Grosvenor Square (2002)
This vibrant exhibition brings together over 50 works celebrating the strength of British painting, with some of the best and most influential artists of the last 60 years. 
 
Major 20th-century artists, such as Walter Sickert, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and LS Lowry, are shown alongside contemporary painters including John Keane, Ken Currie, Paula Rego and George Shaw. 
 
Uncompromising and direct, the work of each artist represented retains a strong reference to the real world, ‘the stuff of life’. The artists tackle a diverse range of subjects, referencing the body, relationships, history, politics, war, the urban environment and social issues. 
 
Despite these different references, the works are all united by two things: the harsh realities that have concerned key British artists over the decades, and the simple act of painting. 
 
This exhibition has a special connection to the Walker Art Gallery, home to the John Moores, the UK’s biggest painting prize. Many of the names in the exhibition are connected to the prize as past exhibitors and/or judges. 
 
Exhibition curated by artist Chris Stevens. Organised by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich.