo splendour of the Foundling Hospital Court Room to the contemporary designs of master craftsman Geoffrey Preston.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Until 15 November 2015

‘Pierre-Paul Prud’hon: Napoleon’s Draughtsman’ is the UK’s first exhibition devoted to the artist who emerged as one of the most exceptional talents working in post-Revolutionary Paris.
Royal Academy
Until 16 August 2015
Get ready to discover your new favourite artist as we head into a summer of colour at the RA. From painting to installation art, you’ll find it all at the Summer Exhibition.
Hawyard Gallery, Southbank Centre
Until 6 September 2015

Immerse yourself in the world of Carsten Höller as you learn to fly, explore a die and exit down a slide.This is the artist’s largest survey show in the UK to date, erupts beyond its roof and walls, exploring perception and decision making.