Black and White

For two weeks only, Hidden Gallery will be exhibiting a star-studded collection of monochromatic artworks by the biggest names in Modern and Contemporary art. Through original and hand-signed works on paper by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, David Hockney and more, Hidden’s ‘Black and White’ exhibition will celebrate the incredible imagery that artists can achieve by using just two tones.

In the absence of colour, structure and content are brought to the fore. Artists from various schools of thought are drawn to monochrome art for the endless compositional and conceptual possibilities it offers. Minimalist artists such as Sol LeWitt frequently limited their palette in order to explore visual phenomena, in a similar way to Op artists such as Bridget Riley. Tracey Emin and Louise Bourgeois have created raw and emotional black and white artworks to lay bare their autobiographies. Monochrome art lends itself to a completely honest, sometimes brutal means of communication, best demonstrated by masterpieces such as Picasso’s ‘Guernica’. Only through stripping all colour from his painting could the artist express the grim reality of the political climate he was living through.

Hidden’s new exhibition provides an exciting, comprehensive survey of the most important artists of the last century. Highlights include a selection of original prints created by Henry Moore, featuring his famous studies of the human form. Delicate lithographs and etchings by Hockney will also be on display, showing off the artist’s prowess as a printmaker. Hidden is also proud to exhibit two outstanding prints produced by Richard Long, one of the most eminent contemporary artists to have come from Bristol.