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Class
Tate Britain: Look Again: the National Collection of British Art reimagined for today.
Class is an incisive exploration of the relationship between social class and art by an extraordinarily gifted young writer.
Class is a subject that has shaped the art world in Britain for as long as it has existed. At a moment when galleries and museums are seen to be upholding outdated and damaging class structures and systems, how is it possible to trace and tackle the legacy and impact of class in art throughout history, and today?
Class is a radical reframing of some of our most relevant and respected artworks, recasting the national collection of art in socio-political rather than chronological or art-historical terms, and by doing so, broadening access to art for all. It journeys from the London of Henry James and Hogarth, through Gilbert and George's Swinging Sixties and beyond, past the Young British Artists to a new generation tackling the question of class, and the intersection of social, racial and political inequality.
Class is an incisive exploration of the relationship between social class and art by an extraordinarily gifted young writer.
Class is a subject that has shaped the art world in Britain for as long as it has existed. At a moment when galleries and museums are seen to be upholding outdated and damaging class structures and systems, how is it possible to trace and tackle the legacy and impact of class in art throughout history, and today?
Class is a radical reframing of some of our most relevant and respected artworks, recasting the national collection of art in socio-political rather than chronological or art-historical terms, and by doing so, broadening access to art for all. It journeys from the London of Henry James and Hogarth, through Gilbert and George's Swinging Sixties and beyond, past the Young British Artists to a new generation tackling the question of class, and the intersection of social, racial and political inequality.
48 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2021
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313 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 11, 2022
A very small but powerful book, an essay really, by Nathalie Olah, giving a (Marxist) class interpretation of a brief selection of art works from the Tate Britain collection.
This is a book I wish I had had when at art school. There again, perhaps I would not have been appreciative then.
I heard about the book on a recent Novaramedia podcast, where Olah is interviewed by Eleanor Penny. Highly recommended. Link below.
What Can Art Galleries Teach Us About Class Oppression?
https://novaramedia.com/2022/02/28/wh...
At a time when galleries and museums are caught in the middle of a culture war about representations of history, Nathalie Olah’s short volume Class – recently published as part of the Tate’s Look Again book series – offers a fresh take on the relationship between “great” art and systems of power.
This is a book I wish I had had when at art school. There again, perhaps I would not have been appreciative then.
I heard about the book on a recent Novaramedia podcast, where Olah is interviewed by Eleanor Penny. Highly recommended. Link below.
What Can Art Galleries Teach Us About Class Oppression?
https://novaramedia.com/2022/02/28/wh...
At a time when galleries and museums are caught in the middle of a culture war about representations of history, Nathalie Olah’s short volume Class – recently published as part of the Tate’s Look Again book series – offers a fresh take on the relationship between “great” art and systems of power.
January 5, 2022
Concise and incredibly insightful, Olah explores hundreds of years of art history in a new and radical way — making me very excited to continue reading this series and to see the eventual exhibition(s) that result from Look Again. What an exciting time for the British Art Establishment. Finally.
December 20, 2022
My take away thought being, why are we paid for the set hours we do, rather than the output we produce? Personally this resonates as a 'part time' worker on part time pay, delivering pretty much 100% of the job I did full time!
September 28, 2025
Have you ever wondered about the socioeconomic background behind a XVIII century painting? I for sure had not, until I read this book. This is short, but powerful, and a good starting point to start asking more questions about power structures and class privilege.
October 17, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 3.5 Stars!
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Class is short book written for Tate Britain, in which Nathalie Olah explores the subject of class through a selection of historical British art. Olah writes with such eloquence and is able to describe complex subject matter in very few words. Really enjoyed this and would be keen to read more from the series!
.
Class is short book written for Tate Britain, in which Nathalie Olah explores the subject of class through a selection of historical British art. Olah writes with such eloquence and is able to describe complex subject matter in very few words. Really enjoyed this and would be keen to read more from the series!
January 4, 2022
This is a beautifully concise book. Huge concepts are distilled into a crystalline sentence or two.
Are the Tate trustees sleepwalking? Or is there a conscious shift in the parameters of hegemony? Could the Tate exist without its patrons?
Well, yes, the book is that powerful. Pointed. Incisive.
Ends with great new research about Turner which indicates just how much the British art establishment has been sitting on radical pro working class expression for 200 years; or since its formation.
Get this book. Learn it by heart. Quote it everywhere. Recite it when possible. Discuss it with your grandma.
Are the Tate trustees sleepwalking? Or is there a conscious shift in the parameters of hegemony? Could the Tate exist without its patrons?
Well, yes, the book is that powerful. Pointed. Incisive.
Ends with great new research about Turner which indicates just how much the British art establishment has been sitting on radical pro working class expression for 200 years; or since its formation.
Get this book. Learn it by heart. Quote it everywhere. Recite it when possible. Discuss it with your grandma.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews