Rothenstein's Relevance : William Rothenstein Exhibition

In partnership with Cartwright Hall, Bradford Museums and Galleries, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum is delighted to announce its upcoming autumn exhibition, Rothenstein’s Relevance, examining the work of Sir William Rothenstein (1872–1945) and his circle. It will be Ben Uri’s first exhibition on this hugely influential figure and is a partial tour of the Bradford exhibition, From Bradford to Benares: the art of Sir William Rothenstein (7 March – 12 July 2015), reconfigured for its London showing. It comprises approximately 40 works including paintings, works on paper and archival material and aims to re-examine the significance, influence and continuing importance of Rothenstein’s artistic achievements.

The exhibition will examine major themes from Rothenstein’s career including Jewish subjects, portraiture and figure studies (in Paris, London and Gloucestershire) and the First and Second World Wars. These will be contextualised by work on similar themes by a number of mostly younger contemporaries including Barnett Freedman, Mark Gertler, Eric Kennington, Jacob Kramer, Albert Rutherston and Alfred Wolmark, who were all either influenced directly by, or worked alongside, Rothenstein.

The majority of works will come from Bradford’s own collection, together with selected loans from the Arts Council, Gallery Oldham, Leeds City Art Gallery, Manchester City Art Gallery, Museums Sheffield and Tate Britain, as well as works from Ben Uri’s own collection and a number of private collections.