Exhibition

Jankel Adler | Philip J. Baird | John Balnaves | Paul Becker | John Bellany | David Bomberg | Louise Bourgeois | Edward Burra | Prunella Clough | Dennis Creffield | Arnold Daghani | Peter Darach | Stephen Darragh | John Davies | Peter de Francia | Ann Dowker | Henry Miller Emary | Tracey Emin | Geraint Ross Evans | Aisha Farr | Laura Footes | Denzil Forrester | Massimo Franco | Eva Frankfurther | Elisabeth Frink | George Fullard | Nikki Gardham | Phelan Gibb | Carole Gibbons | Madge Gill | James Gillray | Margarita Gluzberg | Paul Gopal-Chowdhury | Catherine Goodman | Oona Grimes | George Grosz | Paul Anthony Harford | Marthe Hekimi | Julie Held | Thomas Hennell | Barbara Hepworth | Josef Herman | Roger Hilton | David Hockney | Frances Hodgkins | Ronald Horton | Ghislaine Howard | Chris Shaw Hughes | Timothy Hyman | Andrzej Jackowski | Merlin James | Michael Johnson | William Kentridge | Naiza Khan | Ken Kiff | R. B. Kitaj | Leon Kossoff | Ansel Krut | William Kurelek | Laurence Stephen Lowry | Kathryn Maple | Margarete Marks | Jonathan Martin | Andrea McLean | John Minton | Jacqueline Morreau | Adrian Morris | Robert Morris | Alice Neel | Grace Pailthorpe | Veronika Peat | Cherry Pickles | Eric Ravilious | David Reed | Paula Rego | Daisy Richardson | Lorna Robertson | Graham Sutherland | Emma Talbot | Carolyn Trant | Stephen Turner | Keith Vaughan | Liam Walker | Kara Walker | Ray Ward | Scottie Wilson | Emma Woffenden | Jessica Wolfson | Christopher Wood | Joash Woodrow | Laetitia Yhap

Free Entry for Towner Members (show card on arrival - no need to book in advance)

Tickets are valid for entry anytime from 10.00am on the date selected

This exhibition explores sensitive themes and includes representations of violence and nudity

Drawing the Unspeakable explores the universal language of drawing – a medium that renowned broadcaster David Dimbleby and his daughter, the artist and writer Liza Dimbleby, have long recognised as a powerful tool for expressing the inexpressible. For both father and daughter, drawing transcends the limitations of words, offering a means to convey the most complex ideas and emotions. This exhibition highlights their shared belief in the power of art to communicate experiences that words cannot fully capture.

Featuring 300 works, Drawing the Unspeakable is an in-depth exploration of human experience through art. The exhibition brings together a diverse array of pieces that challenge the boundaries of speech, translating the unspeakable into the visual realm. Through these drawings, artists navigate themes of disaster, war, displacement and destruction, mental and physical illness, loss, grief, birth and family, dreams, memories, and imagination.

This significant exhibition draws on a wealth of important collections, including our own Towner Collection, the British Museum, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Pallant House, and Ben Uri Gallery and Museum. Visitors will encounter works by artists such as David Bomberg, Louise Bourgeois, Edward Burra, Prunella Clough, Elisabeth Frink, Madge Gill, James Gillray, Barbara Hepworth, Roger Hilton, David Hockney, Ken Kiff, Leon Kossoff, L.S. Lowry, Alice Neel, and Paula Rego. These are exhibited alongside contemporary voices in art, including Tracey Emin, Kara Walker, Andrzej Jackowski, Denzil Forrester, Emma Talbot, Ansel Krut, John Davies and Emma Woffenden.

At the heart of this exhibition lies a unique and thoughtful dialogue between David and Liza. This exchange, presented from their distinct perspectives as journalist and artist, as well as father and daughter, provides deep insights into their curatorial choices and reveals the nuanced dynamics of familial relationships. The dialogue will be available in printed form in the gallery. Through their conversation, visitors will gain a greater understanding of the exhibition's themes and the personal significance of the selected artworks.

Drawing the Unspeakable serves as a testament to the enduring power of art to communicate the incommunicable and to the lifelong dialogue between David and Liza – one that transcends words and is rooted in the universal language of drawing.

As a fitting conclusion to his remarkable decade-long tenure as Towner’s Chair, David Dimbleby steps down from his role, leaving behind a legacy defined by vision and passion for the arts. This exhibition, curated with his daughter, reflects his commitment to fostering meaningful artistic experiences and celebrates the profound connections forged through art.

This series of short animated films explores South Africa's political history through the characters Soho Eckstein and Felix Teitlebaum.

Programmed alongside Drawing the Unspeakable and generously loaned by Kentridge Studio.

Free to attend
Screenings will take place between Friday 18 October and Wednesday 27 November. See all dates and times via the booking link below.

List of works:

Johannesburg 2nd Greatest City After Paris (8mins 2s, 1989)
Monument (3mins 11s, 1990)
Mine (5mins 50s, 1990)
Felix in Exile (8mins, 1994)
History of the Main Complaint (5mins 50, 1996)
Tide Table (8mins 50s, 2003)
City Deep (9mins, 2020)

Total runtime: 50mins