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.
7:24
The Art of Liu Xiaodong: Man and Machine
Liu Xiaodong discusses how conflict and urban change influenced his radical new painting method.
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.
7:24
Liu Xiaodong discusses how conflict and urban change influenced his radical new painting method.
14:52
How Kazimir Malevich’s painting of a simple Black Square changed the direction of modern art.
10:41
Discover the astonishing skull hidden in plain sight in Holbein’s masterpiece, The Ambassadors.
7:39
Alison Cole discusses the emotional impact of Michelangelo's 'Taddei Tondo' (c.1504-1505) and the enduring power of his art.