Silent Partners: Artist & Mannequin from Function to Fetish

#S I L E NTPA R TNE R S

14 October 2014 – 25 January 2015 FREE ADMISSION www.silentpartners.org.uk Exhibition programme generously supported by

For centuries, the mannequin, or lay figure, was little more than a studio tool, a piece of equipment as necessary as easel, pigments and brushes. This major new loan exhibition reveals the multiple purposes it served – from fixing perspective and painting reflections, to being a support for drapery and costume – and shows how it gradually moved centre stage to become the subject of the painting, photograph or film, eventually becoming a work of art in its own right.

One of the most wide-ranging and ambitious shows ever hosted at the Fitzwilliam Museum, the exhibition will feature over 180 paintings, drawings, books and photographs as well as fashion dolls, trade catalogues, a series of extraordinary patent documents and videos.

There will be paintings and drawings by Cézanne, Poussin, Gainsborough, Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Degas as well as photographs by and of Surrealist artists such as Man Ray, Hans Bellmer and Salvador Dalí; works by Jake and Dinos Chapman show that, even today, artists continue to be drawn to the creative potential unleashed by our artificial Others.

After its showing in Cambridge, Silent Partners will travel to the Musée Bourdelle, Paris. It will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated book published by Yale University Press in association with Paris Musées.

The exhibition also forms part of Curating Cambridge: our city, our stories, our stuff, presented by the University of Cambridge Museums with the Festival of Ideas.

Exhibition generously supported by

The Monument Trust Henry Moore Foundation The Marlay Group The Tavolozza Foundation The Technology Partnership Cover: Alan Beeton (1880–1942), Reposing, c.1929 (detail), Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge © Estate of Alan Beeton/The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge Left: Herbert List (1903–1975), Sklavin 1 (Female Slave 1), 1936 (detail), Münchner Stadtmuseum, Sammlung Fotografie, Munich © M. Scheler- Herbert List Estate, Hamburg/Müncher Stadtmuseum, Munich

EVENTS PROGRAMME The exhibition is complemented by a wide-ranging programme of talks, special events and activities

LUNCHTIME TALKS Wednesdays: 13.15 – 14.00 FREE but space limited. Admission is by token, 1 per person, available at the Courtyard Entrance from 12.45 on the day of the talk. Induction loop available.

15 October 13.15 & 14.30

Curator’s introduction to Silent Partners Jane Munro, Keeper of Paintings, Drawings and Prints Gallery 13

12 November

The life of a London lay figure: Charles Roberson, a case study Sally Woodcock, Paintings Conservator Gallery 12

26 November

Modern art and the mannequin, form to fetish Dr Alyce Mahon Senior University Lecturer in the History of Art (20th Century), University of Cambridge Gallery 13

10 December

The fashion mannequin: ‘Artistic creation’?

Anna Marie Kirk, Research Assistant, Paintings, Drawings and Prints Gallery 12

14 January 2015

The mannequin: A cultural disorder?

Dr Rod Mengham, University Reader of Modern English Literature and Curator of Works of Art, Jesus College, Cambridge Gallery 12/Gallery 13 X-ray of lay figure, ‘Child no. 98’, Roberson Archive, Hamilton Kerr Institute © Hamilton Kerr Institute, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

SPECIAL EVENTS Booking essential. For further information and to book tel: 01223 332904 or email: education@fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk unless otherwise stated.

Tuesday 28 October 18.00 – 20.00

Looking at artificial Others: Mannequins with x-ray vision Join Jane Munro, curator of Silent Partners, for an evening featuring presentations on three of the most extraordinary and fascinating mannequins in the exhibition. Conservators, radiologists and curators reveal how makers strove to produce the 'perfected' mannequin to serve the artist's every need. ÂŁ6, drink included

Scene from Metropolis, image courtesy of Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Monday 17 November 18.00 – 21.00 Cambridge Arts Picturehouse

Screening of Metropolis, with live piano accompaniment A special screening of the silent science fiction film Metropolis, with live piano accompaniment. Introduced by Trish Sheil (Cambridgeshire Film Consortium) the screening complements the Museum’s Silent Partners exhibition and will be preceded by a short film montage of work from exhibition writing workshops.

Tickets available one week before screening. To book contact Cambridge Arts Picturehouse on 0871 902 5720 or visit www.picturehouses.co.uk.

Friday 28 November 17.00 – 20.00

Exhibition Late An after hours viewing of Silent Partners. Find out more about screenings of videos and podcasts as well as other offers for this event as they are announced on www.silentpartners.org.uk.

The Museum’s shop and café will also be open late.

Thursday 4 December 18.00 – 20.00

Perfected mannequin: Perfected body?

A roundtable discussion chaired by Steven Connor, Professor of English, University of Cambridge, exploring notions of perfection of the artificial figure – and the human body – from a number of different perspectives. This is one of the central themes in the Fitzwilliam’s Silent Partners exhibition and will be discussed by literary scholars, curators, designers and fashion historians. £6, drink included

Saturday 17 January 14.00 – 15.00 Ages 11+

It's Alive!

Discover how the master automata makers represent life and nature using traditional clockwork and hand‑operated mechanisms.

This hour-long presentation lifts the lid on the incredible secrets passed down through generations of craftsmen, which are largely undocumented. Many of these fascinating methods of replicating life exist only in the antique automata demonstrated this afternoon.

Michael and Maria Start from The House of Automata will pull aside the covers and explain just how it is done using projections and real automata that are rarely seen playing and performing.

At the end, there will be time for questions and the opportunity to closely inspect the automata. £5

Sunday 18 January

Screening of Vivement le Cinéma A rare screening of Jérôme Prieur’s 2011 documentary, revealing the ‘pre-history’ of modern cinema. Discover how pioneers of optical toys and photographic studies influenced early film. Followed by a Q&A with Jérôme Prieur, independent film maker, Paris, and Marta Braun, Professor in the History of Photography and Film, Ryerson University, Toronto. £5. See the events pages of www.silentpartners.org.uk for the final timings, location and how to book.

Sunday 18 January 18.00 Cambridge Arts Picturehouse

Screening of Hugo A special screening of Hugo. This will be preceded by a short animated film by Lizzy Hobbs for the Fitzwilliam’s Silent Partners exhibition, featuring mannequins created by families who attended The Adventures of a Mannequin workshop at the Museum.

Tickets available one week before screening. To book contact Cambridge Arts Picturehouse on 0871 902 5720 or visit www. picturehouses.co.uk.

WORKSHOPS Booking essential. To register your interest please contact 01223 332904 or email education@fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk.

Places will be confirmed on receipt of payment.

Friday 24 October 10.15 – 12.00 Adult workshop

MUSE Discover new ways of working at this artist led adult workshop inspired by the Museum’s Silent Partners exhibition. Delve into the world of artists and mannequins and create your own models on paper using acrylic paint.

Please note: places are limited to 15 and booking opens on 1 October. £10

Saturday 18 October • adult session Sunday 19 October • young person’s session Saturdays 25 October & 1 November Mixed adult & young person’s sessions 14.00 – 16.00

Ideas of perfection Enjoy a tour of the exhibition Silent Partners: Artist and Mannequin from Function to Fetish and use the exhibits as a springboard for writing creative poetry and prose. £25 (£15 concessions and Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum) for the three sessions

Left: Jean-Désiré Leblond (active mid- to late 19th century), Patent for improvements to a life-size artist’s mannequin, 1849. (detail) Archives, Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INPI), Paris

FAMILY EVENTS Family First Saturdays 4 October • The artist’s model 6 December • Puppets and mannequins 14.00 – 16.00 Visit our Fitz Family Welcome Point in the Courtyard and collect drawing materials, activities and trails to use throughout the Museum.

Please note the first Saturday is in advance of the exhibition opening and is in the Museum’s permanent galleries only.

FREE

Saturday 6 December 10.00 – 12.00 or 13.00 – 16.00 Ages 5 + (children must be accompanied by an adult)

The adventures of a mannequin

Wax busts by Pierre Imans, 1910s–20s. Fashion Museum, Bath © Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council

Learn how to bring a mannequin to life using stop-motion.

Animators Elizabeth Hobbs and John Davide will guide you through the process of animating articulated paper puppets silhouetted on a lightbox, creating a beautiful collaborative film which will be shown on the big screen. £10 per 60 minute slot. Booking essential. To register your interest please contact 01223 332904 or email education@fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk.

Places will be confirmed on receipt of payment.

MANNEQUIN PARADE This autumn, find our Silent Partners branded mannequins in different locations across Cambridge City Centre. All the mannequins will be dressed uniquely and a map will be available so you can track them down. Find all the mannequins and jot down their names to be in with the chance of winning our Mannequin Parade competition, with a special prize donated by John Lewis. For dates, and more details, see the map available to download from: www.silentpartners.org.uk/discover

Jean-Eugène-Auguste Atget (1857–1927), Coiffeur, Palais Royal, 1926–7 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

SILENT PARTNERS DIGITAL Online film and audio Access a variety of film and audio especially created for the exhibition from the comfort of your home, including a virtual curator’s tour and a number of short recordings from guest speakers on topics related to the exhibition.

Download for free at www.silentpartners.org.uk

Social media Join in with Silent Partners through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine. Tell us what you think or show us how the mannequin inspires you through the hashtag #SilentPartners We are sharing your responses to the show on:

Opening Hours

Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 – 17.00 Sundays 12.00 – 17.00 CLOSED: Mondays, 24-26 & 31 December and 1 January

How to get here

By Rail

The nearest railway station is Cambridge (approx. 20 mins walk), with taxis and frequent buses to the city centre. Frequent services from London (Kings Cross 50 minutes non-stop), Stansted Airport (30 mins) and the Midlands: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

By Bus

The Uni 4 bus to and from Madingley Road Park & Ride and Addenbrooke’s Hospital stops outside the Museum (Mon–Fri). www.stagecoachbus.com

By Car

The area around the Museum is subject to vehicle restrictions and it is advisable not to travel by car, where possible. Nearest Car Parks: Grand Arcade off Downing Street, or Queen Anne, Gonville Place. Park and Ride information: www.parkandride.net More visitor information about Cambridge www.visitcambridge.org The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street Cambridge CB2 1RB Tel: 01223 332900 Email: fitzmuseum-enquiries@lists.cam.ac.uk www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk www.silentpartners.org.uk