The Great Bear
Print
1992 (printed and published)
1992 (printed and published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In this witty double-take image, lithography is used not for its specific textural qualities as an original graphic medium but because it is an integral part of an object that the artist appropriated wholesale for his statement about perception and communication.
The unique design of the 1933 London Transport Underground Map made it an icon of 20th-century life for all those who had even the slightest familiarity with the British capital. Simon Patterson reproduced it faithfully, in its typography, composition and steel frame, replacing only the names of the stations with the names of famous (for whatever reason) men and women. The relationships between them, set up by their positions in line and the lines they appear in, seem sometimes to follow set patterns (a sequence of film stars or a sequence of saints, for example) but then the pattern is broken and we are presented with new, if unlikely, connections.As the title suggests, the map has been wittily reinvented as a constellation of 'stars' in the galaxy of fame.
The unique design of the 1933 London Transport Underground Map made it an icon of 20th-century life for all those who had even the slightest familiarity with the British capital. Simon Patterson reproduced it faithfully, in its typography, composition and steel frame, replacing only the names of the stations with the names of famous (for whatever reason) men and women. The relationships between them, set up by their positions in line and the lines they appear in, seem sometimes to follow set patterns (a sequence of film stars or a sequence of saints, for example) but then the pattern is broken and we are presented with new, if unlikely, connections.As the title suggests, the map has been wittily reinvented as a constellation of 'stars' in the galaxy of fame.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Great Bear (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph on paper, framed |
| Brief description | Print by Simon Patterson, 'The Great Bear', lithograph, London, 1992 |
| Physical description | Landscape format print in colours. Almost identical to the route maps provided by London Transport, save for the place names, which in 'The Great Bear' are the names of famous people. The frame is also identical to that provided by London Transport. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Copy number | 15/50 |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | This print replicates the iconic London Underground map in type, layout and even the steel frame as used in stations, but the station names have been replaced by the names of well-known people from various spheres of activity. As the title suggests, the map has been wittily reinvented as a constellation of 'stars' in the galaxy of fame.(2007) |
| Production | Reason For Production: Retail The frame is identical to those used by London Transport to display their route maps and maufactured by the same company; it is an integral part of the object. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | In this witty double-take image, lithography is used not for its specific textural qualities as an original graphic medium but because it is an integral part of an object that the artist appropriated wholesale for his statement about perception and communication. The unique design of the 1933 London Transport Underground Map made it an icon of 20th-century life for all those who had even the slightest familiarity with the British capital. Simon Patterson reproduced it faithfully, in its typography, composition and steel frame, replacing only the names of the stations with the names of famous (for whatever reason) men and women. The relationships between them, set up by their positions in line and the lines they appear in, seem sometimes to follow set patterns (a sequence of film stars or a sequence of saints, for example) but then the pattern is broken and we are presented with new, if unlikely, connections.As the title suggests, the map has been wittily reinvented as a constellation of 'stars' in the galaxy of fame. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1992 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1842-1992 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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