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Taking its cue from the wonderful yet eternally kitsch paintings of William Quiller Orchardson (1832 - 1910), this exhibition brings together a group of artworks made between the late 19th century and present day. Unified by a sense of formal restraint and poetic rhythm, each work resonates with Orchardson's own peculiar oeuvre.
Quite at odds with his old-fashioned subject matter - prancing dandies in polished slippers; ball-gowned debutantes; and contemplative military generals - Orchardson's muted palette marked him out as an artist ahead of his time. With shades of beige, slithers of quartz-like silver and dusty purples, his use of colour now seems strangely proto-modern and quietly beautiful.
It is with this quality in mind that the works for this exhibition have been brought together, each transmitting something of this almost forgotten artist. Using his idiosyncratic paintings as a point of departure, the structure of the exhibition remains intentionally open-ended, encouraging new and unexpected links to be drawn between generations, ideas and styles. The exhibition includes works by Auguste Rodin, Kazunori Hamana, Soojin Kang, Katya Lewis, Cy Twombly, Li Yuan-Chia, Claes Oldenburg and Auguste Pointelin.