Paintings Unwrapped

An exhibition of paintings drawn from the permanent collections of Brighton & Hove Museums.

Approximately 60 paintings have been specially chosen and are shown in pairs, or groups, to encourage visitors to look closely at the paintings and question the value of art. The groupings of the paintings highlight ways of looking at the works beyond familiar categories. Do critical evaluations and categorisation help the general visitor to appreciate paintings? How do we enjoy art and what to we get from it? Eye To Eye highlights the variety of work in Brighton and Hove Museums' collection. Many of the paintings are usually held in store and are not on permanent display.

The selection on show is based on preliminary work carried out by Norbert Lynton. Professor Lynton was an eminent art historian who organised pioneering shows at the Hayward before becoming Professor of Art at the University of Sussex. He was working on this exhibition at the time of his death in late 2007. 'Eye to Eye' is now curated by Hilary Lane, currently Arts Manager for East Sussex County Council, who has a long history of curating exhibitions - particularly of modern British art - for national organisations such as the Arts Council of England.