What’s Art Got to Do With it? REVIEW: Conceptual Art in Britain 1964-1979
The echoing rooms of the Tate Britain, Millbank house a historically rich collection of works providing a visual documentation of the growth of British art. Alongside J.M.W Turner’s moody landscapes and Francis Bacon’s grotesque figures, there is a rebellious spirit embedded in the heart of the gallery as the approach towards art begins to shift alongside the ever-changing social environment of Britain. It is this sense of rebellion that became the driving force in the conceptual art movement of the 1960s against the increasingly commercialised art world. As part of the Tate’s engaging calendar of exhibitions, the unruly nature of conceptual art became the focus of curator Andrew Wilson’s latest retrospective for Tate Britain.
Paintings from the masters sit peacefully in their conventional beauty, but as you move through the gallery you can feel the beating energy of a new-wave of artists at its heart, with the traditions of the past appearing (almost) to be in acceptance of their place in art’s history. The radical ‘new thinking’ of artists such as Keith Arnatt and John Hilliard became the basis of conceptual art, which sought to question the function and social purpose of the artist’s chosen medium.
This is an extract from the full feature in After Nyne 10. To purchase your copy visit our Store
IMAGE: Bruce McClean Pose Work For Plinths
