Books / art history
New book ‘Museum Bums’ celebrates the posterior in art
Bristol-based heritage scholars and art educators Mark Small and Jack Shoulder also describe themselves as queer, feminist and socially conscious writers.
They also the founders of Museum Bums, a project that originated on X (formerly Twitter) where it went viral, and has now produced the book Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art, which had its official launch event at Waterstones in mid-September.
“From an angel slyly copping a feel in a 16th century triptych, to a 25,000-year-old bodacious Venus, to Cezanne’s dreamy booty-ful bathers, this ass-ortment of artistic behinds is both a celebration and study of the bounty of beautiful bums and their everlasting impressions,” they say.
is needed now More than ever
Jack Shoulder and Mark Small – photo: Museum Bums
The pair contend that “a bum can tell us as much about an artwork as a face, if you know what to look for”, and that the representation of our bodies can conjure the full gamut of emotions in the viewer.
That being said, according to Small and Shoulder, the bum is often unfairly overlooked in art.
In order to elevate our appreciation and understanding of the subject, they have hosted late night museum events; most recently at the V&A, in tandem with the Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance exhibition in spring 2023.
Photo: Chronicle Books
Together, they share a passion for amplifying lesser known histories, and encouraging people to see the world through a new lens.
Amongst the 270+ images featured in the book of Museum Bums are one of Luke Jerram’s, and some from the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery collections.
https://twitter.com/museumbums/status/1702584528584192230
Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art by Jack Shoulder and Mark Small (Chronicle Books) is out now. For more information about the project, visit www.museumbums.com.
Main photo: Museum Books/Chronicle Books
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