Visual & Decorative Arts Blog

The Tate Britain has been an unmissable display of British art since its inception in 1897. When Henry Tate tried to release his collection of masterpieces of art into the world to be enjoyed by all, the National Gallery didn’t have the space for it, and so he built his own gallery in which to showcase all of the artworks he had collected. Since then, four Tate galleries have opened (Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives), between them holding an outstandingly impressive collection of British and international art. 

Last night the second episode of Grayson Perry's TV series 'Who Are You?' broadcast on Channel 4. The series follows Perry as he talks to individuals with unique lives, unearthing the stories behind them and the challenges they face. So far we have seen him interview disgraced politician Chris Hune, A Celebrity Big Brother contestant, a White-British convert to Islam, a pair of same sex parents and more.

Being that the centennial anniversary of World War I is quickly approaching, many museums are creating exhibitions to honour the globe-changing event. The Imperial War Museum in particular has put together the biggest exhibition of British First World War art in history, and there are masterpieces of art that have made huge impacts in both of its sections: Truth and Memory.

With the Late Turner: Painting Set Free exhibition about to start at Tate Britain, showcasing the 'Painter of light' in a new and fascinating way, one doesn't have to reach deep to find enthusiasm for these beautiful paintings, depicting every kind of landscape, in all variants of light. I for one, cannot wait to visit the show.

With the Tate Modern's recent opening of the first ever UK retrospective of Kasimir Malevich, it is only appropriate to admire all of the artwork he has ever created, not just his later, Suprematist work. Even though he did change the entire idea of modern art in his later works, his early art is surprisingly pastoral, bucolic and agrarian. 

We have been working with The Imperial War Museum for the last few years, creating great art calendars and books. So when we heard that there were to be refurbishments at the London museum, well we were more excited than anyone else. As a longstanding institution, IWM stands alone in its portrayal of conflicts across time, especially those that feature Britain and her allies. As proud partners of IWM, let's take a look at the recent refurbishments of the London facility and why its exhibitions are still relevant today. 

Tate Modern has just opened the first ever UK retrospective of Kasimir Malevich (1879–1935), a Russian artist who changed the face of modern art. With his radical ideas, his pioneering work on geometric abstract art left a lasting legacy.

2014 marks the centenary anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. In the early twentieth century before the invention of the telephone and television, the poster, originating in late nineteenth century France, successfully promoted commercial advertisements. From the onset of the ‘Great War’ with Germany in August 1914, for Britain and her Allies the poster became the most effective form of mass communication. Poster propaganda was utilised nationally and locally: to recruit, to boost morale, to raise funds, encourage thrift and support the war. Below we'll take a closer look at recruitment WW1 posters and how they encouraged men to enlist.

Our art calendars have been taking a lot of my focus recently, and today I've been working on our Illuminated Manuscripts wall calendar for 2015. (Yes I know, we're looking that far ahead already!) Having just seen how beautifully the 2014 calendar has turned out, we decided there was too much scope not to do it again for 2015 (and we didn't need much persuading). The artwork is stunning, and the history behind them is just as fascinating.