The Business of Art Meets the Art of Business: New Oxford Saïd Exhibition Explores Their Intersection

In an aim to initiate discussions on the relationship between business and the arts, the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School will launch a fine art exhibition. The exhibition, curated by the Zuleika Gallery, will be held on September 13 and is open to all students, faculty, and the community.

The exhibit will feature a collection of British art from the 20th century to present day including avant-garde works from the St. Ives School, Pop Art, and pure abstraction. Many of the art works that will be presented are on loan from the Arts Council Collection, including pieces from pop artist Patrick Caulfield and abstract artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

“I believe this exhibition perfectly reflects the ethos and values of Saïd Business School, and it acts as the visual equivalent of creative thinking, excellence, and innovation,” Lizzie Collins, Director or the Zuleika Gallery and curator of the exhibition, said in a news release.

The event will take place at the Saïd Business School and will also include a talk by Stephen Alvarez, an award-winning National Geographic photographer, filmmaker, and explorer. Alvarez has published more than a dozen feature stories in National Geographic on topics ranging from exploration and adventure to culture and archaeology. He is also the founder of the Ancient Art Archive, which is a non-profit foundation that uses photography and the newest image-based virtual reality (VR) technology to preserve and share the world’s oldest art.

Through the talk and the exhibit, Saïd plans to address the following topics:

• Why did we start making art?
• What can art tell us about today’s world of image-based social media?
• How can digital technology help us explore, share, and preserve our first stories?

This event is not the first time that Oxford Saïd has studied art and business. In October 2014, the university welcomed the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology. It was a part of a series of activities put together by the business school and Oxford’s leading humanities scholars under the title, “Engaging with the Humanities.” In addition, the university is home to the Oxford Business Network for Art and Business, an extension of the alumni network seeking specifically to promote and exchange ideas surrounding the art industry.

To learn more about how the Saïd Business School looks at the intersection of art and business and to attend this free event, visit the Art at Saïd Business School event page.

This article has been edited and republished with permissions from Clear Admit.

regions: London

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