Viewing Peter Kennard, On Hannah Arendt: ‘The Concept of History’ at Richard Saltoun

London’s art world is abuzz with talk of Hannah Arendt, the German-born, Jewish American philosopher celebrated for her writings on power and evil, as well as politics, direct democracy, authority and totalitarianism. Why? Because London’s Richard Saltoun Gallery has dedicated its entire 2021 exhibition programme to the revered theorist, and March sees the opening of the second exhibition in its eight-part series.

The Concept of History is a solo exhibition of works by Peter Kennard, arguably Britain’s most important political artist. He is perhaps best known today for Photo-Op, the iconic image of a grinning Tony Blair taking a ‘selfie’ in Iraq in front of an arid landscape engulfed in flames.

This exhibition takes its title from the second essay in Arendt’s 1968 publication, Between Past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought, and features three bodies of work, including Kennard’s little-known, little-seen monochromatic STOP paintings made between 1968 and 1976.

You can also view a video introduction online to The Concept of History by Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Director of the Hannah Arendt Center, and an interview with Peter Kennard on Hannah Arendt. For more on Arendt, look to the touring exhibition centred on her work due to open at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn this spring.