The extraordinary diverse work of Ana Maria Pacheco will be brought to The Herbert in Coventry this month.(October)

The Brazilian-born artist’s work ranges from paintings to sculptures to prints which focus on a wide mix of cultural images.

The Ana Maria Pacheco: Prints from the Hayward Touring Exhibition will be on display in temporary gallery 4 at The Herbert in Jordan Well in the city centre from Saturday, October 25, to January 4.

There will be five sets of prints on show which chronicle a particular time in Brazilian folklore, classical myths, Catholic rituals and medieval satire.

Sculptures, oil paintings and engravings will also be loaned from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Dominic Bubb, exhibitions officer at The Herbert, said this would be the first exhibition to be held in temporary gallery 4 following the completion of the £20 million refurbishment and extension.

“Ana Maria is renowned for her specific type of work which resulted in her being appointed an associate artist at the National Gallery in London between 1997 and 1999,” he said.

“She has gained most recognition for her groups of sculptures which are carved from wood and need to be seen to be fully appreciated for their intricate detail.

“This is the first time Ana’s work will have been on display at The Herbert and she uses a variety of techniques in her print work such as etching, woodcut, dry point, lithography and screen-print to give each image maximum effect.

“She gains a great deal of her inspiration from folk legends and myths as well as drawing on her personal experiences from growing up in Brazil.

“There are a lot of universal themes in her work and images that people will instantly recognise.

“Ana creates evocative pieces that go back to myths as well as including modern-day images such as helicopters.

“Ana has a very loyal following among art lovers and this is part of our aim to bring a wide variety of art styles to The Herbert in the extra gallery space we now have.”

PICTURE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Herbert redevelopment project is jointly funded by Coventry City Council,  the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),  the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Renaissance West Midlands, the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Wolfson Foundation Fund, Advantage West Midlands and English Heritage.

For over 35 years, the Hayward Gallery has a played a key role in creating imaginative, high profile exhibitions in London and, through National Touring Exhibitions, within the UK. Both NTE and the Arts Council Collection are managed by the Hayward Gallery on behalf of Arts Council England, and add to the Hayward’s distinctive national remit.

The Hayward is a constituent part of the Southbank Centre, which is also responsible for the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, the Saison Poetry Library, the Hungerford car park and Jubilee Gardens.  Each year The Hayward presents up to six major art exhibitions as well as Hayward Touring exhibitions in more than 100 venues around the country. Southbank Centre also stages nearly 1,000 ticketed performances of music, dance and literature and more than 300 free foyer events. It annually attracts more than three million visitors.
                                               
The tour continues:
10 January – 8 February 2009, Bedford School
14 February – 15 March, Melton Mowbray Library

For public enquiries about National Touring Exhibitions contact 020 7921 0837.

Media enquiries:

Michelle Wilson
Advent Communications
2 Edison Building
Electric Wharf
Sandy Lane
Coventry  CV1 4JA

Tel: 024 7663 3636
http://www.advent-communications.co.uk