Who were the Rossetti family? That’s a question that Tate Modern answers in their major exhibition open now.
Dante Gabriel, his wife Elizabeth (neé Siddal), and his sister Christina will see their romance and radicalism put in the spotlight in a show that features 150 paintings and drawings as well as photography, design, poetry and more.
This is the first retrospective of Dante Gabriel Rossetti at Tate. And with around 90 of his artworks on show, it is the largest exhibition of his output in twenty years. It’s also be the first full retrospective of Elizabeth Siddal in three decades. Christina and Dante Gabriel’s is interwoven with the artworks through spoken word and beautifully illustrated editions of their writing.
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The Rossettis led a progressive counterculture in Britain in the 19th century. The children of an Italian revolutionary exile, they grew up in London in a scholarly family and they began their artistic careers as teenagers. Known as a provocative nonconformist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti founded the famous Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood who challenged Victorian society by blending past and present to reinvent art. Visitors are able to see works from the Pre-Raphaelite years that demonstrate how the spirit of popular revolution inspired the Rossettis to initiate the first British avant-garde movement.
A real highlight is a full showing of Elizabeth Siddal’s work, including rare surviving watercolours and important drawings. Siddal — who was famously the model for John Everett Millais’s Ophelia before being painted extensively by her husband — began painting in her twenties, before her death at the age of 32. All 30 of the works she produced are on display.
The Rossettis also takes a fresh look at the myths surrounding the unconventional relationships between Dante Gabriel, and Fanny Cornforth and Jane Morris.
Alongside art and poetry, visitors experience how the Rossettis’ trailblazing new lifestyles transformed the domestic interior through contemporary furniture, clothing and design. The exhibition concludes by showing how the Rossettis inspired the next generation and how they continue to influence radical art and culture to this day.
How much are Rossetti exhibition tickets?
This show is a real highlight for fine art lovers, and pre-booking is recommended. Rossetti exhibition tickets cost £22 for adults. Under 12s and Tate members go free.
And if you're a really big Rossetti fan, you can buy The Rossettis exhibition catalogue too. Published by Tate Publishing, it's 240 pages and a fully-illustrated accompaniment to those who want to delve deeper into the show. Get your copy here.*
*maxwell museums is reader-supported. When you buy through this link, we may earn a small commission.
The Rossettis runs at Tate Britain from 6 April to 24 September 2023.