Finding Family

Thoughtful exhibition at the Founding Museum exploring what family means.

The core of the show were three paintings on loan from the National Gallery shown with work by contemporary artists and poems by people on the museum’s training and mentorship programme, “Tracing Our Tales”.

The show was themed around questions about what family is, whether it is blood, connection, bond or love. The pictures were well used to illustrate the ideas. It was fascinating to read the connections the contemporary artists had to the subject. I was particularly moved by the story of Louise Allen whose adoptive mother had said she didn’t want her yet Allen went on to care for her and to foster over 20 children herself.

It was lovely to see the National Gallery works by Hogarth, Gainsborough and the Le Nain Brothers in a different context. It made you look at them in a different way. I really enjoyed seeing Hogarth’s portrait of the Graham children at eye level so you could look into their faces.

Closed 27 August 2023


 

 

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