New York life portraits to be displayed in London

Thursday, February 14, 2013
1:09 PM

Dozens of early 20th century paintings from New York will be shown at a new exhibition in London.

The display will be the first retrospective of works by the American realist painter to be held in the UK. Picture: Royal Academy of Arts/PA Wire

The works, by American painter George Bellows, include scenes of city life including prize fighters exchanging blows and children swimming in the city’s polluted East River.

The exhibition opens at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly on March 16. It will be the first time they are shown in the capital.

It includes more than 70 works including 39 paintings and a series of lithographs depicting atrocities in Belgium during the First World War.

Ann Dumas, curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, said: “This is the first time that an exhibition of Bellows’ work has been held in the UK and the Royal Academy is privileged to be able to offer its audience the chance to learn more about this powerful and compelling artist.”

'Men of the Docks', 1912. Picture: Royal Academy of Arts/PA Wire

The exhibition, formally called George Bellows (1882-1925): Modern American Life, runs until June 9.