South London Gallery

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The South London Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Peckham, south London. Its origin is in the Victorian period. It has an active ongoing series of shows and events, including some of the best known contemporary artists, and has staged ground-breaking shows.

[edit] History

The gallery traces its origins back to the South London Working Men's College at 91 Blackfriars Road in 1868, whose Principal was the biologist Thomas Henry Huxley, the grandfather of Aldous Huxley; the Manager was William Rossiter. In 1878 the College relocated to 143 Kennington Lane, where a Free Library was also opened. In 1879 Rossiter staged an art show of privately owned works at the Library. After this the name was changed to the Free Library and Art Gallery. In 1881 the library and gallery moved again to New Road, Battersea, and in 1887 to 207 Camberwell Road.

Leading artists such as Sir Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy, Edward Burne-Jones and G. F. Watts supported the institution; the Prime Minister, William Gladstone, was its first president, succeeded by Leighton in 1887.

On May 4, 1891, The South London Fine Art Gallery opened in Peckham Road in a new building in the grounds of Portland House, whose freehold Rossiter had purchased. In 1893 the Prince of Wales officially opened a lecture hall and library funded by newspaper owner John Passmore Edwards. In 1896 the Gallery was relocated at the Vestry of Camberwell. In 1898 Royal Academy President, Sir Edward Poynter opened a Technical Institute, which again had been funded by Passmore Edwards (to commemorate Lord Leighton who had died) on the site of Portland House. It later became Camberwell College of Art, which was run by the London County Council from 1904, though the Gallery was still under the local authority.

The Gallery added to its permanent collection in 1953, to celebrate the coronation, with works by contemporary artists such as John Piper and Christopher Wood, and the next decade acquired over 500 20th century prints. The new London Borough of Southwark took over responsibility for the Gallery in 1965.

[edit] Modern phase

David Thorp's appointment as Director in 1992 brought what then came to be known as the South London Gallery into its present phase, when it espoused Britart and staged significant "cutting edge" exhibitions.

The Gallery was the first venue for the showing of Tracey Emin's "tent", Everyone I have Ever Slept With 1963–95 [1], when Carl Freedman curated the Minky Manky show in 1995. The show catalogue includes an interview with Emin. Other artists in the show were Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, Damien Hirst, Mat Collishaw, Gilbert and George, Critical Décor and Stephen Pippin. Freedman said one of the show's themes was:

the artist as a subject, and (to) explore the relationship between the art on the wall and its creator, to make the whole thing more humanistic. And in there somewhere there is the beginnings of a thesis on the relationship and similarities between madness and modernism, for example, defiance of authority, nihilism, examples of extreme relativism, strange transformations of the self, irrationality, and things like that.[2]

Minky Manky then went to the Arnolfini gallery, Bristol. Two years later Emin staged a solo show I Need Art Like I Need God, which included a debate with artist Billy Childish about their former relationship.

A strong programme of exhibitions gained the gallery increased publicity and greater visitor numbers, as well as a place in the 1996 Prudential Awards for the Arts, and a nomination for Thorp in 1997 for the Prudential Creative Britons Award. Exhibitors included Anselm Kiefer and Gavin Turk. Works were acquired by artists such as Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and Angus Fairhurst.

In 1999 Curator, Donna Lynas, began a Live Art programme, which incurred some controversy, with performances including Franko B and Stuart Brisley.

In 2001 Margot Heller became Director. Solo exhibitions included Christian Boltanski and Keith Tyson. A controversial piece by Mark McGowan in 2005 was the announcement that he would leave a tap running in the Gallery for a year, to highlight, amongst other things, the way we waste water. [3] The Gallery is continuing an active programme of shows, as well as talks and courses.

The South London Gallery is at 65 Peckham Road, London SE5 8UH. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12 - 6 pm.