'I wasn't a particularly gifted pupil at drawing,' MC Escher once said. 'I wasn't bad, but I certainly wasn't exceptional.' In fact it was in graphic artistry that he found his muse. His fondness for perspective, shifting vistas and impossible constructions lent itself to the precise nature of graphics, earning his creations worldwide fame, and poster space on many a student's wall.
For the first time, the custodians of his life's work – the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag – are lending their collection to a UK institution for an exhibition spanning his many, many creations. Organised by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, it's on show at the Dulwich Picture Gallery from today, 14 October. Expect to see woodcuts, lithographs, drawings, watercolours and mezzotints, comprising everything from early works to his most famous pieces.
Learn about the man behind the maddening staircases, lose yourself in his deathly eye and get reacquainted with some of the 20th century's most recognisable art. If you fancy making an evening of it, the gallery are holding an 'Escher meets Inception' night on 30 October with food, drink and a silent cinema.
From the serene to the dream-like to the mind-bendingly surreal, the displays here can leave no one in doubt that Escher was one of the great modern design heroes. And with thousands of works under his belt before his death in 1972, surely one of the most prolific as well.
'I wasn't a particularly gifted pupil at drawing,' MC Escher once said. 'I wasn't bad, but I certainly wasn't exceptional.' Pictured: Belvedere, 1958
Escher’s fondness for perspective, shifting vistas and impossible constructions lent itself to the precise nature of graphics. Pictured: Drop (Dewdrop), 1959
Bond of Union, 1956
Day and Night, 1938
Hand with Reflecting Sphere (Self-Portrait in a Spherical Mirror), 1935
INFORMATION
’The Amazing World of MC Escher’ is on view until 17 January 2016
Images courtesy MC Escher Company and Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands
ADDRESS
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Gallery Road
London, SE21 7AD
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