Monochrome: Painting In Black And White

Exhibition at the National Gallery, London, 30 October 2017 - 18 February 2018 ;
then at the Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, 21 March - 15 July 2017

Painting "without color" has long held a fascination for artists. Sometimes artists used trompe l'oeil monochromatic effects to represent other media, such as sculpture, prints, or photography; others have consciously limited their palette as a means of re-focusing the viewer's attention, while contemporary artists such as Gerhard Richter and Bridget Riley have often found inspiration in pushing black and white to its limits, and in new directions.

This exhibition catalogue explores how and why artists from the 15th century to the present have chosen to paint in black, white, and shades of grey. It traces the history of this art form, from the symbolism of sacred images in medieval church ritual - epitomized in Netherlandish painting by Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck - to the modern era and the work of artists such as Josef Albers and Ellsworth Kelly.