A new show at Dulwich Picture Gallery explores what unites the cultural motif that has inspired works from Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary to studies of sex workers.
But what does it mean? This is the question at the heart of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s fascinating new exhibition, curated by Dr Jennifer Sliwka, a Baroque and Italian Renaissance specialist with a flair for thematic, trans-historical exhibitions, such as her show Monochrome at the national gallery in 2017. Here, she “reframes” the theme as it recurs across ages, places and cultures, in eight sections of more than 40 objects, including work by Rembrandt, Louis Bourgeois, Rachel Whiteread, Edgar Degas, Walter Sickert, David Hockney and Marina Abramovic.
May 5, 2022
