All posts by Philippa Stephenson

About Philippa Stephenson

I am working at the Laing Art Gallery as a National Gallery Curatorial Trainee. This means that I have spent some time working in London at the National Gallery, followed by a 15 month post at a regional gallery.

In March 2013 I was lucky enough to be partnered with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, working towards my first exhibition which will be held in Summer 2013, at the Laing Art Gallery. ‘Divine Bodies’ will be a celebration of Tyne & Wear’s little-known European Old Master collection, which spans over 500 years, and includes some exceptional and intriguing paintings from across the continent. I have been researching the artworks’ history and background, along with learning about the intricacies involved in staging an exhibition, which includes borrowed works from national art galleries.

I will be posting about my experiences as a new curator, along with news and information about ‘Divine Bodies’.

Framing Icons: Hanging Old Masters

Art   Collections & Objects   Hatton Gallery
Posted by Philippa Stephenson on December 13, 2012     Permalink     Comments (2)

 “He’s slipped on the right”, I tell a patient Ray and Steve. Nimbly, blue-gloved hands raise the picture edge a fraction higher, straightening a two metre, grisaille Christ. It’s a Friday afternoon at the Hatton, and we are hanging ‘Framing Icons’,… Read more

‘The Lamentation’: A Winning Formula

Art   Collections & Objects   Exhibitions   Hatton Gallery
Posted by Philippa Stephenson on October 22, 2012     Permalink     Leave a comment

Sometimes if you find a winning formula, there seems little point in changing it. This could be said for certain painting compositions, some of which have been used by artists for hundreds of years. Michelangelo’s Pieta, for example, was so popular… Read more

Divine Bodies: Old Masters given New Meanings

Art   Collections & Objects   Exhibitions   Hatton Gallery   Laing Art Gallery   Shipley Art Gallery
Posted by Philippa Stephenson on October 2, 2012     Permalink     Comments (2)

   As the leaves turn brown and the nights draw in, summer 2013 may seem a lifetime away. In gallery terms, however, only a couple of exhibitions separate September gloom from summer sunshine. Arranging an exhibition, I am learning, involves… Read more