Activity: External talk or presentation › Invited talk
Description
An invited talk for the London/Brighton talks series, Curious Histories, run by Dr Stuart Mitchell.
What role has modern art played in international diplomacy? Can challenging contemporary art be used for global dialogue and debate? For nine decades, the British Council has exhibited British art and craft in over 100 countries as part of its cultural relations mission. Professor Annebella Pollen's talk brings to light some curious histories unearthed in the Council's archives.
For example, why were handcrafted teapots shipped at great risk across the wartime Atlantic? Why were David Hockney prints of naked men refused entry to 1960s Mexico? Why did curators in Iran want to display Damien Hirst’s crucifixion sculpture at the start of the millennium? And why was British folk art at the border of North Korea just as the country tested a hydrogen bomb?