PA 303/13
Pop Art to Britart is the first public exhibition of one of the most important collections of late-twentieth century and contemporary art in private hands.
The earliest works in the exhibition were created in 1960. Peter Blake’s What’s Wrong Wimpy? Popeye, November 1960 and David Hockney’s The First Love Painting are, in their different ways, telling evocations of a heady decade in which British society at last broke free from the privations of the post-war period and plunged headlong into an atmosphere of hedonistic optimism.
The most recent, Shock and Awe by Richard Hamilton, was completed 50 years later, in 2010. In common with Blake and Hockney, Hamilton is regarded as one of founders of Pop Art, but this late work defines an entirely different world from the one that each of these artists occupied in the early 1960s.
The selection presented in the exhibition draws upon a private collection in which these principles are apparent and, it may be conjectured, an awareness of which informed the growth of that collection. Comprising works covering the period 1960–2010, in the main the artists represented are British.
British Pop is represented in depth. In addition to Blake, Hockney and Hamilton, many other key figures are included, notably Patrick Caulfield, Derek Boshier, Allen Jones and Gerald Laing.
The legacy of these artists and their engagement with commercial and popular forms of visual culture is also apparent in more recent works by young British Artists — Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn and Gavin Turk.
The guiding principle behind this collection is of art produced during David Ross’ lifetime. David Ross is perhaps best known as the co-founder in 1991 of The Carphone Warehouse. Since 2003 he has been involved in leading many other public and private companies as well as pursuing a passion for the arts, sports and education through the David Ross Foundation. David Ross is an alumnus of The University of Nottingham (Law) and a member of University Council.
Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor, said: “I am delighted that Lakeside Arts Centre at The University of Nottingham will be hosting this outstanding and ground-breaking exhibition of late-twentieth century art. It will provide a wonderful opportunity for audiences to get up close to a wide range of contemporary pieces which never before have been made available for public view.”
The exhibition will be opened on 20 November by Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate.
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- Pop Art to Britart is at the Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham, from 23 November 2013 to 9 February 2014.
- Lakeside is The University of Nottingham’s public arts centre and museum, situated at the south entrance to The University of Nottingham campus, just off the A6005 (University Boulevard).
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- Gallery opening hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-5pm, Sun/Bank Holidays 12pm-4pm. Direct line 0115 951 3192. Box Office: 0115 846 7777. Admission Free.
- A fully illustrated catalogue with introductory essay by Paul Moorhouse from the National Portrait Gallery accompanies the exhibition.
- This press release contains extracts from Paul Moorhouse’s essay: Perfection of a thing: a collector’s art.
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Picture credits (left to right) -
Richard Hamilton – Release
Peter Blake – Babe Rainbow
Joe Tilson – Gagarin Star ( detail)
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Story credits
Pop Art to Britart has been curated by Neil Walker who is available for interview.
More information is available from Sofia Nazar-Chadwick, Marketing Manager at Lakeside Arts Centre, on +44 (0)115 846 7379,,
sofia.nazar-chadwick@nottingham.ac.uk; Tim Utton, Deputy Director of Communications at The University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 846 8092, tim.utton@nottingham.ac.uk; or Charlotte Anscombe, Media Relations and Campaigns Manager, on +44 (0)115 748 4417, charlotte.anscombe@nottingham.ac.uk