This exhibition explores the life and work of one of the most fascinating Victorian visionaries – Richard Dadd (1817-1886). Exhibition open from 28 May – 2 October 2011.

Works from the Bethlem Art and History Collections Trust, West London Mental Health NHS Trust and private collections are brought together to chart Dadd’s early career, travels to Europe and the Middle East, mental illness and work created while at Bethlem and Broadmoor Hospitals.

Dr. Nicholas Tormans author of Richard Dadd: The Artist and the Asylum published this July states:

“Richard Dadd was one of the great Victorian painters, but spent his career in psychiatric hospitals, or as they were then known, lunatic asylums. An artist of extraordinary imagination from a young age, he was a specialist in fairy subjects before a tour of the Middle East triggered the onset of a mental illness that led him to kill his father. At Bethlem Hospital and then at Broadmoor, Dadd continued to work as an artist, creating haunting images combining bold imaginative leaps with the most delicate of miniaturist’s techniques. His art today presents both a beautiful mystery and a fascinating case study in the history of psychiatry.”

To complement the exhibition, young people with disabilities who attend the Orleans House Gallery’s regular Octagon group have worked with artist Ashley Davies to create a collaborative work inspired by Dadd’s famous fairy paintings. This project has been generously supported by the Double O Charity.

Image: Orleans House Gallery

Free admission Gallery open Tuesdays- Saturdays 1.00-5.30pm, Sundays 2.00-5,30pm

Orleans House Gallery, Riverside, Twickenham, TWE1 3DJ
Tel: 020 8831 6000
Email: artsinfo@richmond.gov.uk
Website: www.richmond.gov.uk/arts

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