Albion

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

In 'Albion', Chris Orr presents an alternative topography of Britain: a mass of figures, landmarks, animals and types of transport collide and overlap within the clearly demarcated outline of the nation. ‘Albion’ is an ancient alternative lyrical name for England, which artists and writers have long referenced in their work. One famous example is William Blake, the 18th-century British visionary artist and poet, whose work continues to inspire Orr’s own practice of printmaking. Blake’s 1793 illustrated album 'Visions of The Daughters of Albion' presents allegorical episodes in the lives of inhabitants of Albion, the mythical land comprised of invented fictional characters.

Born in London, Chris Orr studied at Ravensbourne College of Art, Hornsey, and the Royal College of Art (RCA). He later taught at the RCA and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford. In 1971, he held his first solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery and has exhibited regularly at the Thumb Gallery, London. In 1998, Orr was appointed Professor of Printmaking at the RCA, a position he held for ten years. He was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to printmaking.

Places

Scotland, England, Wales

Subjects

canoe, rowing boat, trough, pram, horseback, caravan, bus, scooter, exhaust pipe, car, lorry/truck, railway, train, aeroplane, helicopter, crane, windsock, davy lamp, miner, accordion, banjo, guitar, drum (as subject), harp, musician, easel, artist (as Subject), magazine, juggler, dance, bathing, sunbathing, smoking pipe, drinking, rest/sleep, television, diving, football, shooting, boxing, topography, satire, rabbit, cow, horse, rat, cat, goat, pig, mouse, bird, budgerigar, chicken, insect, ant, snail, frog, breast, elderly woman, boy, baby, man, woman, girl, nude, elderly man, apron, spectacles, umbrella, walking stick, briefcase, butcher, laundry, cooking, dining/eating, gramophone, lamp, washing machine, radio, bath (bathtub), sex, kissing, fork, wine glass (as Subject), teapot, gravestone, police officer, judge, operation, wheelchair, doctor, fighting, sword, bridge (rural), car park, bin, urinal, post box, lamp post, factory, house, mosque, tent/marquee, bell tower, spire, minaret, tower, bench, cabinet, sofa, bed, chair, lightship, oar

Materials & Techniques

etching, coloured etching

Artist

Chris Orr (1943 - )

Title

Albion

Edition

11/30

Date

1994

Medium

Coloured etching

Dimensions

height: 83.50 cm, width: 66.80 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the artist, December 1998

Inscription

bl: 11/30 ; bc: 'Albion' ; br: Chris Orr 1994

Provenance

Royal College of Art

GAC number

17363