Binge drinking orgies, iffy politicians, and banging music. Nope, not Vauxhall on a Friday night — but a major exhibition of the works of 18th century satirist William Hogarth, coming to London this October.
Sir John Soane's Museum in Holborn is already home to Hogarth's original paintings of A Rake's Progress and An Election, which are ingeniously displayed in panelled walls that open out.
From 9 October-5 January these are joined by other works by the great artist, including Marriage A-la-Mode, The Four Times of Day, and the three surviving paintings of The Happy Marriage.
Engraved prints — including The Four Stages of Cruelty, Industry and Idleness and boozy pair Gin Lane and Beer Street — also feature.
This is the first time that all of the paintings and engravings in Hogarth's series have been united — pretty darned exciting.
The artworks, oozing with vignettes of drunken carousel, corrupt political systems, gambling, madness, poverty — and general noise and noisomeness — show the artist's deeply wry take on 'progress'.
The complete collection of series also allows audiences to appreciate how Hogarth's work evolved over the years.
The exhibition is free to view during the museum's usual opening hours — although it will be accompanied by special lectures and lates, which you can buy tickets for online.
Hogarth: Place and Progress, Sir John Soane’s Museum, 9 October 2019 -5 January 2020. Entry is free.
