The bed has been the subject of multiple explorations in art, representing an ambiguous realm between something personal, intimate, and yet common to all. Most often associated with passion, throughout history the bed has also been linked to childhood, death, disease and other more unseemly acts.
In this live HENI Talk, made in collaboration with The Arts Society, Dr. Marie-Anne Mancio investigates some of the scintillating examples of 'The Bed in Art', ranging from Renaissance master Titian's stunning Venus d'Urbino, through Manet's illustrious Olympia, which shocked the Paris Salon of 1865, and Tracey Emin's infamous My Bed, a scatological work shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1999, which remains a succès d'scandale and staple of modern art.
Time Period:
Various
Themes:
Dr Marie-Anne Mancio trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory from the University of Sussex. She has lectured in art history for City Lit, Tate Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Nth Degree Club and many private art societies; she also runs art history study tours abroad.
20:50
The Bed in Art: From Titian to Emin
Death, sex, birth, childhood. Uncover how the bed has been represented throughout art history.
24:05
Colourful Language: Red, White and Blue
Discover the symbolism, significance and spirituality of the colours red, white and blue throughout the history of art.
7:56
The Modern Woman: Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Griselda Pollock unpacks some of the questions raised by Manet’s enigmatic last masterpiece.
20:50
Death, sex, birth, childhood. Uncover how the bed has been represented throughout art history.
24:05
Discover the symbolism, significance and spirituality of the colours red, white and blue throughout the history of art.
7:56
Griselda Pollock unpacks some of the questions raised by Manet’s enigmatic last masterpiece.
10:58
Discover the mesmerising mathematical phenomenon of moiré in Conrad Shawcross’s monumental works.
7:33
Discover how William Hogarth's work with the Foundling Hospital laid the foundations for the contemporary British art scene.
12:34
‘He created a sign that went beyond the border of the art world, beyond the border of the art fair, and invaded the collective imagination of the world.’ — Francesco Bonami on Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’.