Shaping the Future: New arrivals from Chagall to Ribeiro

Orovida Pissarro Refugees, 1947 oil on canvas 76.1 x 63.5 cm (upper left) Orovida 1947
Orovida Pissarro
Refugees, 1947
oil on canvas
76.1 x 63.5 cm
(upper left) Orovida 1947
Dedicated to the memory of gallerist and curator Agi Katz (1938–2021)
The first exhibition of its kind since the pandemic and the reopening of the gallery following flooding, Shaping the Future – New Arrivals at the Ben Uri Collection, presents an exciting and eclectic display of new acquisitions and long-term loans to the Ben Uri Collection since 2019, reflecting our continuing research focus on the Jewish and immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900. 
The display explores a series of both distinct and overlapping themes and motifs with works referencing theatre and/or performance including Abraham Solomon’s lively portrayal of Molière’s Le Malade Imaginaire (1861), Austrian-Jewish émigrée Marie-Louise von Motesiczky’s celebratory Circus (1964), pioneering African modernist Ben Enwonwu’s rhythmic Dancer (1962), and Indian-born Lancelot Ribeiro’s bold King Lear (1964). The late South African-born distinguished actor and artist Sir Antony Sher’s moving Self-portrait as Primo [Levi] (2008) crosses genres, contrasting with R. B. Kitaj’s vivid Red Self-portrait after Masaccio and Chagall’s light-hearted Self-portrait. So too, does Polish immigrant Alfred Wolmark’s double-portrait, depicting two women in theatrical costume and said to be of his mother and sister. 
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