28/6/2009
Alan Kane
Artangel, London
Life Class: Today's Nude continues Kane's often irreverent attempts at democratising the production and dissemination of art and culture by taking the nude life class model out of the rarified intimacy of the studio and transmitting it nationwide. Life Class: Today's Nude is conceived by artist Alan Kane, commissioned and produced for Channel 4 by Artangel as part of the Jerwood/Artangel Open.
In July the nation learns to draw through television life drawing classes led by John Berger, Judy Purbeck, Maggi Hambling, Gary Hume and Humphrey Ocean. Broadcast during the daytime on Channel 4 in a series of five half-hour classes, the audience is guided by a tutor who gives insights into the techniques of figurative drawing, art and life. Each class features a different type of model and the classes take place in a range of settings from the Life Drawing room at the Royal Academy of Arts to the artist’s own studio and a dance studio.
From the end of June, in advance of the broadcast of the programmes, Artangel is organising temporary drop-in life drawing classes in five locations across London – in the City, Soho, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf and Bloomsbury – and in four cities across the UK: Manchester, Bristol, Southampton and Glasgow. In a different location every lunch-time, a class appears for just two hours and passers-by are invited to sit behind an easel, pick up a pencil and draw. Click here for details.
Life Class: Today’s Nude continues Kane’s often irreverent attempts at democratising the production and dissemination of art and culture by taking the nude life class model out of the rarified intimacy of the studio and transmitting it nationwide.
Life Class: Today’s Nude is conceived by artist Alan Kane, commissioned and produced for Channel 4 by Artangel as part of the Jerwood/Artangel Open. The programmes were commissioned by Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor for Arts and Performance, Channel 4. The commission is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Artists’ materials for the ‘pop-up’ life drawing classes supplied by London Graphic Centre.
This project is supported by Arts Council England, Artangel International Circle, Special Angels and The Company of Angels
Press contact
Sarah Davies by email on sd@artangel.org.uk, Janette Scott, Head of Press and Publicity on js@artangel.org.uk, or by telephoning 020 77131400
Artangel
31 Eyre Street Hill London EC1R 5EW