Barbican - barbican at 25 - about the 25 years



	barbican at 25 about the 25 years

A phoenix from the ashes

Henry Wrong CBE, Director of the Barbican in the crucial years from 1970 to 1990

“Like the legendary Phoenix, the Barbican Centre rose from the ashes in the City of London caused by bombing during the Second World War. The idea of the Centre was born in the 1960s, an era of renewed optimism and fresh ideas, and an exciting time for the arts. New architectural styles were emerging, including the “brutalism” that characterises the Barbican as a whole.....”

“Once the Centre was completed, the City of London could indeed be proud of its achievement, described at the time as the “City’s gift to the nation”.

View the images below for a slide show of the Barbican's history

		Arthur Cross and Fred Tibbs Bomb Site

		World War II bombing left the area North of St. Paul’s completely flattened and devastated view details

		Bomb devastated Barbican Site

		At the end of the war only 58 people remained in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate. view details

		Chamberlain, Powell and Bon Barbican proposal 1956

		City of London proposed to transform the wasteland into modern, efficient, suburban housing. The plan would include residential housing, schools, gardens. Chamberlain, Powell and Bon were appointed as architects. view details

		Proposal for Barbican Centre Silk St Entrance

		The idea for an arts centre was a later addition to the original plans. view details

		Barbican Site

		Barbican rose up like a phoenix from the ashes view details

		Barbican Construction

		Construction began in 1971 and was only completed in 1985. view details

		Barbican Construction

		view details

		Director Henry Wrong and Abbado

		Barbican’s first Director Henry Wrong, LSO’ former Principal Conductor Claudio Abbado, LSO Former Chairman Anthony Cambden and architect view the building site of the Barbican Centre. view details

		Residential flats

		View of the completed residential flats and internal garden. view details

		Sam Lambert Barbican Flat Interior

		Example of an interior of a Barbican flat view details

		Opening Night

		Opening night of the Barbican Centre with HM the Queen in 1982. view details

		Opening Night

		view details

		Margaret Thatcher and Henry Wrong

		Margaret Thatcher attending a Women’s Institute Meeting at the Barbican with former Director Henry Wrong. view details

		Graham Sheffield and John Tusa

		In 1996, John Tusa and Graham Sheffield appointed as Managing Director and Artistic Director respectively. They set about revitalizing the centre - re-energising its arts programme (link through to Arts Transformed) and modernising all the venues and public spaces (link through to New Look Barbican). They brought all the art forms under one management. In 1999, they began an ambitious redevelopment programme to improve the acoustics in Barbican Hall, refurbish all the venues, give the Barbica view details

		LSO in Barbican Hall after reconstruction

		In 2001, the Barbican Hall reopened with the resident orchestra the LSO after a summer closure, in which time they rectified the balance of the acoustics and gave the sound an immediacy and directness. The refurbishment increased the capabilities of the venue to present everything from contemporary music concerts, to multi-media events, films and staged works. The £7million refurbishment drew the Berliner Philharmoniker and Vienna Philharmonic to the Barbican Hall for Bernard Haitink’s 75th bir view details

		L.H.Lieberson Bach Cantatas

		Following the re-opening, Peter Sellars brought a controversial staging of the Bach Cantatas to Barbican Hall in 2001. The Cantatas were movingly performed by mezzo soprano Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson. This marked a new direction for the Barbican in commissioning new work and productions. view details

Arts Transformed Over the past decade, the Barbican’s arts programme has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade, under the Managing Director John Tusa and Artistic Director Graham Sheffield. With its associates the LSO, Cheek by Jowl and Michael Clark Company, no other venue in London can present such a diverse range of high quality international work across all the art forms.

		Aka Pygmies in Conservatory - Ligeti at 80 Festiva

		To mark Ligeti’s 80th birthday, the Barbican mounted a wide-ranging festival and brought over The Aka-Pygmies, whose contrapuntal singing had a huge influence on Ligeti’s compositions, from the Central African Republic. view details

		Les Palladins Les Paladins

		In 2004, The Barbican, in a co-production with Chatalet, mounted its first fully-staged opera production in Barbican Theatre, following its refurbishment. William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants performed Rameau’s Les Paladins in a multi-media production staged by Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu. This followed by another fully-staged opera by William Christie’s band of Handel’s Hercules. view details

		Contemporary Music: Anthony and the Johnsons

		In 1999, the Barbican initiated a new series Only Connect to exploit the Centre’s advantage of bringing different artforms together and blurring the boundaries for new experimental, specially commissioned projects and multi-media events. Last year, Mercury Award winners Anthony and the Johnsons appeared in Only Connect in a collaboration between artist and filmmaker Charles Atlas. view details

		Tropicalia

		In 1998, the Barbican instigated the festival American Pioneers which would become the blue-print for multi-arts festivals. In February 2006, as Brazil prepared itself for Carnival, the Barbican mounted a multi-arts festival entitled Tropicália to celebrate the revolutionary movement in Brazil. view details

		The Black Rider Poster

		In 2002, bite (Barbican international theatre events) took year-round control of the Barbican Theatre and The Pit, following the departure of the RSC. Since its inception, bite has commissioned and co-produced more than 50 productions, enabling the creation of new work from around the world. In 2004, bite produced its first show Black Rider. view details

		Ralph Fiennes and John Shrapnel in Julius Caesar

		In 2004, bite produced Julius Caesar, directed by celebrated British theatre director Deborah Warner and starring Ralph Fiennes and John Shrapnel. This went onto tour internationally. view details

		Dance Michael Clark Company MMM

		In 2006, Michael Clark Company joined forces with bite for a three-year partnership as an Artistic Associate, along with Cheek by Jowl. view details

		Film Godfather 2

		In 1982, cinema operated out of one auditorium. Now, 25 years later, audiences can choose between three artistically diverse, international programmes in three state-of-the art cinemas. The programme offers the best in first-run releases, talks, silent films with live music, groundbreaking animation and life-changing documentaries. Major festivals and series include the London Australian Film Festival, The London Children’s Film Festival and Family Film Club. view details

		Education Book Me 04

		Book Me! Inspired by the diversity of the Barbican’s arts programme and working across all the artforms, Barbican Education strives to offer powerful learning opportunities that enrich the lives of individuals and widen the acces to the artistic programme. view details

		Gallery 04 Game On Logo

		Game On . In 1999, the visual arts were fully integrated into the Barbican Centre. In 2004, Barbican Art Gallery underwent a £1million transformation. The programme has carved a niche in ground-breaking photographic, architectural and multi-disciplinary exhibitions. Barbican’s hugely successful exhibition Game On continues to tour internationally. view details

		Saraceno in the Curve

		In 1999, The Curve, an unusual 100-metre long semi-circular space became the Centre’s second gallery space. Tomas Saraceno’s installation became the first site-specific show commissioned for the Curve. view details

		Jenny Holzer Installation

		As part of the Beckett Centenary Festival at the Barbican, American artist Jenny Holzer presented a series of light projections on the Barbican and buildings around London including City Hall and Somerset House. Writings from Beckett and a selection of works by celebrated poets, were cast onto well-known London landmarks, allowing light and text to flow over the cityscape, creating an extraordinary visual experience. view details