Birkbeck, University of London is delighted to launch Mr A moves in mysterious ways, an exhibition coming to the Peltz Gallery from 15 May, displaying works from the Adamson Collection. The Adamson Collection is one of the world’s largest collections of artworks made by psychiatric patients. It consists of approximately 6,000 paintings, drawings and sculptural objects, produced between 1946 and 1981 by the residents of Netherne, a long-stay British mental hospital, under the guidance of professional artist Edward Adamson.

This exhibition displays selected works by eight people, chosen for their distinctive visual styles and particular histories. For the first time, these works will be showcased under the artists’ names: JP Senitt, Thea Hart, Helen Greig, Mary Bishop, Martin Birch, Rolanda Polonsky, Gwyneth Rowlands and Ron Hampshire.

Dr Fiona Johnstone, Associate Research Fellow in Art History at Birkbeck said: “By presenting these individuals as artists, rather than as un-named and undifferentiated psychiatric patients, and framing their objects as artworks, the exhibition aims to highlight the aesthetic, personal and historical dimensions of the collection, whilst remaining sensitive to its medical and therapeutic contexts.”  

Adamson pioneered the use of art therapy for those living with mental illness. He was initially engaged with Netherne to assist with research into the relationship between mental illness and creativity. His job was to encourage the patients to paint, with the resulting works transferred to clinicians for analysis. After the study ended in 1951, Adamson established an open studio where residents were allowed to come and paint freely. He rejected the diagnostic focus of the earlier experiments, convinced that the very process of art making was therapy enough, and that creative expression could be a tool to help people find their way back to wellness.

The collection interweaves a range of narratives, including the history of the post-war mental institution, the development of psychiatric practice in the UK, and the origins of art therapy as a profession. It also tells a number of individual stories, including that of Adamson himself, and of the people who produced work under his guidance.

This exhibition is supported by a Wellcome/ Birkbeck ISSF Public Engagement Award. It has been curated by Dr Heather Tilley and Dr Fiona Johnstone in association with Birkbeck’s Centre for Medical Humanities. 

Further information can be found on the exhibition website: https://mramovesinmysteriousways.wordpress.com

Image 1: Image caption: Helen Grieg, The Foetus / Rebirth. Credit: The Adamson Collection / Wellcome 

Image 2: Image caption: Thea Hart, Child and Doctor. Credit: Adamson Collection/Wellcome