Somewhat Abstract

12 Apr-29 Jun 2014

Overview

Founded in 1946, the Arts Council Collection is now the world’s largest national loan collection of modern and contemporary British art. The common thread in this selection, made by Director Alex Farquharson, is abstraction. Different types of abstract art are shown alongside other artworks that indicate routes into and out of abstraction. For this reason the exhibition abounds with non-aesthetic ideas and allusions – to nature, to social systems, to history, to existential questions, to gender politics and to architecture and technology. Virtually every significant movement in art since 1945 is touched upon in the selection, which includes celebrated figures such as Bridget Riley, Francis Bacon, Wolfgang Tillmans, Rachel Whiteread, Anthony Caro, Frank Auerbach and Richard Deacon, as well as a host of lesser known but influential figures past and present. It is the largest exhibition from the Arts Council Collection since 2006.