Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975)
Hepworth's small-scale carvings in stone and wood—like “mini-Moores”—make even
holes look interesting. Though they're not exactly realistic, it isn't hard to imagine them
being inspired by, say, a man embracing a woman (she called it “sex harmony”), or
the shoreline encircling a bay near her Cornwall-coast home, or a cliff penetrated by a
cave—that is, two forms intermingling.
Gilbert (b. 1943) and George (b. 1942)
The Siegfried and Roy of art satirize the “Me Generation” and its shameless self-marketing
by portraying their nerdy, three-piece-suited selves on the monumental scale normally ded-
icated to kings, popes, and saints.
We've covered 500 years, with social satire from Hogarth to Hockney, from Constable's
placid landscapes to Turner's churning scenes, from Blake's inner visions to Pre-Raphael-
ite fantasies, from realistic portraits to...realistic portraits.
But the Tate's great strength is championing contemporary British art in special ex-
hibitions. There are generally two exhibition spaces: one in the east half of the main floor
(often free), and another downstairs (usually requiring separate admission). Explore the
cutting-edge art from one of the world's thriving cultural capitals: London.
Enough Tate? Great. It's late.
