Albert and the Lion

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Penguins ready to dive underwater, while an elephant trunk steals a bun from a tea trolley, and a couple watch with alarm as their son’s arm is seized by a lion in a cage. This comical scene from the zoo refers to the Lancashire working-class poet Marriott Edgar’s popular monologue ‘The Lion and Albert’ (1930), popularised through his collaboration with an actor and comedian named Stanley Holloway. Published in the book Albert, ‘Arold and Others, Albert’s visit to Blackpool zoo ends up with him being eaten by a lion called Wallace.

Chris Orr started making prints in his twenties, and discovered the power of the multiple to communicate. A medium like etching extended and enhanced his drawing, opening up new possibilities. He conceives his print like book pages, inviting viewers to 'read' his work and uncover hidden subtexts, as well as to look at it.

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

England, Blackpool, Lancashire

Subjects

tyre, fish, elephant, lion, monkey, penguin, skull, bone, boy, man, woman, shorts, zoo

Materials & Techniques

aquatint

Artist

Chris Orr (1943 - )

Title

Albert and the Lion

Portfolio Title

Artists' Choice

Edition

45/48

Date

1987

Medium

Aquatint

Dimensions

height: 30.40 cm, width: 30.40 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the Royal College of Art, November 2007

Inscription

br: Chris Orr / 1987 ; verso bl: 45/48

Provenance

Royal College of Art

GAC number

18161/33