One exhibition, 20 artists, a celebration of some of the greatest figurative artists of the 20th century all in what is set to be one of Tate’s biggest exhibitions of the year. The first room gives us an insight to some of the great artists and life has been captured in its various forms over the decades and sets the show up to be something very exciting. A show that follows a chronological journey through the century. Disappointingly though the exhibition, for me didn’t deliver all that it was hyped to be. The exhibition flowed rooms that explored singular artists and others that explored themes surrounding a couple of artist. After reading the wall panel for Bacon and Giacometti it filled me with excitement until I turned to see that there was one lone Giacometti pitched against some astounding bacon works, and later we see another room with Bacon's works, a jaw dropping triptych, but again set in contrast against another artists singular piece of work. We begin to wonder whilst amongst what are clearly astounding pieces of art that revolutionised figurative painting that it is most definitely not the art that has caused disappointment but the curation of the show, it felt like there was an overall lack of planning and organisation. The works were simply categorised into artists and this left an empty void where the audience could have Begun to compare and contrast differing works, but with the regimental separation this was difficult. Moreover, the show was curated by three women and in 2018, supposedly the year of women, great works were left until the very end of the show, after a completely male centric show, this could have also been a celebration of great female artists in contrast to the great male painters of the time, perhaps this was what was lacking in the curation. Or something more. Lets just not mention the singular Jenny Saville work that was seemingly just thrown in at the end, all a bit last minute.
