‘Richard Hamilton: The Late Works’
'Bathroom fig 2 II' (2005-6) by Richard Hamilton
Running until 13 January 2013
‘Richard Hamilton: The Late Works’ is the first major Hamilton show since his death in September 2011. Hamilton, known globally as a Pop Art pioneer for his 1956 collage ‘Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?’, was working on the exhibition until he died, creating pieces specially – therefore a lot of the 30 paintings are on show for the first time.
Hamilton chose the paintings himself; most are from the last decade and encapsulate Hamilton’s versality in the second half of his career, showing off favoured themes like desire, female beauty and his 50 year relationship with the art of Marcel Duchamp.
The exhibition concludes with his last unfinished work, ‘Le Chef-d’oeuvre inconnu’– ‘a painting in three parts’, conceived around a short story by 19th century French writer Honoré de Balzac. The three paintings, which also show how Hamilton embraced computer technology in his later years, indicate how the final piece might have looked.
'Le Chef-d’oeuvre inconnu' 2011.
Look out for our review, coming soon.
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‘Richard Hamilton: The Late Works’