The Sayle Gallery in Douglas has teamed up with the Ben Uri Gallery (London Jewish Museum of Art) to mark the 70th anniversary of the opening of the internment camps on the Isle of Man with an important new exhibition.

Forced Journeys: Artists in Exile in Britain, c. 1933-45 will run from 9th April – 23rd May 2010. 

Originally designed to run in conjunction with a new MA module ‘Artists in Britain 1933-45’ at the Courtauld Institute in London, the exhibition was conceived and curated by the Ben Uri Gallery in spring 2009 and focussed primarily upon those artists who for political, racial or religious reasons were compelled to flee to Britain from Nazi oppression. 

To mark the 70th anniversary of the opening of the internment camps on the Isle of Man in May 1940 and to reflect the exhibition’s new location in Douglas, it has been extensively re-curated by the Ben Uri Gallery to focus on the work of artist internees, particularly those held at Isle of Man internment camps.

The Ben Uri Gallery has recently been in the international headlines due to its remarkable discovery and acquisition of a lost masterpiece by Marc Chagall, Apocalypse en Lilas, Capriccio, in a French saleroom. 

The work is presently on show for the remainder of January at Osborne Samuel in London, together with a selection of important artworks from the Ben Uri’s extensive collection.

David Glasser, Co-chairman of the Ben Uri Gallery, comments on the Sayle exhibition, "We are very excited to work with the Sayle Gallery in Douglas to mark the importance of the 70th Anniversary of World War Two interment on the Isle of Man."

Mary Wilson, Chairman of the Sayle Gallery, adds, "We are delighted that the Sayle Gallery, a Manx charity whose aim is to promote art on the Island, will have the opportunity to show this important exhibition, which interprets internment in a new light for people on the Isle of Man.

"Our special thanks go to the Ben Uri Gallery and its curators for their efforts in bringing this exhibition to Douglas.  This will be a unique opportunity to see these historic art works in their original context and in some cases to visit the sights and views they depict."

Funding for the exhibition is being kindly provided by the Isle of Man Arts Council, Manx Heritage Foundation, the Friends of Manx National Heritage and private sources.

The exhibition will run from 9th April 9 to 23rd May at the Sayle Gallery, Villa Marina Colonnade, Douglas. The gallery is open every day except Monday and admission is free.

Exhibition poster reproduced by kind permission of Manx National Heritage.