Special Exhibitions
A Thousand Words - curated by Tracy Chevalier
13 September 2008 - 11 January 2009
Tracy Chevalier, photo by Sven Arnstein.
A picture tells a thousand words...
This exhibition is curated by Tracy Chevalier, our writer-in-residence for 2008, and the successful author of best sellers such as Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was inspired by the painting of the same name by Johannes Vermeer.
Tracy has chosen a selection of paintings from York Art Gallery's own collection by concentrating on the idea that paintings depict the middle of a story.
In her historical novels she expands backwards and forwards from works of art to create stories. A Thousand Words encourages visitors to invent and share beginnings and endings to both rarely-seen works and old favourites.
Tracy has jotted down some of her own ideas on the labels next to the pictures and a blackboard-style border runs around the whole gallery so visitors can add their ideas too, using pieces of white chalk provided nearby.
Reading the comments and ideas left by other visitors adds an extra dimension to this engaging and thought-provoking exhibition.
Click here for information about our Short Story Competition, Paint a Picture in 300 Words, closing date 30 September.