The Body Laid Bare at Auckland Art Gallery

World famous artworks travel the globe for The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate which opens next weekend at Auckland Art Gallery

Thursday 9 March 2017

World famous artworks travel the globe for The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate which opens next weekend at Auckland Art Gallery

The human form, seen through more than two hundred years of art, will be uncovered in the new exhibition The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate, which opens next Saturday 18 March at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

The exhibition features more than 100 artworks from Tate, London, most of which have never been seen before in New Zealand.

Auckland Art Gallery Director Rhana Devenport says these exceptional artworks rarely travel this far from home.

‘It’s not often that New Zealanders can experience so close to home such a collection of marvellous works, from one of the world’s pre-eminent public art collections,’ she says.

The Body Laid Bare explores the beauty and frailty of the human body and tells the story of artistic practice over time as it has responded to societal, political and aesthetic changes.

It highlights different approaches to the nude and is organised in themes ranging from privacy, eroticism and vulnerability to the role of images of the body in gender politics.

The exhibition features painting, sculpture and photographs by renowned artists including JMW Turner, Auguste Rodin, Pierre Bonnard, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman, Tracy Emin, Marlene Dumas and many more.

Widely anticipated is Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss (1901–4). Weighing in at three and a half tonnes, the marble sculpture lies at the heart of the exhibition, featuring two people entwined in love’s embrace.

The presentation of this exhibition is a collaboration between Tate and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. It originated as a co-curated collaboration between Tate and Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate Public Programme Highlights

Saturday 18 March

6–9pm: Figure drawing – Free
Engage in one of visual art’s most essential disciplines – drawing the figure from a live model. No experience required. Materials and easel supplied.

7pm: Curator’s tour of The Body Laid Bare – Exhibition entry fee applies
Join Justin Paton, Head Curator, International Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales and co-curator of the exhibition, on a tour that will focus on some of his favourite artworks.

Sunday 19 March

1pm: Curator’s talk – The making of an exhibition – Free
Emma Chambers, Curator, Modern British Art at Tate, London and co-curator of The Body Laid Bare, introduces concepts and themes in the exhibition and discusses how the works were selected.

Monday 20 March

1pm: Curator’s Talk – Emma Chambers: Some of my favourites – Exhibition entry fee applies
Emma Chambers, Curator, Modern British Art at Tate, London, and co-curator of The Body Laid Bare, holds a tour of the exhibition and discusses some of her favourite works.

Sunday 26 March

11.15am and 2pm: Tour – Patricia Jean-Louis for French Language Day – Exhibition entry fee applies
Join Patricia Jean-Louis for a tour through the exhibition in English (with a hint of French), focusing on the French artists Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin and Jean Hélion, as well as on artists who were based in France at some point, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giocometti, Man Ray and Louise Bourgeois

Sunday 26 March

1pm: Talk – Chief Censor with Metro Editor: Censoring The Body Laid Bare – Free
Join New Zealand Chief Censor Dr Andrew Jacks and Metro Editor Susannah Walker as they consider when ‘naked’ becomes ‘nude’, how this makes an image acceptable and/or justified, and when the body laid bare requires a censorship rating. Join us for a unique insight into the issue of censorship and the naked nude.

Sunday 2 April

1pm: Talk – Lonely founders Helene Morris and Steve Ferguson with Assistant Curator Emma Jameson – Free
Join Helene Morris and Steve Ferguson, founders of lingerie brand Lonely, as they share their insights with Auckland Art Gallery Assistant Curator Emma Jameson. Discover the ethos behind the Lonely advertising campaigns that celebrate positive body image, expression and empowerment.

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For interview requests, high res images and further information contact:

Olivia Boswell, Communications Officer, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
M +64 21 952 759
E olivia.boswell@aucklandartgallery.com
W www.aucklandartgallery.com

Exhibition details:

The Body Laid Bare: Masterpieces from Tate

When: Saturday 18 March to Sunday 16 July 2017
10am – 5pm daily
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Corner Kitchener and Wellesley Streets
Auckland, New Zealand

Pricing:

General admission: $23
Early bird: $18 (available until Friday 17 March or sold out)
Children 12 and under: Free
Auckland Art Gallery Members: Free

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