Foundling Museum – Mat Collishaw, Tracey Emin, Paula Rego

January 27 – May 29 2010

Rating: 4 out of 5

http://www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk/exhibit_temp.php

This gem of a museum is set in a beautiful house with some excellent works in its permanent collection. Starting its life as a charity to take in abandoned children in the 18th century, since the very early days, it also acted as a gallery with artists donating their work to the good cause. Spread over four floors, Britain’s first public art gallery mixes its permanent and temporary exhibitions throughout, including the facade of the building.

On the ground floor, the small committee room has some lovely paintings, including a beautiful large work by William Hogarth. The impressive staircase is lined with fantastic portraits, including my personal favourite, The Pinch of Poverty by Thomas Benjamin Kennington. And then, there is the fantastic court room on the first floor with several gorgeous paintings and a stunning ceiling.

The temporary exhibition has some big hitter names, showing work that specifically relates to the history and purpose of the Foundling Museum. Tracey Emin’s work is typically mixed, including light sculpture, bronze work, and sketches, but mostly uninteresting. In contrast, Mat Collishaw’s work is fantastic. Equally as relevant to the building but much more absorbing, his photograph on the first floor is stunning. Paula Rego’s work, with the fantastic Oratorio on the first floor landing is reminiscent of marionettes. The lower floor is the only place in the museum where white walls present the work of all three temporary exhibiting artists. In this room, Collishaw’s work is quite interesting, Emin’s is basic, and Rego’s is thoughtful and absorbing.