 | John Singer Sargent, 'Gassed' (1919) |
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| John Singer Sargent's iconic artwork, Gassed, returns to IWM London | The much-loved First World War painting will be displayed in the new Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries, opening 10 November 2023.
A favourite among visitors and the most requested image by researchers and publishers, the work endures as a lasting symbol of modern art in public service, and of the transformative conflict from which it came.
Ahead of its re-display, the painting has undergone significant conservation work in order to revitalise and transform our visitors' viewing experience. This has included varnish removal, remedial structural work and conservation of the frame.
Monumental in scale, Gassed is unlike anything Sargent had produced before. It is the largest painting in the museum’s collection and has been on near-constant display since it was first exhibited in 1919.
The painting was commissioned by the government’s British War Memorials Committee (BWMC), as the centrepiece of a newly imagined national memorial to the unprecedented experience and trauma of the First World War.
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 | | | | IWM Lecture Day: Gassed | IWM London, 25 November 2023
Join us for a day of talks exploring the dramatic impact Gassed has had on generations of visitors to IWM, as well as the challenges of creating and displaying a canvas of such monumental scale.
Hear from art and history experts about the painting's backstory, plus get a rare insight from the team of conservators responsible for its restoration. | |
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| The only super-sized canvas from the BWMC scheme, Gassed was given pride of place in the newly opened Imperial War Museum's first art galleries, housed at London's Crystal Palace, in 1920.
Sargent was originally commissioned by the BWMC to produce a painting on the theme of Anglo-American cooperation in the war. He travelled to France with fellow artist Henry Tonks but struggled to find inspiration.
It was on a visit to a dressing station at le Bac-du-Sud on the road from Arras to Doullens that the inspiration for Sargent's painting finally came. As Tonks later wrote, 'Gassed cases kept coming in, lead along in parties of about six...
'They sat or lay down on the grass, there must have been several hundred, evidently suffering a great deal... Sargent was very struck by the scene and immediately made a lot of notes.'
Tonks' painting, An Advanced Dressing Station in France, painted in 1918, takes a similar subject matter as its inspiration. It depicts the work of the Royal Army Medical Corps as they treat the wounded away from the frontline.
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| | | IWM In Conversation with:
Claire Brenard | Visions of War
IWM London, 21 November 2023
Join IWM art curator Claire Brenard and IWM Head of Art Rebecca Newell for the launch of the new book Visions of War.
An insightful talk, Q&A, and book signing will conclude with a chance to view the Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries. | |
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| The scene for Gassed is the aftermath of a mustard gas attack on the Western Front in August 1918. A line of soldiers with bandaged eyes are led along by an orderly; each man holds the shoulder of the man in front.
Mustard-gas poisoning took hours to take hold and was indiscriminate, causing blistering and painful blindness, although the loss of sight was mostly temporary. Sargent's painting fully evokes the suffering of the men.
Their orderly procession towards the medical tent also emphasises a theme of survival and the hope of a better future. In the background, a football match plays on, providing a glimpse of ordinary life.
The subject was an unsettling departure for Sargent, previously a celebrated society portrait-painter. The elegance of his brushwork, coupled with the anticipation of a return to normality, lift the epic canvas.
Opening 10 November, the Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries will be the UK’s first to explore how artists, photographers and filmmakers bear witness to, document and tell the story of war and conflict. Find out more. |
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| | | | Volunteer with IWM | Join our team of over 1,000 volunteers across our five branches. Our volunteers help bring stories from our collections to life, promote great visitor experience and care for our many significant objects.
You don’t have to be a history buff, just enjoy getting involved and support our mission in telling the stories that matter. We value diversity and encourage volunteers from all sections of the community. | |
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