<em>The Three Polar Stars</em>, Roald Amundsen (1872 - 1928), Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874 - 1922) and Robert Edwin Peary (1856 - 1920), <em>The National Geographic Society's Gold Medal</em>, 16 January 1913, Philadelphia | Photo: William H. Rau | C
At the Royal Geographic Society, the Adventure of the Endurance in Digital
Location: Royal Geographic Society
Adresse: 1 Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AR
On August 9, 1914, British explorer Ernest Shackleton sets off from Plymouth towards the Antarctic along with six men. Their goal? A land crossing of the frozen continent. But something goes wrong - just 80 miles from their goal, the ship Endurance remains stuck among the ice of the Weddel Sea. For a year, it is tossed about in the currents, then it sinks. On three life-boats, Shackleton’s men fight for their lives in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, rationing out their meagre food supplies and resisting temperatures as low as -22 to -45 degrees centigrade. Reaching any inhabited land proves to be an arduous task - after months, the group disembarks on Elephant Island, part of the South Shetland Islands, then Shackleton leaves to search for a whaling base located on South Georgia Island off the Argentinian coast. He is equipped only with a sextant and a chronometer but he succeeds in reaching his destination and returns to save all his men. The incredible story of the Endurance was documented by photographer Frank Hurley, who was able to save his photos despite the extreme conditions. The Royal Geographic Society has recently digitalised them. Along with other surviving objects, prints measuring more than two-metres squared, today, represent a monumental witness to this legendary expedition.
Lucian Freud is one of the most famous British artists of the 20th century. Known as a painter, Freud was also a keen printmaker. A collection of 143 etchings by Lucian Freud was acquired by the V&A in 2019. Today for the first time in this exhibition 38 of these etchings are presented to the public.
Featuring over 100 artists, the exhibition will celebrate well-known names such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Angelica Kauffman, Julia Margaret Cameron and Gwen John, alongside many others who are only now being rediscovered.
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Shonibare's new works focus on the themes of migration and the conflicts that cause it, and opens a conversation on the role of public sculptures and their meaning in our cities.