Go back in time with art and photographs

Famous artworks from modern artists have gone on show in Malta to mark the British Council’s 75th anniversary on the islands.

Head Of A Girl by Lucian Freud (1982). Photos: Jason Borg

It is the first time many of the artists’ work have been shown in Malta

Curator Paula Rego selected more than 50 drawings, prints and photographs from the British Council’s extensive collection for Thresholds exhibition.

The works are mainly on paper by 20th and 21st century artists and begin with unvarnished drawings of bedroom encounters in Camden Town, North London by the British painter Walter Richard Sickert.

Ms Rego said many of the artworks she selected depicted people who seem to be “on the brink” or threshold of some new experience: adolesence, sexual encounters, growing up or old or falling off a metaphorical cliff.

Visitors to the exhibition, being held at St James Cavalier in Valletta will see nudes by Gwen John and Wyndham Lewis, rare early photographs by Sir Cecil Beaton, scurrilous watercolours by Edward Burra and Lucian Freud’s etchings of young girls.

It is the first time many of the artists have been shown in Malta, such as David Hockney, whose illustrations of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales appear as a counterpoint to Madame Yevonde’s pioneering work with colour photography.

Storytelling is a strong theme, as Ms Rego is known for including narrative elements in her own works. Ms Rego had been nominated for the UK’s Turner Prize in 1995.

Independent curator Richard McPherson said of Ms Rego’s selection: “The whole feeling of the show is that it’s figurative and that there are stories in it, which is very much her thing.

“She also sees things in the works that others might not see – often of a macabre or sinister nature. But also there are a lot of portraits and groups of things that work very happily together.”

The British Council’s art collection, started in the 1930s, now includes more than 8,000 pieces.

Thresholds runs until May 20.

Entrance is free and guided tours are available.