Marking the remarkable century of Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, from humble beginnings in London’s East End in 1915 to a fully-fledged mainstream art museum, under its banner ‘Art, Identity and Migration’, this publication vividly illustrates rarely seen masterworks from its collection by some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, including Soutine, Chagall, Auerbach, Bomberg, Kitaj and Kossoff. Further highlights include the ‘Whitechapel Boys’; Les Peintres Juifs de L'Ecole de Paris, Official War artists from both conflicts; mid-century emigres influencing the direction of the arts, and contemporary artists making ground-breaking work across new media. This unique collection, primarily of artists born into the Jewish faith, many shaping modern British, European and American art history, represents a distinct visual survey of artistic and social life in Britain and the cultural heritage of British Jewry. A range of texts provides a fascinating context for a collection born ‘Out of Chaos’.
AUTHOR: Sarah MacDougall is the biographer of British modernist artist Mark Gertler. A senior curator since 2002 at Ben Uri, she is Head of Collections at Ben Uri and the Eva Frankfurther Research and Curatorial Fellow for the study of emigre artists. She has curated a great number of exhibitions including focus shows on Josef Herman, Boris Aronson and most recently themed shows, ‘Revisiting the 50s’ and ‘No Set Rules’ and has also co-curated many exhibitions with colleague Rachel Dickson including ‘Forced Journeys; Artists in Exile in Britain 1933-45’ (2009). She is a recognised scholar on emigre artists to Britain and Jewish artists and writes and lectures extensively both in her own right and jointly with colleague Rachel Dickson. Rachel Dickson is the Head of Curatorial Services at Ben Uri following many years as a senior curator since 2002. She has curated a great many exhibitions including most recently ‘Transatlantic Dialogues with Judy Chicago, Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois and Helen Chadwick’. She co-curates with Sarah MacDougall and alongside Sarah is a leading scholar in the field of Emigre and Jewish artists. Both in her own right and jointly with Sarah she writes and lectures extensively.
106 colour and 19 b/w illustrations