The Grand Tour

Artist Sinta Tantra's new mural The Grand Tour greets you as you enter our newly designed welcome hall

Inspired by Dulwich Picture Gallery's architect Sir John Soane's love of coloured light and curved archways, The Grand Tour envelops the space, creating an immersive experience as you enter the Gallery. Placed on opposite walls, the two murals create dualism, as one side; colourful and bright - faces the other; monochrome and sombre. 

The Grand Tour refers to Soane's own journey to Europe between 1778 and 1780, where he absorbed himself in the culture and artefacts of ancient Rome - his time there greatly influencing his entire life's work.

Sinta Tantra says of the work, "I wanted to create an immersive installation that was as visually opulent as one of Soane interiors, yet also floated between a two and three-dimensional world...In some ways, we all have our grand tours of learning and overcoming the obstacles life presents to us. To rise and to fall forms part of a journey, to learn and relearn, navigating through past, present and future."

A British artist of Balinese descent, Tantra spent her childhood in Indonesia, America and the UK where she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Academy Schools. Her colourful geometric paintings and site-specific murals explore painting on an architectural scale.

Images: Sinta Tantra, The Grand Tour, 2020, photographed by Graham Turner; Sinta Tantra during installation, photographed by Luca Piffaretti.