Contemporary art, Albrecht Dürer works on display in Tower of London

PanARMENIAN.Net - An exhibition of works by established and emerging contemporary artists opens today, 13 May, at one of London's most historic sites, the Tower of London. Works in a variety of media by 19 artists go on show across four floors of the Medical Officer’s residence, a 12th-century building designed by Christopher Wren, The Art Newspaper Reported.

The show, "Dark to Light", (13-23 May) is part of the "Chambres à Part" initiative launched by the French art advisor Laurence Dreyfus. A selection of the works are for sale, while other pieces are on loan from galleries and collectors.

A stark Flavin-esque neon installation by the Russian artist Andrei Molodkin, filled with crude oil (Vertical of Power, 2011), takes over the basement. Next door, there is a striking presentation of slides by the late Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers. The piece, entitled Bateau Tableau, 1973, flickers maritime scenes against the wall of what was once a prison cell.

On the ground floor, Hiroshi Sugimoto's imposing black-and-white photograph Charles I, 1999, sharply contrasts with Patrick Neu's intricate, intriguing depictions of classical scenes (2006-10) etched in the dust coated around a series of wine glasses. Two works by Albrecht Dürer, including the 1496 work on paper St Jerome Penitent in the Desert, are on view in the same room.

Upstairs, French artist Céline Cléron’s sculptural installation, La Régente, 2005-06, comprising a honeycomb bound to a large lace collar, complements an unattributed medieval portrait of a lady from around 1589-90, most likely either Ann of Denmark or Arabella Stuart, hanging alongside.

The most dramatic installation is on the top floor where James Turrell's 1967 projection Gard White is the centerpiece of a white-cubesque setting. Other artists represented include Shahpour Pouyan (Iran), Teresa Margolles (Mexico) and Tim Marr (Scotland).