Ford Madox Brown
dal 22/9/2011 al 28/1/2012
Segnalato da
22/9/2011
Ford Madox Brown
Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester
Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer. The first major exhibition of Madox Brown's work since 1964 brings together 140 works from public and private collections to reveal the pioneering role he played in the development of Pre-Raphaelitism and explores how the artist's rebellion against traditionally taught methods led to a completely radical new style.
From 24 September 2011, Manchester Art Gallery will stage the first major exhibition of Ford
Madox Brown’s work since 1964. Ford Madox Brown: Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer will bring
together 140 works from public and private collections to reveal the pioneering role Ford
Madox Brown played in the development of Pre-Raphaelitism and explore how the artist’s
rebellion against traditionally taught methods led to a completely radical new style.
The exhibition’s painting highlights include Brown’s masterpieces Work (1852 – 63) and The
Last of England (1852 – 55), which have been brought together for the first time for over
twenty-five years. Work, acquired in 1885, was the first Pre-Raphaelite painting bought by
Manchester Art Gallery and will be shown alongside a selection of rarely displayed
preparatory studies. These epic paintings are unique in Victorian art as they feature social
and political themes. Painted with extraordinarily realistic details, these works demonstrate
Brown’s anti-academic attitude and his strikingly unsentimental approach to portraying the
social problems of the age.
The exhibition examines the six years that Brown lived in Manchester, a city in which he was
actively involved in both artistic and social issues. Related works on display include portraits
of Brown’s friends in the city and studies for his huge decorative paintings for the Royal
Manchester Jubilee exhibition of 1887. The culmination of Brown’s career came with the
commission to paint the Manchester Town Hall murals, which he completed in 1893. Original
studies for the murals will be on show in the exhibition and exceptional access to the twelve
murals has been granted to The Great Hall in Manchester Town Hall for the period of the
exhibition.
The exhibition is curated by Julian Treuherz, former Director of the Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool, and an expert in Victorian art. Divided into eleven themes, the show starts with
Brown’s early career before moving on to look at his radical change of direction following an
influential trip to Italy, which anticipated the foundation of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood in
1848. Throughout, the exhibition celebrates the extraordinary breadth of Brown’s artistic
practice, displaying his skills as a draughtsman, a narrative painter, a portrait artist, a
designer of furniture and stained glass, and an innovative landscape painter of works such
as The Pretty Baa Lambs (1851 – 59), a painting which was groundbreaking for being
painted entirely in the open air and even anticipated the French Impressionist movement.
Director of Manchester City Galleries and the Whitworth Art Gallery,
Dr Maria Balshaw says: “Ford Madox Brown’s work is bound up with the history of
Manchester as a city of radicalism. His belief in the power of art and labour resonates with
Manchester’s contemporary support for culture and the arts. The exhibition will be a unique
Manchester experience.”
Ticket booking: www.manchestergalleries.org
Catalogue: £19.95 Published by Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., available to buy in the Manchester Art Gallery shop and online: www.manchestergalleries.org
For further information and images please contact:
Catherine McClelland, Sutton PR
Tel: 0207 183 3577, Email: catherinem@suttonpr.com
Rachel Fitzgerald, Manchester Art Gallery
Tel: 0161 235 8861, Email: r.fitzgerald@manchester.gov.uk
Image: The Last Of England, 1852–55, oil on panel, Ford Madox Brown, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
© Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street - Manchester
open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm.
Entry: £8 / £6 concessions