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1807: Blake, Slavery and the Radical Mind 30 April – 21 October 2007, room 8
Admission Free

This special display marks the anniversary of the Parliamentary Act abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807. It focuses on William Blake (1757–1827) and the circle of radical writers and artists associated with the publisher Joseph Johnson (1738–1809) in the 1790s and 1800s.

Blake’s poetry and art protest against mental, physical and economic enslavement and have inspired generations of artists, writers and political dissenters. His expression of specific anti-slavery sentiments was deeply rooted in such thinking. Including books, illustrations, prints and paintings from the period, this display evokes the atmosphere of radical debate that helped shape Blake’s thought and which gave impetus to the abolition movement.

1807: Blake, Slavery and the Radical Mind microsite

The Tate Collection: Tracks of Slavery May – December 2007, top of Manton staircase
Admission Free

This series of changing displays from the British Collection starts in May and continues throughout the year. The works to be featured include Joseph Wright of Derby’s Thomas Staniforth of Darnall, Co. York, 1769, Joshua Reynolds’s portraits of Francis and Suzanna Beckford (1756) and William Beechey’s Portrait of Sir Francis Ford's Children Giving a Coin to a Beggar Boy (1793). The information which forms the context for the images on display highlights linkages between the national collection and the events and issues of 1807.

An associated programme includes talks, performances and music for adults, families and young people and for schools.

On the Road to Abolition: Ending the British Slave Trade
A Walk Around Westminster

Devised by the historian Steve Martin, this map illustrates a walk around Westminster, from Trafalgar Square in the north to Tate Britain in the south, highlighting events and individuals involved in the campaign to abolish the slave trade. This map has been jointly produced by the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Parliament, Tate Britain, Westminster City Archives, and Westminster City Council, all of whom are hosting exhibitions and programmes of events linked to the Bicentenary of Abolition of Slavery in Britain.

Download and print a copy of the map (PDF 13MB)

Passages from History. Recent Contemporary Acquisitions 10 November 2007 - 6 April 2008, Level 5
Admission Free

Displays at Tate Modern during the autumn of 2007 include a selection of new acquisitions that are united by their treatment of issues arising from slavery and other forms of oppression. In the context of the 1807 commemoration, the display will include works in which notions of freedom and suppression are central themes. A key work in this respect is Grub for Sharks: A Concession to the Negro Populace 2004, a piece by the American artist Kara Walker originally shown at Tate Liverpool. In common with Walker’s practice, this is a critique of the camouflaging of the slave trade and subsequent histories.

Tate08 Series: Ellen Gallagher 21 April – 28 August 2007

Ellen Gallagher (born 1965) is a leading contemporary painter whose work touches on the politics of representation. Using a variety of media, her richly layered works feature materials such as plasticine, paint, gold leaf and ink. The exhibition at Tate Liverpool will include works from the series of Watery Ecstatic drawings (2001–ongoing) and new works that explore related themes.

Sponsored by Tate08 Partners

Tate08 Series: Ellen Gallagher microsite

1807: The Coast, Trade and Cornish Culture 28 June 2007
£4 adult/£3 conc

This discussion, led by the writer and broadcaster Mike Phillips, looks at the link between Cornish maritime traditions, the triangular slave trade and settlement in the Caribbean, giving an unfamiliar view of the visual history of the St Ives school.

Find out more about this discussion and book tickets 1807 Background