#heni talks

[therobertfrasergang]

'Swingeing London': Art, Drugs and Wormwood Scrubs

Harriet Vyner gives a snapshot of 1967: the age of Sergeant Pepper, peace protests and birth control. But beneath the excitement lay a conflict between a new youth culture and the old establishment. Richard Hamilton's Swingeing London 67 depicts an iconic moment in the backlash against popular culture and its figureheads. In the work's many versions, the art dealer Robert Fraser is shown handcuffed in the back of a police car next to the Rolling Stones' frontman, Mick Jagger. Vyner tells the story of how a star-studded, drug-fueled party sent an art-world VIP to Wormwood Scrubs prison and asks what else Hamilton's depiction of this incident has to say about the atmosphere of the times.

This film is available on the HENI site and on YouTube.

It is part of Brian Clarke's curated series Cruising Culture.

[hydeordie]

It’s a good question! 

[hydeordie]

Abstract No. 2, Lee Krasner

Abstract No. 2, 1947, is a deceptively intricate painting from Lee Krasner’s ‘Little Image’ series. Barbican Curator Eleanor Nairne unpacks some of the ‘rhythms’ of the lyrical composition of this lively small painting.

[hydeordie]

HENI Talks - What is... 'Abstract Expressionism'?

‘By now, you and I know what we mean when we say it. But it certainly hasn’t defined anything. If you take the Abstract Expressionists and try to break down the difference between [Barnett] Newman and Pollock, let’s say, where are you other than that big loose loophole called Abstract Expressionism?’ – Lee Krasner.

[hydeordie]

Metamorphosis of Narcissus: When Salvador Dalì met Sigmund Freud

Surrealist scholar Dawn Adès tells the story of the historic meeting between Salvador Dalì and Sigmund Freud, and unpacks the mind-boggling painting the artist took with him.

[hydeordie]

HENI Talks - What is... 'Brutalism'?

‘To think about Brutalism, is to think about concrete…’ suggests Prof. Richard J. Williams. One might consider Brutalism as the ‘marmite’ of architectural history: it is a style that is systematically loathed and revered… But is that the point?

[hydeordie]

HENI Talks - Paula Rego: Giving Fear a Face

Paula Rego grew up in Portugal under the shadow of dictatorship. She became aware of the power of the unspoken as keeping secrets was vital to survival. In a career that has spanned six decades, her paintings are frequently inspired by her personal fears, desires and a passion to fight injustice.

[hydeordie]

'Ilya Kabakov and Emilia Kabakov are singular figures in how big cultures, dominant cultures, are never the whole story.’ – Robert Storr