In spring 2000, the Center presented a comprehensive display of its holdings in twentieth-century art. The installation drew upon every curatorial department and featured paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, artists’ books, and documentary material. The Center’s collection ranged across the dominant movements in British art of the century, from the Camden Town Group through Vorticism, Surrealism, the Independent Group, Pop, and the School of London to the controversial “Young British Artists” of today. Among the major figures who emerge in strength are Gwen John and Ben Nicholson—both favorite artists of Paul Mellon.
Also on view were a number of recent gifts, including works on paper by Henry Moore (given by Lilian Heidenberg), John McHale (given by Magda McHale), Michael Rothenstein (given by Diana Rothenstein), and Lucian Freud (given by the artist), and a painting by Carel Weight (given by Alan and Moira Gise).
Credits
The display was selected and organized in consultation with Timothy Barringer, Assistant Professor of the History of Art at Yale, who taught a course that semester on “British Art in the Twentieth Century.”