Living with art: Picasso to Celmins

Spanning almost one hundred years of modern art, this exhibition showcases highlights from the wide-ranging collection of Alexander Walker (1930–2003), longstanding film critic for London’s Evening Standard newspaper and prolific collector of art.

Walker bought works of art for pleasure rather than financial gain and generously left his collection of over 200 works on paper to the British Museum when he died.

The exhibition features 30 prints and drawings by artists including Henri Matisse, Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley, David Hockney and Vija Celmins. Walker’s interest in artists’ working methods and experimentation can be seen in transitional pieces that show them developing a new style or technique, such as Pablo Picasso’s path to Cubism. Through Walker’s tastes, from the figurative to the abstract, the exhibition also considers what motivates collectors to surround themselves with art.

Generously supported by the Dorset Foundation.