Art and Alcohol
16 Nov 2015 - 13 Sep 2016
Gilbert & George
Balls: The Evening Before the Morning After - Drinking Sculpture 1972
Mixed media
image: 2108 x 4382 mm
Purchased 1972© Gilbert and George
Balls: The Evening Before the Morning After - Drinking Sculpture 1972
Mixed media
image: 2108 x 4382 mm
Purchased 1972© Gilbert and George
Since William Hogarth satirised the Georgian craze for gin, artists have explored Britain’s relationship with alcohol – as social lubricant, or as factor in social or family breakdown. This fascinating display examines the role of alcohol in British art from the 19th century to modern day.
The display contrasts two works from Tate’s collection; George Cruikshank’s Worship of Bacchus, a critical panting illustrating in one huge canvas the effects of drink on society, and Gilbert & George’s Drinking Sculpture, a wall-mounted montage of photographs (progressively blurred) of drinkers in a London bar.
Cutting across time, generations, class and gender, reflecting changing tastes and attitudes, alcohol and its consequences are shown to exert a catalytic effect. Never have the nation’s drinking habits been so captivating.
The display contrasts two works from Tate’s collection; George Cruikshank’s Worship of Bacchus, a critical panting illustrating in one huge canvas the effects of drink on society, and Gilbert & George’s Drinking Sculpture, a wall-mounted montage of photographs (progressively blurred) of drinkers in a London bar.
Cutting across time, generations, class and gender, reflecting changing tastes and attitudes, alcohol and its consequences are shown to exert a catalytic effect. Never have the nation’s drinking habits been so captivating.