Exhibitions2015Self: Image and Identity: Self-Portraiture from Van Dyck to Louise Bourgeois

In this extraordinary exhibition, Turner Contemporary became a frame through which self-portraiture was re-evaluated in the 21st century, sparking conversations on history, celebrity, collecting, gender, mortality and contemporary approaches. In more than 100 artist self-portraits from the 16th century to the present day, from Sir Anthony van Dyck and JMW Turner to more recent works by Louise Bourgeois and Gavin Turk, this exhibition explored the diverse ways in which artists have chosen to represent their identities.

These contemporary works look at modern-day phenomena such as social media and the digital ‘selfie’ and include Jason Evans’s new commission Sound System Self-Portrait, joining work by Louise Bourgeois; John Constable; Tracey Emin; Lucian Freud; Damien Hirst; David Hockney; Angelica Kauffmann, Sarah Lucas, JMW Turner and Gillian Wearing. The works in Self remind us that the self-portrait has remained a potent form of expression for artists since Van Dyck first painted his likeness in a mirror.