Works of art collected on behalf of Coventry over a 65-year period will go on display this summer the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.
Brought to Light will see highlights from the Herbert’s collection such as paintings, drawings and sculptures go on display to the public from August 12, 2022 through to January 8, 2023.
At the same time, in the neighbouring exhibition space, work from the National Gallery’s artist in residence Ali Cherri will be on display as part of a partnership with the Herbert.
The exhibition If you prick us, do we not bleed? started with research in the National Gallery’s archive, from which Cherri uncovered accounts of five paintings that were vandalised while on display and his ultimate response to that vandalism.
Cherri has created five new sculptures that imagine the lives of the paintings after they had been damaged, one of which has now been acquired by the Herbert’s Collection’s team.
Martin Roberts, Curatorial Manager at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, said: “We are very excited to bring two new exhibitions to the city, starting this summer and running through to the New Year.
“Brought to Light gives us an opportunity to display works that have been collected for the city over the past 65 years, and some that have, in fact, never been seen by the public before.
“If you prick us, do we not bleed? Is a wonderful example of how our partnership with national museums can significantly enhance our offer, and bring brand-new perspectives to the region, which gives us the opportunity to work with artists such as Ali, a Silver Lion winner at the Venice Biennale.
“We’re really excited to open both exhibitions in August and would urge visitors to come along and make the most of this opportunity.”
Caroline Douglas, Director of the Contemporary Art Society, said: “We are delighted to see this eloquent and conceptually rich work by Ali Cherri enter the permanent collection at the Herbert. The legacy of the residency at the National Gallery lies also in the powerful new connections for Coventry, across history and geographies. It has been a great pleasure to work with Ali Cherri at this pivotal moment in his career.”
Brought to Light reflects over six decades of collecting at the Herbert, from the appointment of the gallery’s first Art Director, John Hewitt, in 1957, to the present day.
Hewitt was given the task of building a contemporary collection and chose to collect works showing scenes of British life and landscape which he felt would appeal to Coventry citizens.
Hewitt held strong socialist beliefs, and this is reflected in the works he selected, which included many views of British towns and cities and working-class people going about their everyday lives.
Hewitt also collected a small number of more radical works by artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, as he wanted to reflect current ideas in art. Hewitt retired in 1972.
In the 1980s, the Herbert showed several exhibitions by young Black artists, including The Pan Afrikan Connection, which showcased work by the Blk Art Group. Key acquisitions were two paintings by the South African artist Gavin Jantjes.
Since around 2010, the focus of the Herbert’s collecting has been on themes of conflict, peace, and reconciliation. This reflects the city’s role in promoting peace and reconciliation internationally, which grew out of the destruction of the Second World War.
Most recently a key priority for collecting has been works by Black artists and female artists, to redress a historic imbalance in the collection. These works often overlap with existing themes in the collection around British life and landscape, and conflict and reconciliation.
In the exhibition next-door, Cherri presents a series of mixed media, sculptural installations which consider how histories of trauma can be explored through a response to museum and gallery collections.
He was struck by the public’s highly emotional response to attacks on artwork, finding that newspaper articles would describe the damages as if they were wounds inflicted on a living being – even referring to the Gallery’s conservators as surgeons.
He also noticed an overwhelming urge to ‘heal’, make good and hide the damage. This personification of artworks, and the suggestion that they can experience distress, is reflected in the exhibition’s title, taken from Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice.
For more information go to www.theherbert.org