London Art Fair 2023 Platform 'Reframing the Muse'

"I am excited to be curating 2023’s edition of Platform, which will shine a spotlight on art history’s most enduring subject: the muse.

Based on my recently published book ‘Muse’ (Penguin, 2022), the exhibition aims to reclaim the term in a narrative that celebrates the contributions of artists’ remarkable, real-life models as active agents in the story of art. It will offer audiences a new vision of the muse, across age, race, gender, gazes and sexuality, inviting visitors to look at portraiture from a brand-new perspective.

Platform 2023 will highlight the diverse individuals, past and present, who have inspired artists to draw, sculpt, paint or photograph their immortalising portrait. Turning the tables on traditional accounts, it will invite questions about the collaborative role of the muse, beyond romanticised notions of the passive model. Taking centre stage, these muses will prove that they have long commanded a crucial place in art history, while they are still an influential force in today’s contemporary art world."

- Ruth Millington