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The Lindisfarne Gospels 17 September – 3 December 2022

The Laing Art Gallery’s landmark exhibition for 2022 - The Lindisfarne Gospels - will celebrate the most spectacular surviving manuscript from early medieval Britain and feature new work by Turner-Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller, who is also acting as an artistic advisor for the show.

This will be the first time the venerated book, on loan from the British Library, has been displayed in the city since 2000. The exhibition will investigate the meaning of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the world today and explore its relationship with themes of personal, regional, and national identity. Ambitious in scale the show will take place across three galleries.

Jeremy Deller's new film commission will explore the fantastic journey of the Lindisfarne Gospels from London to Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition will begin with an immersive digital experience, where visitors will journey back to Lindisfarne during the 8th century. Though remote, the island was perfectly situated on early medieval sea-borne trade routes and enjoyed imports of new ideas, art, cultures and objects. An innovative visual and sensory experience, this new digital interpretation will flow over the gallery walls reflecting the manuscript’s story, its beauty and multicultural influences in an awe-inspiring way.

The second gallery will showcase the Gospels themselves and this display will see early medieval treasures brought together from across Britain, in an exploration of belief and spirituality around the time of the 8th century. This was a period of great change, as Britain slowly transitioned from Paganism to Christianity, and surviving material is extremely rare. Over 20 remarkable objects will be on display, each reflecting the meaning people attached to books, objects and art.

Exhibits will range in scale from small tokens of devotion, including stunning gold jewellery, to fragments of monumental carved stone crosses, which stood up to twenty feet high and marked gathering places for worship. They will represent both personal and collective religious experience in the 8th century, and how sacred objects brought people closer to their relatively new faith. Key loans include grave goods from some of the earliest converts to Christianity, and material from the Staffordshire Hoard.

At the heart of the exhibition, the Lindisfarne Gospels will be shown alongside other illuminated manuscripts, including another significant loan from the British Library – the St Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest intact European book. With their painstakingly elaborate decoration and symbolism, these masterpieces of craftsmanship were a tremendous show of devotion.

The Lindisfarne Gospels will be open at the Gospel of St John, ff. 210v-211. The cross-carpet page and major initial introducing the Gospel of St John are the last major decoration in the manuscript and demonstrate all the different elements of its creator’s decorative vocabulary within a single final tour de force.

In the third gallery, visitors will see how art and spirituality have developed in the centuries since the Lindisfarne Gospels were created. A number of paintings, drawings and photographs will be on loan to the exhibition, reflecting how artists throughout history have represented the spiritual state of their time. They will include Old Master religious works, the Romantic painters who sought spiritual experience through nature, and contemporary artists exploring the deeper questions of life.

Combining works from across different faiths, as well as outside of formal religion, the exhibition will explore themes of spirituality, connection and identity in a way that is relevant to today’s world. A highlight of the exhibition will be a new film commission by Turner-Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller, which will explore the fantastic journey of the Lindisfarne Gospels from London to Newcastle upon Tyne.

Julie Milne, Chief Curator of Art Galleries, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said: "We are very excited that we will be hosting The Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the world’s greatest treasures, and such an important part of our region’s history and heritage. It’s a privilege to be able to exhibit them and build an exhibition around them and we’re absolutely delighted to be working with Jeremy Deller and having his artistic input to help shape the exhibition experience.

We are very happy to have the new Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery as our Headline Sponsor as there is an obvious synergy with us both highlighting the rich history of Northumberland during the Anglo-Saxon period.

We’re anticipating that this will be a very popular exhibition, so I’d urge people to book their tickets as soon as possible.

Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with our partners across the North East of England to display the Lindisfarne Gospels in Newcastle. The manuscript includes the earliest surviving example of the Gospels in English and is one of the great national and indeed international treasures in our care, renowned for the intricacy and beauty of its decoration. We are thrilled to be working with the Laing Art Gallery and the Newcastle City Library again to share the Library’s collections, which are for everyone, to captivate and inspire audiences young and old.

The Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition is sponsored by Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery, which will open in Wooler in February 2023 and bring to life the hidden history of the 7th Century Anglo Saxon royal summer palace of the Northumbrian Kings and Queens discovered at Yeavering only four miles away – one of the 20th century’s most remarkable archaeological finds.

Dr Chris Ferguson, Director of Experience at Ad Gefrin, commented, “We are delighted to be the headline sponsor of the Lindisfarne Gospels Exhibition at the Laing. The partnership with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums comes at a perfect moment to jointly celebrate our very special heritage. We can’t wait to see the exhibition - it will be an exciting curtain-raiser for our own permanent visitor experience that opens in the spring. Together we can be a really powerful voice and advocate for the richness of the culture, creativity and artistry that embodied the Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria and its relevance to today.

Metro Mayor for the North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, said: "You don't have to be a history buff or art lover to feel moved by this magnificent manuscript coming home to the North East. This is about much more than showcasing spectacular artefacts. It's about bringing people together, to share and champion our region's history. I'm glad we could support this exhibition – I'm looking forward to seeing it!"

The Laing Art Gallery is also grateful for support from The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Barbour Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Headley Trust and sponsors, Fergusons, Tyne and Wear Metro, and the Royal Grammar School Newcastle (RGS).

Tickets are available to book via www.laingartgallery.org.uk

Inspired by Lindisfarne Gospels 2022

A year-long series of cultural events inspired by the display of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the North East in autumn 2022, will take place in towns and cities across the region. It got underway in January and will peak in autumn with the opening of new visitor attraction Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery and the focal exhibition of the Gospels at the Laing Art Gallery. From Hartlepool to Hexham, Berwick-upon-Tweed to Bishop Auckland, multiple venues and locations will invite visitors to explore, experience and enjoy a wealth of events, all drawing inspiration from different aspects of the 1300-year-old manuscript.

To find out more visit www.lindisfarnegospels2022.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @LaingArtGallery and ‘Laing Art Gallery’ on Facebook.

Image: Mock installation - The Lindisfarne Gospels - Courtesy of Novak

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