'Hogarthian rave' is one of those phrases you just don't hear enough.
But that's exactly what we're promised in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 26 July — as the National Gallery wraps up its 200th anniversary celebrations with The Triumph of Art, an event that conjures up the image of Tom Rakewell's orgy scene with added glowsticks and bassface.
The free public party is being overseen by well-known artist Jeremy Deller, but what the deuce, you might well ask, is a Hogarthian rave? In Deller's words, it will be "Bruegel [Not Hogarth then?] meets the Simpsons (if we're lucky.)" There's a further clue on the National Gallery's website, which pictures a huge inflatable Beryl Cook-esque nude, which we didn't use as this article's feature image because: Facebook algorithm.
The oversized blow-up doll may or may not star in the 'Bacchanalian procession' that commences at 11am on King Charles Street, then moves along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, where all and sundry are invited to cut a caper, with an afternoon of live music and creative workshops — as well as "opportunities to meet familiar faces from the collection and a big birthday tea party." Perhaps this is where William Hogarth comes in. Or maybe the teapots are actually filled with gin. Time will tell.
The Triumph of Art, Saturday 26 July 2025, 11am-4pm, free
