Un Certain Art Anglais, 1979

Abstract

This retrospective look at the 1979 British Council travelling exhibition to Paris, Un Certain Regard Anglais, considers whether it was an accurate picture of English art practices at the end of the decade. I examine the aims of its English and French curators, and its reception by art critics and audiences. I find that the exhibition raises timely questions about how national characteristics might be reflected in art practice, and how, despite the cultural and societal shifts of the 1970s, omissions on the grounds of colour and gender prevail. With this in mind, my short essay finds that the radical objectives which are often attributed to this period of English art practice were not so widespread as history would have us believe.

Keywords

• British Council
• Richard Cork
• Terence Maloon
• Richard Long
• Glen Onwin
• Alexis Hunter
• Rasheed Arleen
• sculpture
• British Art