Hogarth and Europe, Exhibition, Tate Britain, London: 3 November 2021-20 March 2022

This is archived material. It is for reference purposes only.

This unique and original exhibition brings together for the first time William Hogarth’s greatest works, alongside those of his peers from all across Europe, including the works of Chardin in Paris, Cornelis Troost in Amsterdam and Francesco Guardi in Venice.

The collection reveals the multiple influences, commentaries and parallels which diffused across borders in the 18th-century, influencing art in a new direction, particularly towards satirical expressions.

William Hogarth became famous for his paintings and prints which captured the new modern experience with liveliness and wit and is celebrated for his satirical and subversive work. However, at the same time, contemporary artists across Europe were also creating dynamic, energetic depictions of and social commentaries on contemporary life, which when combined with Hogarth’s work, provide a vivid picture of 18th-century European society and the opinions of its creators.

 The 18th-century saw dramatic changes in European society and culture. In the Age of Enlightenment, revolutions and the building of Empire brought new opportunities, change and innovation, but as societies gradually became more cosmopolitan, ideas of empire and revolution grew. ‘Hogarth and Europe’ highlights the themes explored within the works of Hogarth and his contemporaries: rich and poor, immoral and self-deluding, the selfish and selfless, which were harnessed into characters for the pictorial stories created by these artists, through which they express their interpretations of their ever-changing society.

This exhibition paints a vivid picture of the new modernity experienced by the 18th-century artists exhibited.

William Hogarth, A Scene from ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ VI 1731. Tate
William Hogarth, A Scene from ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ VI 1731. Tate

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