This conversation between writers Olivia Laing and Musa Mayer is a rare opportunity to hear about the life and work of artist Philip Guston. This event will also seek to explore the artist's relationship to writing and poetry, and how its influences can be found in his work.
Philip Guston is the first major retrospective on the artist in the UK in nearly 20 years. Guston was a complex artist who took inspiration from the nightmarish world around him to create new and surprising imagery. The exhibition explores how his paintings bridged the personal and the political, the abstract and the figurative, the humorous and the tragic.
Olivia Laing
Olivia Laing is a widely acclaimed writer and critic. She’s the author of six books, including The Lonely City (2016), Funny Weather (2020) and Everybody (2021). She’s a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2018 was awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. Her books have been translated into twenty-two languages.
Musa Mayer
Musa Mayer is the President of The Guston Foundation, which she founded in 2013 to share the work and further the legacy of her father, painter Philip Guston (1913–1980). Originally trained as a mental health counsellor, Mayer became recognized as an advocate for patients with metastatic breast cancer. While she was a student at Columbia University pursuing an MFA in writing, she published her first book, Night Studio: A Memoir of Philip Guston (1988). In addition to curating exhibitions, she has authored several more books and catalogues on Guston in recent years.
This talk includes British Sign Language interpretation.
Accessibility at Tate Modern
All Tate Modern entrances are step-free. You can enter via the Turbine Hall and into the Natalie Bell Building on Holland Street, or into the Blavatnik Building on Sumner Street.
There are lifts to every floor of the Blavatnik and Natalie Bell buildings. Alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Fully accessible toilets are located on every floor on the concourses.
- A quiet room is available to use in the Natalie Bell Building on Level 4.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the Ticket desks.
To help plan your visit to Tate Modern, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.
For more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 09.45–18.00)
