MYTHOS

A boutique exhibition of some of the finest prints from the Gallery’s holdings.  Mythos draws out a series of fantastical, dramatic and otherworldly studies from Greek and Roman mythology from the likes of Stefano Della Bella, Annibale Carracci, Jean Le Pautre, Martin de Vos, Master of the Die and Sidney Nolan.

This boutique exhibition brings together a series of works on paper from the permanent collection, which take Greek and Roman mythological narratives as their subject. These classical myths and legends have provided a rich terrain for artists, from the ancient to the postclassical and modern times, to create highly charged and nuanced interpretations of these stories. These allegories, suffused with mythical creatures, gods and heroes, have also retained a popularity and scholarly appeal across the ages. This is important because it fuelled demand for artwork that delved into this material, the subject-matter was locatable in both a real and imaginary space, therefore enabling enough creative freedom for artists to develop their own accounts of these stories. 

Mythos also provides a further insight into the Gallery’s significant holdings of European master prints. The exhibition's thematic allows for audience favourites to be brought out, such as Master of the Die’s Apollo and Marsyas, while provision is also made for more obscure gems to be unearthed, like Francis Engleheart’s Hero and Leander. This collection snap-shot, is as much a testament to a cache of benefactors who sought out these exquisite artworks, as it is indicative of how accessible and distributable this form of practice has and continues to be. 

View the exhibition labels – click here