BlueGin
Diamond Member
- Jul 10, 2004
- 24,546
- 17,001
- 1,405
Interesting concept. Hard to imagine that works of art are still being defaced due to differences in politics and religion in today's age. But they are. Apparently we haven't evolved much.
*****************************************************************
Over the centuries art works have been smashed, slashed, defaced, even bombed.
Now the Tate has unveiled plans for the first exhibition to explore physical attacks on art in Britain from the 16th century to the present day.
Art under Attack: Histories of British Iconoclasm opens at Tate Britain on 2 October.
The centrepiece of the show is a damaged sculpture of Christ that lay hidden for hundreds of years beneath a floor of a London chapel.
The Statue of the Dead Christ (c. 1500-1520) is missing its crown of thorns, arms and lower legs - thought to be the result of a brutal attack by religious reformers in the 16th century.
Continue reading the main story
Start Quote
It's a hard exhibition to make because very often we are dealing with fragments
Penelope Curtis Director, Tate Britain
The statue was discovered beneath the chapel floor of the Mercers' Hall in central London in 1954. Experts think it may have been buried to protect it from further damage.
Tate curator Tabitha Barber said she was "delighted" that the the Mercers' Company had loaned the sculpture to the exhibition.
"Confronted by the statue today, its emotional impact is still such that the danger of such images feared by 16th century reformers - the confusion between the real and the represented, or the sinful worship of an image instead of God - is near enough to be imagined.
"This incredible loan will help us to explore the methods and motives behind attacks on art in Britain over 500 years."
BBC News - Art under attack show to feature damaged Christ statue
*****************************************************************
Over the centuries art works have been smashed, slashed, defaced, even bombed.
Now the Tate has unveiled plans for the first exhibition to explore physical attacks on art in Britain from the 16th century to the present day.
Art under Attack: Histories of British Iconoclasm opens at Tate Britain on 2 October.
The centrepiece of the show is a damaged sculpture of Christ that lay hidden for hundreds of years beneath a floor of a London chapel.
The Statue of the Dead Christ (c. 1500-1520) is missing its crown of thorns, arms and lower legs - thought to be the result of a brutal attack by religious reformers in the 16th century.
Continue reading the main story
Start Quote
It's a hard exhibition to make because very often we are dealing with fragments
Penelope Curtis Director, Tate Britain
The statue was discovered beneath the chapel floor of the Mercers' Hall in central London in 1954. Experts think it may have been buried to protect it from further damage.
Tate curator Tabitha Barber said she was "delighted" that the the Mercers' Company had loaned the sculpture to the exhibition.
"Confronted by the statue today, its emotional impact is still such that the danger of such images feared by 16th century reformers - the confusion between the real and the represented, or the sinful worship of an image instead of God - is near enough to be imagined.
"This incredible loan will help us to explore the methods and motives behind attacks on art in Britain over 500 years."
BBC News - Art under attack show to feature damaged Christ statue
