Spaces of Black Modernism: London 1919–39

Fascinating exhibition at Tate Britain looking at the how artists, activists, writers and artist models of African and Asian descent shaped the identity of London between the wars.

This was a time when more artists were using black models and the commentary recalls how these models would knock on artist’s doors looking for work. The shame is that in very few cases do we have the models names. There was a wonderful wall of pictures by major artists of the day such as Duncan Grant, Edward Burra, Glyn Phipot and William Roberts.

The show talked about the Harlem Renaissance and how in London Bloomsbury became a cultural hub due to two hostels in the area. Despite being a Bloomsbury Group fan I had not come across Duncan’s Jamaican lover Patrick Nelson and the show included a picture of him and a letter from him to Duncan.

The shame was that there was not so much to say about black artists. Thank goodness for Edward Moody’s sculpture, but it felt like the show wanted to tell a different story but couldn’t as the reality was that the main role for black people then was as models, muses and influencers. You can’t change history however much you want to to fit modern thinking. Then was then and things that happened then have shaped how we are now.

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