Richard Hamilton at Tate Modern

I fell in love with the work of Richard Hamilton when I was a teenager. It was because of him, and Peter Blake, that I studied History of Art at A-level… and the rest is history… So I have a lot to thank/blame him for, and it is a real regret that I didn’t get a chance to meet him before he sadly passed away in 2011.

I have to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little disillusioned with the art world recently. I’ve fallen out of love with the commerciality and the incessant cycle of art fairs and private views. I wanted to get back to the actual ART. This exhibition achieved what I was starting to think was impossible, and pulled me right back to the core of my intense love of art, and reminded me why I do what I do.

Hamilton’s work consistently absorbed the events of the world around him, and his ability to interpret them with wit and innovation can be seen throughout the show, from his commentary on 1960s pop culture to his reflection on the troubles in Ireland in the 1980s.

Looking at his seminal work Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? while listening to 50s music coming from the nearby jukebox in a room replicating an early Pop Art exhibition was a moment I will remember for a long time.