Flight and the Artistic Imagination

About the
exhibition

This major exhibition explored the instinctive human desire to fly from the classical era to the modern day. Starting with the imaginations of Leonardo da Vinci and Francisco Goya and ending with space travel, satellite images and everyday air travel, it was an exciting exploration of creative responses to flight.

Allowing visitors the opportunity to discover classical flight and the fall of Icarus. Learn about the Wright brothers, Yuri Gagarin and the history of aviation and space travel., explore the uses of flight from everyday travel and transportation to sky battles and air raids and enjoy spectacular aerial views and satellite imagery.

Flight and the Artistic Imagination included an intriguing combination of paintings, sculpture, photographs, drawings, prints and video, by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Henri Matisse, Paul Nash, Peter Lanyon and Hiraki Sawa.

The exhibition contained work from national collections such as the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum, Arts Council Collection and the National Galleries of Scotland.