William Blake's Universe attracted a great deal of attention in the media and from visitors when it opened at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Those who may have missed that exhibition will now have the opportunity to see the display at the Hamburger Kunsthalle:
In the summer of 2024, the Hamburger Kunsthalle will present the astonishing oeuvre of the English draughtsman and graphic artist William Blake (1757-1827), produced in the years around 1800 against the backdrop of revolution and war in Europe, slavery in the European colonies, and oppression in his native Great Britain. Blake’s works express his critique of his world while at the same time conjuring a vision of universal redemption. Both his mystical imagery and grim literary works continue to be emulated even in today’s pop culture. However, his work is still little known outside of England. This exhibition will be the first public showing of the entire Blake collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge together with the bequest of the well-known Blake collector Geoffrey Keynes. Even though he never left Great Britain, Blake was evidently a genuine European, a quality that comes to light by juxtaposing his works with those of selected European contemporaries, making for a show comprising some 120 exhibits.
William Blake's Universe is curated by Dr. Andreas Stolzenburg (Hamburger Kunsthale) in coolaboartion with Prof. David Bindman (London), and Dr. Esther Chadwick (Courtauld Institute of Art, London). It is supported by Hubertus-Wald-Stiftung, Freunde der Kunsthalle e.V., Philipp Otto Runge Stiftung, Wolfgang Ratjen Stiftung und Tavalozza Foundation.
The exhibition will run from 14 June to 8 September, 2024, at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg.