THE ART OF HEALING THE MIND
Psychiatric art 1947 - 2007
Bethlem Royal Hospital, founded in 1247, is the country’s oldest psychiatric hospital. 60 years ago it joined the National Health Service. This exhibition shows examples of the art produced by people who have been treated in those 60 years. Our aim is to help people to understand mental distress, and in doing so remove some of the stigma which is still attached to mental illness. One in seven of us suffer from some form of mental distress. Much of it is curable given patience, understanding and compassion.
The exhibition follows a sequence. You will be led through conventional art by mental health service users, to more abstract images and unconventional use of colour, to art which describes the isolation of the mentally distressed, to powerful images of what mental illness is really about.
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Bryan Charnley suffered from schizophrenia. The painting on the left shows the sense of abandonment and desolation than can accompany mental illness. On the right the painting by Elise Warriner (not her present name) who suffered from anorexia demonstrates the opposite: while the outside profile of the child is calm, inside she seethes with anger and a determination to self-destruct. |
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Bryan Charnley:
Moonlight Maiden |
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Elise Warriner:
The Anger Within |
The exhibition consists of 50 paintings owned by the Trustees of the Bethlem Art and History Collections Trust. The exhibition can be used as either a stand-alone example of psychiatric art but is best used as a backdrop to a fuller educational programme on mental health. A full list with insurance values is available by e-mail.
The exhibition is offered free of hire charge to further the Trustees’ policy of making images of mental illness available to a wider audience. Borrowers are required to arrange packing and transport and nail-to-nail insurance. Associated shop merchandise is available on a sale or return basis. The Trust’s Education and Outreach Officer is available for advice on programmes for schools.
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