Published:
7:00 PM January 28, 2021
Artwork depicting animals, created by (left to right) Iggy and Romey is displayed in the windows of a row of houses to launch The Great Big Art Exhibition, the nation s largest ever exhibition, an initiative by Firstsite.
- Credit: David Parry/PA Wire
People across East Anglia are being invited to make works of art to put up in their front windows to create the nation’s largest ever exhibition – a celebration of creativity to counter the gloom of the pandemic.
People are being encouraged to draw, paint, sculpt, build or create their own artwork and put it up in their front windows, on their front door, balcony or garden.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
The Great Big Art Exhibition has been announced with the faces of artists Ai Weiwei and Sir Antony Gormley flying the flag.
The UK’s “largest-ever art exhibition” will be held in people’s front windows - or wherever they can display it - due to lockdown and will feature the work of many well-regarded artists.
On board is The Tate, National Gallery, the National Galleries of Scotland and many more who are joining forces to encourage people to express and create art in the hope to “counter the gloom of the pandemic”.
The opening theme picked by Gormley will be animals and anyone can contribute by making drawings, paintings, sculptures or anything of the same theme then displaying it for all to see in their very own front windows, doors, gardens, outer areas or balconies.
Uniquely Signed Painting By Decourt Discovered In London
A miniature painting – bought ‘unseen’ during lockdown in 2020 has been positively attributed to the 14th- century court painter Decourt. The 57mm tall likeness was originally described as Sir Walter Raleigh, but experts at Philip Mould & Co soon discovered it was an image of Henri III, King of France (1551-1589), whose remaining contemporary images are extremely scarce.
A second transformative discovery was made when a conservator opened the painting’s delicate frame and found the signature, ‘Decourt’ along with the date ‘1578’, on the reverse. Unusually, despite Decourt’s high profile and status at the time, no signed portrait had been unequivocally ascribed to this highly significant court artist. Until now.
BBC News
By Will Gompertz
image copyrightGetty Images
image captionSir Antony Gormley is the first of several artists to set a theme for the virtual exhibition
Museums and leading artists are inviting the British public to take part in what they hope will be the biggest art exhibition ever mounted.
The Great Big Art Exhibition is being launched by Sir Antony Gormley, who is asking people to make an artwork at home and put in their window or garden.
The Angel of the North sculptor said the ambition was to create a country-wide show of imagination and optimism, inspired by the rainbow images people made to celebrate the NHS and keyworkers during the first lockdown.