Art | Exhibitions | Reunited: Gwen John
4 July – 21 September 2008
Main Galleries
Reunited:
Gwen John, Mère Poussepin
and the Catholic Church
‘Austen for the eyes: these portraits are tiny marvels’
Charles Darwent, The Independent on Sunday
Gwen John’s move to Meudon in France in 1911 marked the beginning of fundamental changes for the artist, in both personal and artistic terms. In about 1913, John was received into the Roman Catholic Church, and, in that year, was commissioned by the nuns in the town’s convent to create a portrait of their seventeenth-century founder, Mère Poussepin. This first commission developed into requests for five more versions — one for each room of the convent. In this exhibition, the Barber’s own version of the portrait—one of the most popular paintings in the collection — is reunited with other versions of the picture. These are complemented by a series of drawings showing women, orphans and schoolgirls in church, as well as sketches of nuns, priests and a cardinal — and even the Pope himself. With loans from Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales, Tate and Southampton City Art Gallery, it explores the development of the artist’s portrayal of single female figures, the growing importance of her drawings from 1910 onwards, and the inextricable links between her work and her new faith.
A selection of works from this show are presented in this Virtual Exhibition.
| In the Picture: Panel discussion Wednesday 17 Sept at 1.10pm |
Lunchtime Lectures Wednesdays 3, 10 Sept at 1.10pm |
Art Alive! Gwen John Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September |