A Century of the Artist’s Studio: 1920 – 2020

Wonderful exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery examining how artists studios have developed and been used over the last 100 years.

The show looked at studios as private and public space and was then divided into interesting topics such as the studio as performance space, as a collective space, as a place for research and experimentation and as a sanctuary.

There was a wonderful selection of paintings and I am a sucker for a picture of a studio. There were also good photos and archive material. An amazing array of artists were represented from some of the greats of the 20th century such as Picasso, Lucien Freud and Francis Bacon as well as some lesser known ones who I will now look out for and a good selection of contemporary artists.

There were a number of recreations of studios and this was good way of bringing the idea alive. Imagine my surprise at turning a corner and finding the fireplace of the Charleston studio,. The painted surround was there along with the objects from the mantelpiece all shown against a very realistic photograph of the wall it is set against. As you may know I am a big Bloomsbury fan so it was like bumping into a very good friend.

Closes 5 June 2022

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