Smith, Dobson & British Portraiture 1920-60
A snapshot through the lens of Modernism, this fascinating exhibition explores and juxtaposes the work of two under-appreciated British artists: sculptor Frank Dobson and painter Matthew Smith.
Discussing the dynamic relationshop between sitter and artist within the broader cultural context of the period, it features such celebrated contributors to British culture as author Roald Dahl, actress Jean Simmons, Bloomsbury elder statesman Sir Osbert Sitwell and textile designer Marian Dorn, whose patterns once adorned London tube carriage seats.
The portraits are complemented and contextualised by a selection of paintings, books and photographs from the University’s Cadbury Research Library and Research and Cultural Collections.
The fourth in a series of collaborations with the National Portrait Gallery – and co-curated by the postgraduate students from the University’s Art History, Film and Visual Studies department – The Modernist Face is the first loan exhibition to feature sculpture as a major component of its content.