The British are coming, the British are coming! Sounds like something from the popular School House Rock cartoon, but its actually the name of an exhibit that has opened on the second floor of the Myers Fine Arts Building at Plattsburgh State University College in the Burke Gallery on February 11, 2006. “It is a twist on the American Revolution and the so-called British Invasion of the 60s — by Beatles Rolling stones Kinks etc,” Mr. David Powell, curator, said.

David Powell, curator, found the prints that are on display in the gallery.

In opening the gallery, Mr. Powell gave a lecture on what this particular display was about. The significance of these pieces in this exhibit is to show how much British art has changed. Before this generation of artist's ideas, the art in Britain was elitist and dull taste of the gentry. Before World War II, most British art was with bright colors of landscapes and homes glorifying Britain . Post World War II , Britain was slower to recover from the war than the United States . The painting coming out of the time immediately after was more subdued with drab colors and disorder.

After the lecture, there was a reception in the Burke Gallery with food and music. Dr. Dann & the Invaders supplied music from Britain during this time period. The band is comprised of three professors on campus and a local musician. A number of professors around campus brought their children along to enjoy the music, food and art. Students majoring in different areas from English to Education also showed up to enjoy the unique art of the British artists showcased on the second floor of Myers. Over 40 pieces are in the gallery and they are numbered and arranged by artist.

Professors from around campus brought their children to enjoy the British music and art.

In the early 1980s a gift of over 1,000
pieces of art — not the exhibit itself — was given to the Plattsburgh State Art Museum , arranged by the Martin S. Ackerman Foundation. This gift was used to raise the appreciation of beauty and art and provide research and development material for exhibits with a societal nature.

The art shown in the British Are Coming gallery is not American culture on British turf and to imply so, David Powell says, would be an insult. This art portrays the freedom from cultural and class distinctions and shows them as key players in the movement towards a Pop and postmodern frame of mind in art.

America looked to Britain for music and fashion. The British artist Richard Hamilton was the first to look at the automotive offerings of Detroit as psychosexual fantasy objects and household objects like toaster ovens and refrigerators as icons of idealized beauty. Hamilton and Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi were among the first to explore the plentiful vision that was shown in American magazine advertising and the promise of science and technology offered by science fiction and fantasy magazines and movies.

“The willingness of this generation of British artists to explore new territory and mine all aspects of contemporary existence for their subject matter reflects a profound change in British art which, prior to their revolutionary theory and work, had reflected the elitism and stultified taste of the gentry,” Powell said in an interview with Edward Brohel, director for the art museum, for the winter 2006 Museum News newsletter.

A majority of the prints in the exhibit are permanent pieces owned by the
Plattsburgh State Art Museum . Powell has given thanks to many people
in their aid in getting this art gallery established such as Edward R. Brohel;
David Driver, who is the preparatory; State University at Albany for loaning
some of the pieces to the gallery; the Student Association and the Plattsburgh
College Foundation Winkel Endowment Fund.

Let us know how you feel about British art?

Burke Gallery
February 11-April 9, 2006
Open Hours: 12:00pm-4:00pm

Click here to see the names of what is in the gallery.