Exhibition

Muse

18 Feb 2022 – 10 Apr 2022

Regular hours

Monday
10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday
10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday
10:00 – 17:00
Thursday
10:00 – 17:00
Friday
10:00 – 17:00
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Free admission

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The Royal Over-Seas League is proud to present an exhibition of inspiration.

About

The perception of the muse is that of a passive, powerless model, at the mercy of an influential and older artist. But is this trope a romanticised myth? Far from posing silently, muses have brought emotional support, intellectual energy, career-changing creativity and practical help to artists.

Inspired by the rich subject matter and examples cited in forthcoming book Muse by Ruth Millington (Vintage Publishing, available from 07/04/22). Muse: The Exhibition displays work by international contemporary artists Sunil Gupta, Kim Leutwyler, Pixy Liao and Nilupa Yasmin alongside contextual work loaned from The Estate of Francis Bacon and a print portfolio of book illustrations from Dina Razin.

Muse: The Exhibition introduces Faustina Agolley, George Dyer, LGBTQ+ rights activists in India, Moro (the Japanese boyfriend presented as sushi), the communities of Foleshill Road, Coventry, as well as beautifully rendered depictions of Beyoncé, Dora Maar, Frida Kahlo, Lawrence Alloway, Souleo and Tilda Swinton by Lisbon-based illustrator Dina Razin taken directly from the pages of the book. Delving into the real-life relationships that models have held with the artists who immortalised them, it will expose the influential and active part they have played and deconstruct reductive stereotypes, reframing the muse as a momentous and empowered agent of art history.

Muse: The Exhibition is in partnership with Square Peg, Vintage Publishing and Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

OPENING TIMES: General public, Free Admission, Monday to Friday, 10AM - 5PM or by appointment (contact roslarts@rosl.org.uk)

A series of talks and events accompany this exhibition:

Thursday 17 March 2022, 6.30 – 8PM: Life Drawing and Q&A with Sue Tilley, Lucian Freud’s muse

Thursday 31 March 2022, 6.30 – 8PM: Sotheby's Institute of Art Panel Discussion, Does the Artist’s Muse Have a Place in the Modern World?

Thursday 7 April 2022, 6.30 – 8PM: Art Talk, Muse by Ruth Millington + Book Launch

Muse by Ruth Millington (Vintage Publishing, 07/04/22) is available for pre-order now.

CuratorsToggle

Robin Footitt

Exhibiting artistsToggle

Sunil Gupta

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon

Pixy Liao

Dina Razin

Nilupa Yasmin

Kim Leutwyler