Opus Art presents The Hammer Festival exhibition’s North East Debut.
22 January - 21 February 2010
Private View 21 January, 6pm

Join us as we delve into the Hammer Film archive, exploring the heritage of Britain’s most successful film company. Following the resounding success of its London premier at Idea Generation Gallery, this spectacular exhibition is on tour to the North East for the first ever time, providing an opportunity not to missed with an impressive selection of rare and original posters, prints and behind-the-scenes photos - a celebration of the horror, drama, suspense and glamour of the seminal films which propelled Hammer to cult status. Featured film posters include The Curse of Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy and Dracula, whilst prints include Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Quatermass Xperiment and many, many more, many of which are available to buy.

Accompanying the exhibition will be a selection of official Hammer merchandise and memorabilia including t-shirts and mugs, as well as two books by author Marcus Hearn: Hammer Glamour and The Hammer Story, featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs and interviews from Hammer’s archive and private collections worldwide. Hammer Glamour celebrates Hammer’s female stars including Ingrid Pitt, Martine Beswick, Caroline Munro, Barbara Shelley, Joanna Lumley, Nastassja Kinski, and Raquel Welch.

“Plenty of swashbuckling action and heaps of fun”
Captain Kronos : Vampire Hunter

“Imbued with a quite fantastic magic and lush eroticism”
Vampire Circus

“Another Hammer period flick dripping with atmosphere”
Twins of Evil

Katy Wild, Editorial Director of Titan Books said: “Hammer is an enduring brand, much beloved for the classic movies that everyone knows, but also now associated with brand new exciting quality film-making. We are proud to be associated with this exhibition which celebrates the Hammer heritage and ties in with the publication of our book

Hammer Glamour, a fabulous tribute to the beautiful women who featured in Hammer movies over the years, written by Hammer authority, Marcus Hearn.”

Double the Thrill at our Double Bill!

The Hammer Horror spectacular in Gallery One will be accompanied by a Group Show in Gallery Two of works by some of the UK’s leading emerging and established contemporary artists, including Hector de Gregorio, CRASH, Nathan James, Stuart Semple, Lex Thomas, Chris Kettle, Justine Smith, Marc Quinn, Noble & Webster and David Harrison. Having recently shown at SCOPE Miami; the world’s largest and most global art fair, Opus Art is proud to present a selection of these exceptional works together in the UK for the very first time.

Emma Poole of Opus Art said, “Hammer Films' first release was in 1934 - our new exhibition celebrates over 75 years of thrills, gore and glamour from this much-loved British brand”.

The exhibition is presented in partnership with Idea Generation, the UK’s largest arts, cultural and entertainment industry PR agency, based in London.

Opus Art, West Avenue, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 4ES.