Art Articles
Art - May 2023
Reynolds 300: Early Self-Portrait
Sir Joshua Reynolds didn’t just paint portraits of the rich and famous, he also created portraits of himself! In 2014, The Box was delighted to acquire two important works by him – one of which was this early self-portrait from 1746.
Art - May 2023
Reynolds 300: Portrait of Augustus Keppel
Sir Joshua Reynolds’ portrait of Captain the Honourable Augustus Keppel (1752) made him famous. Keppel was a well-known up-and-coming naval officer who was greatly admired by the public and nobility alike, and Reynolds used this painting to market his artistic skills and unique style of portraiture.
Art - May 2023
Reynolds 300: Portrait of Theresa Robinson
This tender full-length portrait dates from 1770-1772 and shows the Hon. Theresa Robinson, Mrs John Parker (1745-1775) of Saltram House, near Plymouth. She was the second wife of John Parker (1734/5-1788) (created Lord Boringdon in 1784), a great friend and patron of Reynolds. The painting has recently been beautifully conserved and is displayed for the first time since the conservation in the ‘Reframing Reynolds’ exhibition.
Art - May 2023
Reynolds 300: Age of Innocence
Today our childhoods should be an age of innocence, a time when we get to be children and explore the world on our own terms and in our own way. But it wasn’t always so. Until the 1700s, it was entirely normal to think of children as little adults, to dress and educate them as such and to expect them to behave accordingly.
Art - May 2023
Reynolds 300: Portrait of Frances Reynolds
Many people aren’t aware that famous portrait artist Sir Joshua Reynolds also had a talented sister. Frances Reynolds (1729-1807) was affectionately known as Fanny. She was six years younger than her brother and would have appreciated, perhaps even emulated his artistic talent whilst growing up.
Art - May 2023
Sue Williamson: Monument I and Monument II
This pair of screen prints in artist Sue Williamson's 'Between Memory and Forgetting' exhibition (until 4 June) date from 1981. They mark the beginning of her preoccupation with monuments, and the way in which people in power try to tell and celebrate their stories for future generations.
Press Release - May 2023
The Box announced as a partner for Imperial War Museums’ national art commissioning programme
The Box is proud to announce that it’s been selected to be part of the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, a national partnership programme of over 20 artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict.
Press Release - May 2023
Quinlan and Hastings: Mapping the queer landscape
Through their work, Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings explore the history, politics and iconography of queer culture; mapping the queer landscape in a variety of ways that place underrepresented narratives in the spotlight. Explore this in more detail through ‘Gaby’, a 2018 film work that is currently playing in their ‘Portraits’ exhibition.
Art - Apr 2023
Sue Williamson: Colouring In
The basis for this work is a children's colouring in book, the title of which translates to 'My Anglo Boer War Colouring In'. The resulting work mixes the book's original illustrations with archive images, drawing parallels between the oppression suffered by Black South Africans during the Boer War and later under the Apartheid government.
Art - Apr 2023
Bernard Moore: Small animal ceramics
These bright and perfectly formed porcelain pieces are particularly popular with our younger visitors looking for nature in art. They were created using innovative methods that potter Bernard Moore became known for.
Art - Apr 2023
Quinlan and Hastings: The history of feminism
Through their art, Quinlan and Hastings explore the history of feminism on the political right in the UK, from the Edwardian period to today. Two works within their 'Portraits' exhibition (on display until 4 June 2023) look in detail at this subject.
Art - Apr 2023
‘Friend in my Studio’ by Rose Hilton
Rose Hilton (1931-2019) was the fourth of eight children born to Julia and Robert Phipps in Kent in August 1931. This pink-hued work is called ‘Friend in My Studio’. It was painted in 1978/9 and acquired for Plymouth’s collections in 1979 with the support of the V&A’s Purchase Grant Fund.