The first game of lawn tennis was played in 1859 by Major Harry Gem and his friend, Jean Batista Augurio Perera, on a court at the latter's home, 8 Ampton Road, Edgbaston. This unique show at the Barber – less than half a mile away – is the first ever to explore the subject of tennis in art.
It brings together paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by the game, including Sir John Lavery’s iconic
The Tennis Party and other works by artists as diverse as LS Lowry, Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, EH Shepard (of Winnie the Pooh fame) and David Hockney. The main exhibition will be accompanied by a large display of historic tennis equipment, photographs and memorabilia tracing the origins of the game and the importance of Edgbaston as its birthplace.
There's also an event coming up which maybe of interest:
Drawing from Life in the gallery: Tennis poses
23rd July, 11am – 4pm
Drawing inspiration from the sporting poses captured in prints, paintings and photographs in the exhibition Court on Canvas: Tennis in Art, this course, delivered by Tess Radcliffe (Learning and Access Officer and practicing artist), will show you how to draw the athletic figure in a variety of poses using graphite and conte crayon. For more details on this event contact: t.radcliffe@bham.ac.uk.
Starts: 27 May 2011
Finishes: 18 Sep 2011
Venue: Barber Institute (R14 on campus map)
Contact: info@barber.org.uk