THE TOWARDS MODERNITY: THREE CENTURIES OF BRITISH ART EXHIBITION
The ‘Towards Modernity: Three Centuries of British Art’ Tour led by Bury Art Museum in partnership with Greater Manchester Museums Group was the first of its kind conducted by a group of regional museums, exhibiting their world class collections on an International stage. 80 works of art, from 17 different organisations in the North West were loaned to China.
Here are some photos taken at the different venues of some of the Huaxie art handling team & staff from Greater Manchester Museums installing, condition checking and speaking at the opening ceremonies.
The exhibition is arranged in six sections that include examples of different genres of painting, from the grand tradition of history and religious subjects, through portraiture and landscape (two of the most familiar staples of British art), to paintings that offer glimpses of the actualities of everyday life for Britons of every kind.
PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO SUCCESS
“Organising this exhibition has been a remarkably challenging endeavour. Drawing artworks from seventeen UK regional museums to be transported more than ten thousand miles to be seen in six prestigious Chinese Museums, the teams of staff have achieved something seminal. Our thanks goes to the British Council for their help and support in London and Beijing and to the teams of curators again in Britain and China for their hard work in preparing the show for the Chinese public.” Tony Trehy, Director Bury Art Museum
FUTURE EXHIBITIONS
The success of the exhibition, in partnership with The World Art Museum in Beijing, has highlighted the potential for future exhibitions. The exhibition has attracted over 3 million visitors and with extensive Chinese media coverage reached over 90 million viewers.
We have artworks and objects of major significance that tell the story of our unique shared heritage in Greater Manchester and this has proven to have mass International appeal.