Turner Prize winner visits Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

RUGBY Art Gallery and Museum welcomed leading lights of Britain's Black Arts Movement for a special 'In Conversation With...' event.

Lubaina Himid and Claudette Johnson visited the Art Gallery on Friday (25 May) to discuss the ideas and inspiration behind bodies of work which have won international acclaim, and landed Himid the prestigious Turner Prize in 2017.

Works from both Himid and Johnson feature in About Face, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's latest exhibition which includes loans from the National Portrait Gallery and The Lowry.

Himid, who tackles issues such as colonial history, racism and the legacy of slavery in her work, has contributed pieces from her recent Men in Drawers series - Man in Paper Drawer and Man in Pencil Drawer - to the exhibition.

The works were added to the Rugby Collection thanks to an acquisition grant from Art Fund and support from the Arts Council England/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund.

Claudette Johnson's contribution to About Face, Standing Figure 2017, was acquired for the Rugby Collection courtesy of a grant from the Contemporary Art Society.

The 'In Conversation With...' event was supported by a grant from Art Talks With Art Fund, a national programme of talks by contemporary artists at art galleries and museums across the UK.

Katie Boyce, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's senior visual arts officer and curator of About Face, said: "We were delighted to welcome Lubaina and Claudette to Rugby, and gain a unique insight into the inspirations and motivations of the artists behind the art works.

"About Face has attracted thousands of visitors to the Art Gallery and Museum since opening in March, and we're looking forward to a busy few final weeks before the exhibition closes on Saturday 16 June."

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum received an £18,000 grant from the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund for About Face.

The funding programme, a partnership between the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, supports small local authority venues to borrow major works or collections from national galleries and museums.

For more information about Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk 

Photo caption: Lubaina Himid (left) and Claudette Johnson (right) discussed ideas and inspirations during the talk at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.