About
Unexpected views are monthly conversations between our curators and some of the most important cultural practitioners of today.
Discussions focus on a selected masterpiece from the National Gallery Collection, exploring its relevance to the artist’s work, or more broadly to current social and cultural issues.
By allowing for new discussions of the Old Masters, the series aims for critical, counter-intuitive and joyful approaches to our collection, which reflect the breadth of contemporary artistic practice.
Bob and Roberta Smith
Bob and Roberta Smith explores his relationship with the artist Joseph Mallord William Turner through his painting 'Rain, Steam, and Speed'.
Bob and Roberta Smith is the pseudonym of the artist Patrick Brill. Born in London, he studied at the University of Reading (1981-1985) and Goldsmiths College (1991). He trained as a sign painter in New York and uses text as an art form, creating colourful slogans on banners and placards that challenge elitism and advocate the importance of creativity in politics and education. His best-known works are ‘Make Art Not War’ (1997) and ‘Letter to Michael Gove’ (2011), a letter to the UK Secretary of State for Education reprimanding him for the 'destruction of Britain’s ability to draw, design and sing'. Recent projects include 'Thamesmead Codex', on display at Tate Modern until May 2024, which celebrates the voices and local community of Thamesmead, London. A regular speaker at conferences and symposia, he initiated the Arts ’Party Conference 2013, a forum for artists and organisations to debate the role of art and design in schools.
The Modern and Contemporary Programme supported by
Unexpected views
Onsite tickets
Free
Please book a free ticket to attend these talks. Ticket includes Gallery entry.
Please arrive in good time to access the building and find the event.
Bookings close one hour before the event.
