New digital exhibition illuminating the undiscovered work and stories of influential Twentieth Century artists is launched at the British School at Rome, partner of the Collaboration Labs programme, recently completed, which saw the participation of several NWCDTP funded researchers.

An interdisciplinary team of Early Career and Postgraduate researchers curated an interactive, digital exhibition to showcase an unexplored Fine Arts archive at the British School of Rome. Over the last 120 years, painters, sculptors, engravers and printmakers, architects, archaeologists and scholars have carried out residencies at the British School at Rome, a prestigious research academy supporting the Arts, Humanities and Architecture. 

Until now, the wealth of archival material produced by the artists has remained understudied and inaccessible to the wider public.  

Working together with the British School at Rome, NWCDTP alumna Dr Nia Davies (University of Salford), together with Ksenia Litvinenko (The University of Manchester),  and Dr Peter Buckles (University of Liverpool), have drawn on innovative research, digital and creative writing methods to bring the materials and their history to light.   

It was a productive challenge to work with complex and surprising material and a pleasure to work across disciplines with skilled and knowledgeable partners at the BSR and my collaborating researchers. I’m happy that we were able to explore and conceive of new ways to encounter, research and present to the public this fine arts archive. 

Dr Nia Davis, Manchester Metropolitan University

Designed around the concept of a network, the exhibition explores the complex relationships between individuals, objects, places and themes to showcase the archive, tell its stories and ignite interest among the public through a semi-curated museum-like experience. 

The prints, letters, postcards, photographs, equipment, meeting minutes, drawings, maps, engravings and stories of notable artists such as Winifred Knights and John Skeaping and architects such as Amyas D. Connell and Stephen Rowland Pierce are waiting to be explored in the archive.  

The team reminded us that the BSR’s collections are exciting, relevant and worth celebrating. This has renewed our determination to further research and make available this outstanding resource.

Alessandra Giovenco, BSR Archivist. 

Explore the exhibition here.  

This research project was facilitated by the Collaboration Labs Programme, based at The University of Manchester and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, with further support from the NWCDTP and the NWSSDTP. 

Find out more about the project and research team here.  

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