The St John's Wood-based Ben Uri Gallery is to receive almost £354,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the celebration of its centenary. The grant will enable the gallery to stage a free anniversary exhibition, Art, Identity and Migration, at the Inigo Rooms at Somerset House in central London showcasing work from artists including David Bomberg, Jacob Epstein, Mark Gertler, Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and Marc Chagall.
Lesser known but historically important artists will also be featured to help tell the stories of social and political upheaval reflecting the Jewish émigré experience over the past century. The exhibition will be augmented by a community engagement programme addressing "identity" issues shared by other migrant groups.
Ben Uri executive chair David Glasser said: "Our heritage is the source and inspiration for our strategy of a large, encompassing Museum of Art, Identity and Migration celebrating the contribution of all immigrant communities to the modern and contemporary cultural landscape of London.
"We are hugely appreciative of the significant support from the HLF in facilitating this important testimony to the scale and depth of contribution that Jewish and other immigrant communities add to the rich cultural mosaic of our country."
