Born in 1833, Burne-Jones rejected the industrial world of the Victorians, looking instead for inspiration from medieval art, religion, myths and legends.
He made spectacular works depicting Arthurian knights, classical heroes and Biblical angels – working across painting, stained glass, embroidery, jewellery and more. With his friend William Morris he was a pioneer of the arts and crafts movement, which aimed to bring beautiful design to everyone.
This exhibition – his first solo show at Tate since 1933 - charts Burne-Jones’s rise from an outsider with little formal art training to one of the most influential British artists of the late 19th century.
With over 150 objects, it will bring together major works from across his career for the first time in generations. Highlights include some of his best loved works, such as his huge paintings telling the dreamlike fairytale of Sleeping Beauty, wall-filling tapestries and his remarkable drawings.
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Sidonia von Bork 1560 1860 Tate Bequeathed by W. Graham Robertson 1948
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Love among the Ruins 1870-1873 Private Collection
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Desiderium 1873 Tate Presented by Sir Philip Burne-Jones Bt 1910
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Wheel of Fortune 1883 Musée d'Orsay, Paris
p>Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Depths of the Sea 1886 Private Collection
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt
The Golden Stairs (1880)
Tate
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt
King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid (1884)
Tate
