Silent Partners Artist & Mannequin from Function to Fetish

Tue 14 October 2014 to Sun 25 January 2015

Galleries 10, 11, 12 & 13

FreeTue 14 October 2014 to Sun 25 January 2015

Galleries 10, 11, 12 & 13

FreeExhibition late - Fri 28 November | 17:00 to 20:00"A riveting show... superbly curated" Observer"A real crowd puller" Independent on Sunday"First-rate" **** TelegraphSilent Partners is a ground-breaking exhibition devoted to the artist's

mannequin, that uncovers its playful, uncanny - and sometimes disturbing -

history from the Renaissance to the present-day.For centuries, the mannequin, or lay figure, was little more than a studio tool, a piece of equipment as necessary as easel, pigments and brushes. This major new loan exhibition reveals the multiple purposes it serves - from fixing perspective and painting reflections, to being a support for drapery and costume - and shows how it gradually moved centre stage to become the subject of the painting, photograph or film, eventually becoming a work of art in its own right.One of the most wide-ranging and ambitious shows ever hosted at the Museum, the exhibition will feature over 180 paintings, drawings, books and photographs as well as fashion dolls, trade catalogues, a series of extraordinary patent documents and videos. There will be paintings and drawings by Cézanne, Poussin, Gainsborough, Millais, Ford Madox Brown, and Degas as well as photographs by and of Surrealist artists such as Man Ray, Hans Bellmer and Salvador Dali; works by Jake and Dinos Chapman show that, even today, artists continue to be drawn to the creative potential unleashed by our artificial Others.But among the most striking and fascinating exhibits in Silent Partners will

be the mannequins themselves: from beautifully carved 16th century

small-scale figurines to haunting wooden effigies, painted dolls of full

human height and top-of-the range 'stuffed Parisian' lay figures that were

sought after by artists throughout Europe.After its showing in Cambridge, Silent Partners will travel to the Musée Bourdelle, Paris. It will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated book published by Yale University Press in association with Paris Musées.The exhibition also forms part of Curating Cambridge: our city, our stories, our stuff, presented by the University of Cambridge Museums with the Festival of Ideas.Exhibition generously supported by: Henry Moore Foundation, The Monument Trust, The Marlay Group, The Tavolozza Foundation and The Technology Partnership. Exhibition programme generously supported by ttpgroup.Tell us what you think #SILENTPARTNERSTo find out more about the exhibition and to access a variety of film and audio especially created for the show visit www.silentpartners.org.ukView the Silent Partners exhibition and events leafletFor press enquiries and images click here.

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