TO CELEBRATE THE RECENT MAJOR ACQUISITION AT THE STAINED GLASS MUSEUM BY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST KEHINDE WILEY (b.1977) JOIN US FOR TWO FREE #MUSEUMLATES TO SEE THE PANEL
Last month, The Stained Glass Museum was thrilled to announce a new major acquisition by American artist Kehinde Wiley. Wiley (b. 1977) is an established and celebrated visual artist, best known for his portraits that place black men and women in traditional settings of original historical, religious or mythological portraits. Saint Adelaide (2014) is the first stained glass artwork by Kehinde Wiley to enter a public art collection in the world.
To celebrate our new acquisition, the museum is delighted to be hosting two free #MuseumLates in June. #MuseumLates area great opportunity to explore the beautiful Stained Glass Museum and see this fantastic new panel, all after hours!
Tickets for the event are free but must be prebooked via https://stained-glass-museum.arttickets.org.uk/
Saint Adelaide is a striking larger-than-life stained glass portrait of a young black man standing proud within a gothic frame, measuring over 2.5m high and 1m wide. The artwork is a major addition to the Stained Glass Museum’s collection of contemporary stained glass, and has been purchased for the museum’s permanent collection with the help of Art Fund and Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Arts Council England/SHARE Museums East Acquisitions Fund.
Saint Adelaide is one of a series of Wiley’s freestanding stained glass panels depicting contemporary portraits of young black residents of Brooklyn, NY, and one of the first stained glass works to be made to Wiley’s designs by stained glass artisans in the Czech Republic. These contemporary stained glass panels mimic the form, pose, positioning and framing of carefully-selected historic stained glass windows, placing contemporary portraits of black men in the place of traditional saints.
The museum has been delighted by the response to the panel from visitors so far free evening events are a chance to visit the museum and see the panel in person. Additionally, Director and Curator of the Museum will be on hand to answer any questions.
Director and Curator of the Museum Jasmine Allen, added, “We’re excited to open the museum for two special #MuseumLates this month. In a simple but powerful way Wiley’s art addresses the representation of young black men in contemporary culture and challenges the conventions of western art. ‘Saint Adelaide’ is also the museum’s first acquisition by a known queer black artist. As cultural institutions in the UK are rightly beginning to confront our colonial past and its legacy today, this acquisition enables us to explore and question attitudes towards race, gender and religion in stained glass. I hope our visitors agree that it is a positive and powerful artwork.”
As only a handful of Wiley’s artworks can be seen in the UK, and ahead of The National Gallery’s exhibition of Wiley’s works in autumn 2021, this is a great opportunity to see such a fantastic piece of work locally.
#MuseumLates take place on Monday 21st June & Monday 28th June. Tickets, which must be pre-booked, are available from 4-5pm & from 6:30-7:30pm to allow for Evensong to take place in Ely Cathedral.