The exhibition begins in the midst of the craze for ruins that overtook artists, writers and architects in the eighteenth century.
It explores ruination through both the slow picturesque decay and abrupt apocalypse. John Martin’s The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum 1822 recreates historical disaster, while Gustave Doré’s engraving The New Zealander 1872 shows a ruined London. The cracked dome of St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance was a scene partly realised during the Blitz.
Where: Tate Britain, Milbank, SW1P 4RG
When: Until May 18
Ticket prices vary. Click here for more details
Image credits: Louise Wilson, Jane Wilson Azeville 2006 © Jane and Louise Wilson, courtesy 303 Gallery, New York
