The Bethlem Gallery Art Collection

Graham Clarke</a>, artist, author, illustrator and humorist, is one of Britain's most popular and best-selling printmakers. He has created some five hundred images inspired by his love of rural life, history, the sea and his travels.</p><p>Born in 1941, Clarke's upbringing in the austerity of war-time and post-war Britain, made him reliant on his own imaginative resources. Responding to the comedy of everyday life, he brings his own unique brand of humour to his interpretation of the past and present through the eyes of the common man.&nbsp;</p><p>His work is now held by many collections and museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Tate Gallery, New York Public Library and the Hiroshima Peace Museum; but what pleases him most is that it is enjoyed in homes all over the world. The most frequent comment being, 'We've had this on our wall for years and we still keep finding something new to enjoy'</p><p><br></p>" />

contemporary artist Glenn Ligon</a> in our landmark exhibition bringing together works by the artist alongside his unique interventions in our galleries.</p><p>Widely regarded as one of the leading contemporary artists working today, Ligon is best known for his text-based paintings which include the words of writers such as James Baldwin, Gertrude Stein and Zora Neale Hurston. Through these artworks, he explores the social, cultural and political constructions of race.</p><p>Alongside Ligon’s original paintings, sculptures and prints, All Over The Place presents a series of site-specific interventions curated by the artist throughout the Museum aimed at peeling back the layers of history and meaning to reveal a new perspective on our collection.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p>" />

artist Shen Wei</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Exploring notions of identity, gender, form and desire reflect a seductive practice that Shen Wei describes as "finding the spiritual and abstract similarities between our bodies and nature and emphasising the harmony, fragility, and interconnectedness of both."&nbsp; Working in photography as well as painting, Wei's work generates an abstracted sensation of place and an inner delicate stillness.</p><p><br></p>" />