Viewing An exhibition in Rome explores how artist couples’ relationships impact their work

It’s over to Rome this week, for a special group exhibition curated by Catherine Loewe exploring famous artist couples. How do famous artist couples inspire each other? How does their passion influence their work? And when things get acrimonious – what happens to their art? Loewe’s salacious and intriguing premise for Tête-à-Tête suggests new ways of looking at well-known artists and their works, and unfolds a larger question about human relationships and creativity in general.

Presenting works by eight artist couples in dialogue with each other, the exhibition looks at the way artists’ romantic relationships behind closed doors inform and shape their professional lives and artistic practices – whether they work together, or separately: Charlotte and Philip Colbert, Annie Morris and Idris Khan, Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, and Nick and Rob Carter, are included, among others. Expect sparks to fly – as Loewe puts it “while relationships can be fertile ground for creativity, they are not without their challenges, requiring a high degree of tolerance and compromise, particularly when it comes to navigating the creative process.”

Loewe adds that “the mystery of two souls connected lies at the heart of this exhibition which celebrates love, union and the alchemy that happens when visions are shared and lives intertwined.”