The Ben Uri Gallery and Museum was founded as an arts society in 1915 by the émigré Jewish artist and craftsman Lazar Berson. Originally housed in a Whitechapel synagogue in the East End of London, this cultural hub provided a platform for Jewish Diaspora working outside the cultural mainstream in the first half of the twentieth century. Whilst economically poor, Whitechapel was a culturally rich borough of the metropolis and a hive of artistic creativity. It was within this sociopolitical and cultural climate that The Ben Uri Arts Society (as it was then known) looked to promote the works and identities of this often marginalised community. The collection has since come to reflect Jewish and immigrant contributions to British art since 1900, and includes works by artists from all national, ethnic, and religious groups who have helped enrich the cultural landscape of Britain. The Ben Uri Gallery and Museum is the only specialist art museum in Europe to examine the universal themes of historical and contemporary issues of identity and migration through critical assessments of the arts.
The Ben Uri Collection comprises some 940 works across 73 different mediums, and includes contemporary and historical examples spanning over one hundred and twenty years. The collection is composed of some 412 artists, and represents fifty-one countries. Sculpture holds a special place in the Ben Uri Collection with significant works by émigré practitioners including Jacob Epstein, Elsa Fraenkel, Dora Gordine, Ghisha Koenig and Lippy Lipshitz.
The loan exhibition of sculpture from the Ben Uri Collection is our first museum project, and will showcase major works by artists including Jacob Epstein and Dora Gordine. We are delighted to offer this opportunity for visitors to view these important émigré sculptors’ work outside of London.
In addition, we are also opening our exhibition titled Modern Art and St Ives in our Orangery Gallery, which includes works by Sandra Blow, Peter Lanyon, Bernard Leach, Ben Nicholson, and Alfred Wallis.