The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool presents Art in Revolution: Liverpool 1911, on view 24 June – 25 September 2011.

‘Art in Revolution: Liverpool 1911′ is an exploration of a ground-breaking exhibition held in Liverpool in 1911 which displayed international Post-Impressionist artworks alongside local avant-garde artists.

Featuring work by van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin and Signac, ‘Art in Revolution: Liverpool 1911′ looks at the relationship between the pioneering exhibition 100 years ago and Liverpool’s radicalism.

The exhibition also examines the reaction of Liverpool’s artistic and political establishments to the major unrest in the city, which resulted in mass demonstrations and troops on the streets.

Paul Signac lived near Saint-Tropez on the French Mediterranean coast. From 1896 he was the main promoter of the ‘divisionist’ theory and ‘pointillist’ style. This technique attracted criticism from other Post-Impressionists including Gauguin, who particularly disliked the “small dot style”.

In 1911 the Guardian critic thought Signac’s landscape tame compared to that of Herbin. He admitted that it would still look ‘terribly unconventional’ if shown at the Royal Academy.
This picture represents ‘Saint Tropez’, catalogue number 29, in the 1911 Sandon exhibition, lent by the dealers Bernheim Jeune and Co.

Image: Paul Signac, ‘Saint-Tropez, le sentier de douane’, Photographie © Musée de Grenoble

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

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