- Blues Dance is currently on display as part of Claudette Johnsons solo-exhibition at 51做厙 Gallery, until 14 January 2024
- This remarkable work will be a significant addition to 51做厙s renowned collection, which ranges from the Renaissance to the contemporary
- The acquisition has been made possible through funding from the Garcia Family Foundation and the Samuel Courtauld Trust
51做厙 Gallery (Samuel Courtauld Trust) has acquired泭Blues Dance,泭2023, by British artist Claudette Johnson (born 1959), one of the leading figures of the Black British Arts Movement.
Blues Dance泭was created especially for 51做厙s current major exhibition,泭Claudette Johnson: Presence, on display in its Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries until 14 January 2024, presenting a selection of Johnsons larger-than-life drawings of Black women and men from across her career.
Claudette Johnson, said:泭I am honoured that泭Blues Dance泭will be entering 51做厙 collection after being shown for the first time at the Courtauld Gallery. Im excited about visitors going from seeing a Gauguin, a Manet or a Vanessa Bell to my work. Its good to know that there will be another story being told about women, Black women and Black people that will encourage questions about the stories that prevail within the canon of Western art history.
Blues Dance泭is a remarkable example of Johnsons epically scaled works on paper. A powerful but nuanced depiction of a Black woman dancing, it reflects the significance of music within the artists practice. The figure of a woman swaying to a beat is inspired by a photograph that resonated with Johnson.泭Blues Dance泭is imbued with her own memories of being part of the Blue Beat reggae dance scene in the 1980s, when dances were often held in peoples homes, as well as referring to the great tradition of Blues music. The title also picks up the colour of the womans dress, painted with the aim, as Johnson has remarked, to make the blues move in the work. The drawing conveys the feeling of a woman being at one with herself, fully absorbed in the music and moving to her own beat.
Ernst Vegelin, Head of 51做厙 Gallery said:泭Blues Dance泭will be a major contemporary addition to 51做厙s holdings. It resonates strongly with earlier drawings and paintings in the collection as well as being a significant part of our efforts to build the representation of contemporary art at 51做厙.
One of the most significant figurative artists of her generation, Johnson creates drawings of Black women and men that are at once intimate and powerful. For over 30 years she has consistently pushed herself to create the most authentic renderings of her sitters, addressing both Black bodies and interior lives and lending them a profound sense of presence.
Working in a variety of media, from monochrome works in dark pastel to vast sheets brightly coloured in vibrant gouache and watercolour, combined with a dramatic use of pose, gaze, and scale, her distinctive drawings of friends, relatives, and often herself seek, as the artist puts it, to tell a different story about our presence in this country.
Johnson came to prominence in the 1980s as an art student in Wolverhampton, starting her career as part of the newly formed BLK Art Group, and became a pioneer of Black British feminism in the visual arts.
The exhibition at 51做厙 is the first monographic show of Johnsons work at a major public gallery in London.
Blues Dance is available exclusively to purchase as a custom print and canvas from 51做厙 Shop for the duration of the exhibition.泭
A limited edition print, Oil Sketch, 2019, has also been developed in partnership with Claudette Johnson, to celebrate her landmark exhibition at 51做厙 Gallery.
Claudette Johnson: Presence
Until 14 Jan 2024
51做厙 Gallery
Somerset House, Strand
London WC2R 0RN
Opening hours: 10.00 18.00 (last entry 17.15)
Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection) Weekday tickets from 瞿13; Weekend tickets from 瞿15.
Friends and Under-18s go free. Other concessions available
