Dedicated to contemporary artists, Barbara Behan opened its doors in 2003 close to Tate Britain in Pimlico. Subsequently, the gallery has established an international platform for an artistic scene that hitherto had been almost completely absent from galleries in London.
The cosmic chaos of Europe's Informale experiences of the 1950s and movements such as Spazialismo, Arte povera and Movimento Nucleare opened up a new artistic language for the decades to follow. Barbara Behan's space has traced the progression of these languages and given voice to some of the most original, emerging and established artists, to contrast and compare generations and artistic experiences whilst paying homage to the artists' historic, cultural and artistic roots.
The gallery's portfolio emphasizes the younger generation of international artists whose focus on existence itself is explored by re-examining issues such as form, time, light, space, colour and surface, or, as in other instances myth, history, politics and science. Widely divergent and individual, all of the artists share a profound concern with contemporary life and culture whilst not forgetting past cultures and the artistic research from whose observation one can only learn in order to progress.
Painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography, video and installations feature in solo exhibitions or thematic group shows, highlighting a particular research of artistic language and/or a common experience of existence and rapport between the protagonists.
The Victorian townhouse extending over three levels has a unique atmosphere and character that gives historic resonance to contemporary works, representing a unique point of reference for collectors and private and public galleries.
The cosmic chaos of Europe's Informale experiences of the 1950s and movements such as Spazialismo, Arte povera and Movimento Nucleare opened up a new artistic language for the decades to follow. Barbara Behan's space has traced the progression of these languages and given voice to some of the most original, emerging and established artists, to contrast and compare generations and artistic experiences whilst paying homage to the artists' historic, cultural and artistic roots.
The gallery's portfolio emphasizes the younger generation of international artists whose focus on existence itself is explored by re-examining issues such as form, time, light, space, colour and surface, or, as in other instances myth, history, politics and science. Widely divergent and individual, all of the artists share a profound concern with contemporary life and culture whilst not forgetting past cultures and the artistic research from whose observation one can only learn in order to progress.
Painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography, video and installations feature in solo exhibitions or thematic group shows, highlighting a particular research of artistic language and/or a common experience of existence and rapport between the protagonists.
The Victorian townhouse extending over three levels has a unique atmosphere and character that gives historic resonance to contemporary works, representing a unique point of reference for collectors and private and public galleries.
