In museums, contemporary works are habitually deployed asunder from the antiquities that formed their inception. This is not the case with the current exhibition at The British Museum. “Statuephilia” showcases three dimensional works from five leading British contemporaries. The artworks have been thoughtfully placed throughout the museum alongside historic international treasures. This mingling of past and present coerces fans of art history into a realization that our time is as significant as days gone by. Conversely it demonstrates to the hipsters that the art they are infatuated by was not gathered from the ether.
Major works of art from Marc Quinn, Damien Hirst, Noble and Webster, Ron Mueck and Antony Gormley make up this exhibition. All of these artists had spent considerable time in the British Museum during the years that formed what they are today. This is their way of paying tribute to this inspiration.
Statuephilia
4 October 2008 – 25 January 2009
The British Museum
London
