Your chance to see artworks from our collection at Tate Britain
Your chance to see artworks from our collection at Tate Britain
20 November 2023
Self Portrait II (1983) and Self Portrait IV (1983) by Nancy Willis have been chosen to appear in the exhibition Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990, which is open until April 2024.
Both pieces explore her experience of life with muscular dystrophy, a disability that causes muscle weakness.
Nancy, who uses a wheelchair, said: “In my art I explore my personal experience of life and disability. In telling my own story, I hope to touch on the joys and sorrows we all share.”
“In my art I explore my personal experience of life and disability. In telling my own story, I hope to touch on the joys and sorrows we all share.”
Nancy Willis, artist
Nancy has a personal history with our hospitals and was our first artist-in-residence at Hammersmith Hospital between 1990 and 1992.
During this time, she gave print-making demonstrations to NHS staff and spent weeks on the neonatal unit creating drawings of premature babies. Nancy’s self-portraits have been part of our museum-accredited collection ever since.
“We’re delighted that Nancy’s works have been selected for this exhibition at Tate Britain,” said Joey Mason, our Assistant Curator.
“Her self-portraits are a personal and powerful expression of life with a disability, and it’s wonderful that they will be seen by thousands of visitors in a major arts institution.”
In Women in Revolt! Nancy’s portraits appear alongside artworks by over 100 artists and activists who were working in the UK during a period of significant social and political change. To catch a glimpse of Nancy’s art in person, you can book your tickets here.
Creating a warm and welcoming environment
We manage a museum-accredited collection of over 2,500 artworks - many of which are on display in clinical areas, hallways and waiting rooms across the five hospitals of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Through art, we help to make our hospitals warmer and more welcoming environments for the benefit of patients, visitors and NHS staff.
Alongside our programme of temporary exhibitions, we regularly lend artwork to other institutions. In recent years, works from our collection have also been shown at the Walker Arts Gallery in Liverpool and the Midlands Art Centre in Birmingham.
