The Second Hand
Reworked Art Over Time
AT THE COURTAULD GALLERY FROM THE 18 JUNE UNTIL THE 19 JULY
‘The Second Hand: Reworked Art Over Time’
18 June – 19 July 2015
The Second Hand: Reworked Art Over Time is an exhibition of historical and contemporary works in a variety of media, all of which involve one artist actively engaging with the work of another. In some cases this involves physical reworking of the original object, but in others it can mean altering, completing or challenging another artist’s idea. Curated by the students of the Courtauld’s MA Curating the Art Museum, The Second Hand responds to the Courtauld Gallery’s Summer Showcase Unfinished...Works from the Courtauld Gallery, on show in the adjacent gallery.
Drawing primarily from the Courtauld Gallery and the Arts Council Collection, The Second Hand creates unexpected confrontations and dialogues. For example, a drawing by the Flemish artist Michiel Coxie, acquired and revised by Rubens in 1600, is in dialogue with two works from the One Day You Will No Longer be Loved series (2008, 2010) in which Jake and Dinos Chapman bought and “improved” historical portraits. In addition, Melanie Smith’s Aztec Stadium. Malleable Deed (2010) and Johannes Phokela’s Candle Bathing (1997) confront notions of authorship and ownership of art historical images.
By bringing together a diverse range of artistic voices, The Second Hand raises questions about artists’ intentions and authorship, exploring the various motivations behind this widespread practice.
Now in its 8th year, the MA Curating the Art Museum programme at the Courtauld Institute of Art gives students the unique opportunity to organise an exhibition in the Courtauld Gallery. The Second Hand has been curated by Courtauld postgraduate students in collaboration with the Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre.