27th July 2013 - 3rd November 2013
An exploration of how witches and witchcraft have been depicted by artists over the past 500 years, including works by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco de Goya and William Blake, alongside pieces by 20th century artists such as Paula Rego and Kiki Smith.
The exhibition comprises 16th and 17th century prints and drawings that through the advent of the printing press spread artists' ideas, myths and fears about witches from country to country, successfully embedding these images in our visual culture to the present day. Modern works included in the show challenge how these myths have formed the basis for negative cultural representations of women.
Including major works on loan from the British Museum, the National Gallery (London), Tate, the Victoria & Albert Museum, as well as works from the Galleries’ own collections, Witches & Wicked Bodies will be an investigation of extremes, exploring the highly exaggerated ways in which witches have been represented, from hideous hags to beautiful seductresses.