The Holburne Museum in Bath is currently exhibiting a fascinating artwork in its entrance Hall. The series of panels connects other paintings and is a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London. Consisting of seven rectangular panels of stencilled portraits, it is also a celebration of women. According to the Gallery notes the images of 130 British Women aims to ‘enhance female representation in it’s (The National Portrait Gallery) collection’. 

Jann Haworth created the original work, in collaboration with Liberty Blake, both artists from Salt Lake City. The concept was a reaction to her earlier collaboration with Peter Blake, the album cover for The Beatles, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. It seems ironic to me seeing this work just two weeks after writing about another iconic album cover, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. 

Work in Progress takes its inspiration from Haworth’s observation of the absence of women on the front of Sergeant Pepper’s. This is, of course, misleading as there are women present, such as Mae West, Shirley Temple and Marilyn Monroe, but the image featuring the Beatles is dominated by men.

Haworth’s idea for the creation of the mural is interesting and inclusive. Each individual portrait was produced during a series of workshops where the artists guided contributors in stencilling images using acrylic paints and paper. These images were based on existing depictions of the individual women. A trial workshop was held the National Portrait Gallery and followed by others around the country, including the  Pathways to Wellbeing programme at The Holburne Museum in Bath. Peter Blake assembled and collaged the portraits on to the multiple panels to create the finished mural.

The 130 portraits of women contain a cross section of British political, cultural and science history. It is a rich and eclectic collection and interesting viewing the likes of Elizabeth I, Dawn French, Mary Anning and Floella Benjamin together, with Twiggy and Lady Margaret Beaufort (matriarch of the Tudor dynasty). The full list can be found on the National Portrait Gallery’s web-site. 

The Work in Progress exhibition is at The Holburne Museum in Bath until the 30th April 2024

images from Work in Progress are detail from the authors general view of the exhibition