Unexpected views

Bob and Roberta Smith on Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway'

Bob and Roberta Smith talks about his, and his artist father's, love of both Turner and of the Great Western Railway.

A visitor to the Gallery since childhood, Smith finds parallels between Turner's relationship with his father, and his own father-son experiences. He explores, with curator Priyesh Mistry, what makes Turner so different to any of his contemporaries.

About the artist

Bob and Roberta Smith is the pseudonym of the artist Patrick Brill. Born in London, he studied at the University of Reading (1981-85) and Goldsmiths College (1991). He trained as a sign painter in New York and uses text as an art form, creating colourful slogans on banners and placards that challenge elitism and advocate the importance of creativity in politics and education. His best-known works are ‘Make Art Not War’ (1997) and ‘Letter to Michael Gove’ (2011), a letter to the UK Secretary of State for Education reprimanding him for the 'destruction of Britain’s ability to draw, design and sing'. Recent projects include 'Thamesmead Codex', on display at Tate Modern until May 2024, which celebrates the voices and local community of Thamesmead, London. A regular speaker at conferences and symposia, he initiated the Arts ’Party Conference 2013, a forum for artists and organisations to debate the role of art and design in schools.