Dimbleby marks stepping down as art gallery chairman with exhibition
DAVID Dimbleby is marking the end of his time as chairman of an art gallery by curating an exhibition with his daughter Liza Dimbleby.
The former Question Time presenter, 85, is known for previously fronting the BBC’S General Election and royal coverage, and will hold the Drawing The Unspeakable art show in Eastbourne.
Dimbleby said: “Co-curating this exhibition has been an exhilarating experience. Liza has always been my companion and guide through the world of art.
“For a time, during the Covid lockdown, rather than write to each other, we would exchange drawings by email.
“This was what gave director Joe Hill the idea of asking us to put on this exhibition – drawing taking the place of words.”
The guest curation takes place at Towner Eastbourne in the seaside town from October 2024 to April 2025 shortly after Dimbleby steps down as chairman of the art gallery, an independent charity, in September.
It will show work by prominent artists including painter David Bomberg, sculptor Barbara Hepworth, Madge Gill and caricaturist and printmaker James Gillray, along with drawings from Towner and from other collections such as London’s British Museum, Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Ben Uri Gallery and Museum.
Artists Dennis Creffield, Elisabeth Frink, Eric Ravilious, Denzil Forrester, Emma Talbot, Ansel Krut and Emma Woffenden are also among those with works featured.
Liza Dimbleby said: “Drawing is a way of speaking. The hand-drawn image is able to convey contradictory impulses, which can make drawing more eloquent than words in communicating the most confounding aspects of human experience.”