British Art: from Henry Moore to Banksy

Aims

This course aims to: 

• introduce the work of key artists in the field of contemporary British art
• situate the work of British artists within the historical, political and artistic contexts for the production of their work
• explore the way gender, history and politics are articulated in art

Content

In this course we will consider some of the great names in British Art exploring their relationships with broader global art movements. We will begin with a lecture on Surrealism, reflecting on the European movement and its emergence in Britain. We will discuss the International Surrealist Exhibition which was held in the New Burlington Galleries in London, and we will reflect on the work of Eileen Agar and Roland Penrose. We will also consider the work of the British Mexican surrealist Leonora Carrington, and you might like to read her short novella The Hearing Trumpet, to compare the surrealist text with the surrealist artwork. We will then focus on sculpture, reflecting on the work of Henry Moore (1898-1986), one of the biggest names in 20th Century British art. We will consider Moore’s semi-abstract monumental bronzes and his contribution to art history. We will also reflect on the decolonial work of artists such as Yinka Shonibare.

Next, we will consider collage, Pop Art and Op Art, through the work of artists such as Richard Hamilton, David Hockney and Bridget Riley. In our penultimate lecture, we will consider Young British Artists (YBA) such as Tracy Emin and Damian Hirst looking at the way they employed shock tactics and at the relationship between art and market. We will also reflect on different art spaces and media thinking about the way politics are articulated in the work of street artist Banksy and in the soft fabric pieces created by Permindar Kuar. We will end with a discussion about key issues in 21st century art world, such as environmental art, artificial intelligence and the restitution of artefacts. 

Presentation of the course 

The course will take the format of a series of short lectures followed by group discussions. You will have the opportunity to carry out a detailed analysis of the work of one or two artists covered in the lecture and to present your own ideas to the group. 

Course sessions

1. Surrealism in Britain 
   This lecture will provide you with an overview of the global Surrealism movement and the emergence of Surrealism in Britain. We will consider the work of Roland Penrose, Eileen Agar and Leonora Carrington. 
2. Sculpture in Britain 
   We will consider the historical context for sculpture in the 20th Century continuing the themes discussed in lecture one by reflecting on surrealist sculpture. We will consider the work of artists such as Henry Moore and then move onto Afrosurrealism and the work of Yinka Shonibare. 
3. Collage, Pop Art 
   In this lecture we will reflect on the medium of collage and the way it has developed in the 20th century. We will discuss Pop Art and the development of collage in later half of the 20th century. We will also consider op art. 
4. Space, Medium and Shock Tactics 
   We start this lecture in the 1980s thinking about the work of the Young British Artists. We will reflect on the shock tactics they used and their innovative employment of materials. The case studies will be Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin. We will also consider the work of 21st century artists such as Permindar Kuar and activist street artist Banksy. 
5. Key issues in the artworld 
   We will end with a reflection on the artists and topics discussed during the week and a broader discussion about art history and curatorial practices in 21st century Britain. There will be a short presentation on art and gender and the opportunity to discuss the way visual culture relates to broader structural biases in British society. 

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to be able to identify the way a variety of global art movements have informed the work of British artists. You will emerge from the course with a detailed knowledge of some of the central ideas, approaches and artists in the field of contemporary British art
• to be able to analyse key works of art reflecting on the formal qualities of the artwork as well as the historical and artistic contexts for the artwork
• to be able to effectively discuss, examine, and respond to critical debates in the art world

Required reading

There are no compulsory readings for this course. 

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.