Essence and Presence

From Italy in the 1300s to today, discover what unites artists born hundreds of years apart and explore how art of the past inspires bold new visions of what art can be.

Essence and Presence brings together some of the finest examples of early renaissance art in our collection in conversation with works by modern and contemporary artists—from Filippo Lippi, Simone Martini and Domenico Veneziano to William Blake, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, Sylvia Snowden and Stanley Spencer.

At first glance these abstract and expressive modern and contemporary artworks appear a world away from the representative realism of the Italian renaissance, but our fascinating new display sheds light on their shared themes, humanity and simplicity.

Artists seeking inspiration continue to look to art of the past. Whether it’s the ‘purity of forms, composition, and symbolism’ which have influenced contemporary Ethiopian-Italian artist Jem Perucchini, the innovative use of perspective which informed British painter Bridget Riley’s disorientating optical illusions, or the concept of salvation amid suffering which modern British artist Graham Sutherland channelled into his visceral abstract paintings blending Christian imagery and the horrors of war.

Gallery 6

This display is free to visit and there's no need to book.