Centenary art exhibition of Bloomsbury murals at LSBU

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An exhibition of "lost gems of local art history" by renowned artists including the Bloomsbury Group's Roger Fry and Duncan Grant is taking place 11-21 October in the Keyworth Centre entrance hall at London South Bank University (LSBU). The free exhibition will display full colour images of seven murals which first decorated the walls of the University, then the Borough Polytechnic Institute, a hundred years ago. It will also show contextual information and archival items alongside the images. The murals were created around the theme 'London on Holiday' and were originally commissioned by the University's Governors in 1911 to decorate the students' dining room. At the time the Evening Standard's art critic heralded their unveiling as "the most important artistic event of 1911". In 1931 the Borough Road building was remodelled and the murals no longer fitted so they were sold to the Tate Gallery, where they have remained in storage. The exhibition has been organised by LSBU's Archives Centre and BA Arts Management students, who study in LSBU's Department of Culture, Writing and Performance. Elizabeth Harper, University Archivist says: "These murals are lost gems of local art history, so we are delighted to be unearthing them for the general public to see a hundred years after they were first created and displayed. We are particularly proud that the exhibition was brought about through the hard of LSBU BA Arts Management students working together with the Archives."