Episode 2 The Exhibitionists

The National Museum and Galleries of Wales has the nation's largest

and most important collection of art -

a collection that includes Van Gogh,

Monet, Picasso and Turner.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The museum's secure vaults store the rest of the priceless collection.

Down here lie thousands of works of art

that the public very rarely get to see,

until now.

Five members of the public from all over Wales,

with no formal art background,

have the run of the entire national collection.

Oh, my God! I'm actually in the Museum of Wales,

at 21 years of age, with the chance of putting an exhibition on.

Like, who else can say that?

I don't do art galleries.

It'd be like putting a professional footballer onto a rugby field,

or maybe a heavyweight boxer into a tutu.

They have been given unprecedented access to priceless paintings,

sculptures and ceramics.

Who stays and who goes is decided by two mentors,

artist and critic Osi Rhys Osmond,

and renowned curator

Karen MacKinnon.

The goal for the five - to compete for the chance to put on a show

in the National Museum of Wales.

Have they got what it takes to become the exhibitionists?

At the National Museum in Cardiff,

The exhibitionists have already faced two tasks

that saw some buckle under the pressure...

Sorry, I've clammed up.

..while others had trouble remembering names...

I think I've got it down here.

Monet, sorry.

Colin was the first to be eliminated,

leaving four behind to compete for the chance

to curate a show of national treasures at the museum.

So who's left in the frame?

We've upped a gear now. There is a more competitive edge.

I feel I can really do this. I can really achieve something here.

I can really do this.

I used to be really competitive when I was a child.

I used to want to win everything.

I hope I can fight through to the end of this now.

I've got the strength of character and the will to get through.

Our four are about to face their next challenge,

and this time they'll have to work with their fellow competitors in their first group task.

So far, you've learned how to select and how to group paintings together.

Your next task will truly test your potential as a curator.

Before the task started, this gallery space was home to

an exhibition of post-war Welsh paintings,

on the theme of the politics of industrial Wales.

The museum's head of contemporary art Nick Thornton chose just

a small amount of paintings from the museum's extensive collection,

and decided how and where they should be hung.

Museum art technicians Lee and Aled

have removed the paintings from the walls,

and our exhibitionists must now

re-hang the exhibition in their own style.

Hanging an exhibition is one of the most exciting

and important tasks of the curator.

Among the works available for your selection are a few red herrings.

This is a group task,

so we'll be watching how you communicate with each other.

It was quite hard getting into the task today because I've started to

think of just me and what I want to do in this competition.

Then we were all of a sudden told we had to work as a group

and I started to think of us all as competitors.

The exhibitionists have been given a mock-up of the gallery to help them

select their works, with magnetic replicas of each painting.

Luckily, Julia has spotted some information about the theme

of the exhibition.

"This gallery looks at the ways in which artists have represented

"the people and industrial landscape of Wales."

We're looking for pictures of miners...

Miners? Well, look at that there.

-He's obviously preaching to the masses.

-To the miners.

-To the miners, yeah.

-OK.

Having found paintings that work within the exhibition brief,

they next look for red herrings.

The theme is post-war, but not everyone agrees.

-That's in the war.

-That pre-war, not post-war.

-That's in the war.

-That's pre-war. 1939.

-45.

-39-45.

-Is it the wrong date?

-So it's in the war, it's not post-war.

Wrong date. That's pre-war.

Three Hyacinths by Evan Walters, without a person in sight,

was rightly disregarded by the exhibitionists as a red herring.

but what about this work The Weaver?

This looks like something to do with the textile industry.

Wales didn't have a textile industry as such. That would be cotton.

Richard's not quite right.

It's by a Russian artist - Natalya Goncharova - but it is a red herring.

However, the group is not in unison on another Evan Walters painting, The Communist.

Well, if you say its pre-war,

I'll have to go with what you say because I have no knowledge.

Hang on, what about the faction?

It reminded me that had you had four curators, working together

like that, they probably would have killed each other.

That's after the war, so we've got these pictures now.

So, artworks chosen, it's time to decide where they will be hung.

I mean, I'm just putting these anywhere.

-Yeah, put 'em anywhere.

-Don't put them anywhere!

We'll put them anywhere and then argue about it.

Well, it's a good start, isn't it?

-Hey, I've got my art in that!

-Well, never mind.

My first hanging and it's just been...zoom!

You need hanging!

We're all exhibitionists and so everybody wants to speak at once.

I think Richard is notching himself up a gear were two.

I think he's got the kind of brain that holds information better than any one of us.

I think he really, really wants to win,

to the point of we'll have to watch our backs!

-We're excluding that and that.

-Exclude those two.

Why have we chosen this one?

We've all got our own different strengths and weaknesses.

I'm quite good at persuading people to think it's their idea.

I talk them round. In the end, they think they thought of it.

-OK, we'll leave it on. I could be completely wrong but I don't think it is.

-OK.

Entering this gallery this way, so if this is hung for my...benefit...

Last time Julia was criticised by the mentors for her over-confidence,

but within the group task, she struggles to have her voice heard.

The last thing that was said to me by the mentors was that

I'd got to be careful of my confidence.

So I've got to really, I think, become more professional.

As Julia tries to be more professional,

other members of the group play house.

Where else it will fit?

I think they enjoyed the idea of using and working with the mock-up.

It was a bit like a play school.

RICHARD: That's it. That gives us space for any bumph.

Your time is up.

Step away from the gallery.

I hope you're happy with your decisions.

With the mock-up finished, it's time for the real work to commence.

Lee and Aled return to start the hanging,

but it's our exhibitionists who are calling the shots.

They don't want to be the one that is leaving.

I've heard several of them say, "I want to go through to this."

This is quite a dog-eat-dog situation

but it's dressed up in a very polite way.

Last week, florist Darren was criticised for putting

too much emphasis on his personal taste.

In today's task, his professional side comes more into play.

It's actually quite strange because in my normal role,

in my normal job, I am the top man.

I am the one that everybody listens to.

My opinion is the one that counts because I run the show,

whereas here there's other people to consider as well.

I'm trying to make sure that I don't jump into far and overstep the line with everybody.

The exhibitionists only have five minutes left to come to

a final decision on their hang before things really start moving.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Does this look like Wales to you, yeah?

-It's a miners' cottage, isn't it?

-RICHARD: It's a Welsh cottage.

EFA: I don't know. The frame's ugly. That's all I know.

This painting is in fact Miner And Dog by Josef Herman,

one of three paintings by the artist

depicting the South Wales collieries,

the others being Miners Singing and Three Miners,

but the exhibitionists disagree.

EFA: It could be in Africa.

I think it could be African. It could be anything.

Come on, they hadn't got lampposts in Africa in them days!

Start to place your last work in the gallery.

And time is not on our side.

DARREN: Right, so decisions, people.

Decisions.

The hanging task must be completed within the hour.

Once the time is up, the mentors will judge the group on whatever state the gallery is in.

-Definitely.

-Leave more space on either side of the work?

-Mm.

-OK.

It was quite exciting when we were given the task,

especially when we saw him starting to drill holes.

We were like, "Oh, my God! We told him to make those holes."

And we're in the National Museum of Wales. It was quite bizarre.

RICHARD: Are we happy with this one?

I think it needs to be a little bit higher.

But you're 6'2". Most Welsh people are short.

As a nation, we're short. This is the National Museum of Wales.

Although accuracy in measurements is key to Richard's day job as a box maker,

how different has today's task been to his everyday work?

Putting me into this sort of situation,

it's a million miles from what I do.

I just assumed people go to art galleries when bored on a Sunday lunchtime, they pop in,

or the shops are shut, "Let's pop in the art gallery."

But, to be given the opportunity to do this, it's just amazing.

HE MUMBLES MEASUREMENTS

Just check that. Spot on.

The last picture goes up - Bethesda Quarry by Martin Bloch from 1950,

but is Julia satisfied with the group compromise?

Yeah, I think it's the best we could do with the time we had.

Are you happy with that? You're not, are you?

-No, there are elements that...

-Well, you're too late. You said yes now.

There are elements of the task today that,

if it was my own task on my own, I would have done differently,

but I'm happy that we made two decisions

and we've got to stick with that. That's the nature of it.

The hang is over and now the mentors will pass their judgement.

Taking their places on the left wall are Bethesda Quarry

and Heinz Koppel's Merthyr Blues.

This work depicts Merthyr in the 1950s,

including a mother with a pram, dogs and the local tram.

On the opposite wall are three paintings which were together,

but in a different order, in the original exhibition.

This work, Chapel And Tip is by a living artist, Denys Short,

and this painting of Ystrad Rhondda is by another painter

who found inspiration in the South Wales valleys of the '50s and '60s,

Ernest Zobole.

Walking into the exhibition after it had been hung,

I was surprised, in a way,

how faithfully, almost, it echoed the original exhibition.

What was interesting was these very unusual spacings,

like the Heinz Koppel very close to the door.

On the opposite wall was a very cool bluey-blacky-white

and, at opposite ends of that,

were these two hot, pulsating Josef Hermans.

Like any skill, you learn the form first and you learn what works first

and then you can become more and more playful.

You wouldn't really expect them to be hanging it all around the walls

or up the walls, especially the number of works that they've got.

Overall, I think the original hang was much more interesting

but their attempt at curating, I think, has been very successful.

The group task is over but how each exhibitionist fared is

left hanging until their next challenge is completed.

Your next task will test your knowledge and understanding

of the history of art.

Consider the five very different works of art behind us.

The museum share a selection of artwork from the secure stores.

Some of them are extremely valuable

and by world-famous artists, but which ones?

They are presented to the exhibitionists without giving away

any information about the artist, period or value.

One of these works is worth several million pounds.

The task the exhibitionists face today is a really difficult one.

This is an individual task. They have nowhere to hide.

I know people in the art world who would find this difficult.

Please select your envelopes.

'It's rather spooky, a black envelope.

'It's not something you get very often.'

You just get a white envelope with your name on the front,

signifies a birthday card, there's probably 20 quid in it.

But a black envelope?

Der-der-der!

Contained in each black envelope are five questions

relating to each of the five artworks.

The exhibitionists have to work out which one

is connected to which question.

The group cannot confer or seek information from other sources.

They will have rely on their own knowledge and insight.

Well, my initial thoughts when I opened the envelope was,

"Oops!" I am dyslexic so this is going to be a bit tricky, but it's fine.

I'm not very good with the history of art at all.

So far, I think I've been quite good at just expressing myself and guessing things,

but to actually have to answer questions with the right answer - scary!

When I first looked at it, I thought, "Oh my... What the...?!"

But then when you look around the five pieces of art, you can sort of work out in what order they go.

JULIA: Terrified. Don't know anything about any of them.

'This is going to be one big failure.

'On television.'

I'm going 'ome!

The exhibitionists have 20 minutes

before they present their answers to the mentors.

They should be looking for clues regarding period, style

and the identity of the artist.

I've no idea who these people are. They could be somebody famous, they could be someone obscure.

Not knowing anything about the history of art, or 20th-century art,

or any other art, struggling.

They need to start to develop an instinctive understanding,

so we're hoping that they can start to make

a calculated guess about things, but it's a really, really big ask.

Can you find an artwork by what many people consider

to be the greatest 20th-century artist?"

The first question I thought immediately is the Kamikaze one.

It says "Kamikaze" on it,

it's got a little picture of an aeroplane.

Richard has been the man equipped with the facts and figures in the previous task,

and back at home, he's the one firing the questions

as the quiz master in his local pub.

I don't use art much in my pub quizzes.

I'd be more along the lines of,

"Who painted the Sistine Chapel? Who is the Mona Lisa?"

I wouldn't use something as obscure as this in a pub quiz.

But it does feed my thirst for knowledge, as it were.

Leading up to the task, keeper of art Oliver Fairclough has led

the exhibitionists through many of the stores and galleries,

but how much information has fact-cruncher Richard been able to retain?

The jug, I think the jug is to fool us.

When we came here the very first day,

Oliver showed us a picture of a jug that Picasso had done.

I thought Picasso was just a painter.

I didn't know he did ceramics.

So I think that has been put in to fool us.

Richard's powerful memory has helped him once again

and by being able to identify this jug as a work by Picasso,

his first question is answered correctly.

The second question refers to an artist who made a famous album cover,

and Darren should have chosen the Kamikaze collage

by the artist Peter Blake, who made his name designing

one of the most iconic album covers of 20th century.

Darren, however, has been enticed by the

French Impressionist Cezanne's The Bathers, a watercolour from 1875.

It reminded me of an album I bought a long time ago.

I can't even remember who it was by,

but it was a famous album in the '80s and it reminded me of that,

so I thought, "Well, let's stick with that,"

and I'm quite certain on that one.

He's just been given these five works and he has to work with them.

Bit worried about how he's going to do

but really rooting for him cos we all love Darren.

With revision time over,

now Darren is first up to present his answers to the eager mentors.

Hello, Darren. Can you find a work of art which is by an artist

who many people consider to be the greatest artist of the 20th century?

I think it's the Kamikaze picture.

Peter Blake's Kamikaze fools Darren yet again,

as he should have chosen the multi-million-pound jug by Picasso.

Not a good start.

If you begin by making a mistake and getting the first identity of the artwork wrong,

you will find it very, very difficult to go from there

because there's five artworks. One mistake, two mistakes,

in a way, if it isn't right from the very beginning, you're doomed.

Efa also fails to identify the Picasso and believes that the work

by one of the greatest artists of the 20th century

is the Cezanne from 1875.

I guess this one.

-The one nearest to you?

-Yep.

-Thank you.

Efa in today's task, she was quite nervous.

I mean, it's difficult, you know, standing in front of me and Osi.

It's kind of like an interview situation

and I think she found it really nerve-racking, really.

I guess the Kamikaze one here behind you.

Despite her nerves, Efa's musical background has helped her to

identify the work of Peter Blake,

who designed the cover of

the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

I'm going to say it's the piece behind you, Kamikaze.

Having already answered the first question correctly,

Julia also gets the album cover question right,

despite her apparent lack of confidence.

I just get the sense that she knows a lot more about art

than she says she does sometimes.

Now whether this is does because she does her homework and research,

wouldn't surprise me at all.

"Which of these works is inspired by classical mythology?" Question three.

Again, classical mythology - another one of my strong points.

Better on football.

I'm going to say it's this piece here.

Julia correctly identifies Cezanne's The Bathers

as a work of art influenced by Greek mythology.

So far she has answered the first three questions right.

But when Richard is asked to identify the location of

the castle in this painting, he stumbles.

It is, in fact, Caernarfon Castle, painted by an unknown artist in the 17th century.

I think it's a seascape. If you look to the foreground of the painting,

there's a British man-of-war of circa late 18th, early 19th century.

He honed in on the rigging of the ship, which is something that is of interest to him.

He thinks of himself as an expert on the rigging of British men-of-war.

So it could be either part of the Peninsular Wars against France off the Spanish coast.

It could be either Cadiz or Trafalgar, I'm not quite sure.

'So, instead of visiting Caernarfon Castle,'

we were bound for Cadiz.

Now that, in a sense, is a serious flaw in someone who wishes to be a curator.

That kind of single-mindedness is,

in a sense, almost destructive, rather than creative.

I think it's the last one that's there, on the left.

However, Richard identifies which painting caused controversy in

the 19th century as The Good Samaritan by Millet,

with amazing accuracy.

I think it depicts a drunk being taken home,

mid 19th century, lot of problems with isolation from not drinking.

Lot of Methodist movements...

The painting was indeed controversial

because of its depiction of a drunk,

and because it shows contemporary rather than biblical costume.

The only thing left is the jug.

Darren's process of elimination was in jeopardy from his first question.

On his final answer, he should be identifying

Millet's peasant painting from the 19th century.

Instead he's left with Picasso's ceramic jug.

Van Gogh? I don't know. I don't know who any of these people are.

Not only has he misidentified the artwork,

he also fails to name the artist.

The trouble was, because he didn't choose Picasso,

everything was like a kind of pack of cards or dominoes then,

everything went wrong, one after the other.

And he just got, you know, love him, he just got more and more nervous.

-Would I be correct in saying that perhaps Van Gogh is famous for colour?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Hm. Well, it's interesting that you choose something

which is black and white.

It's the JF Millet behind you here.

Efa ends her presentation with a correct answer,

recognising Millet's drunken peasants,

but she's unsure of her overall performance.

I had no idea how that went because four out of the five,

I wasn't sure about, so I just guessed from what I know about

different parts of art and its history.

She had an emotional, intuitive approach.

But what I would like her to do is reinforce it by intellectual activity,

by thinking about how things actually do work together.

I'm still happy with my choices cos that's the best that I could do.

They dropped us in the deep end with this one,

so I tried my best. That's all I can do.

With the tasks completed, Osi and Karen have plenty to discuss,

but will they agree on which exhibitionist to eliminate?

Well, I think we've grown to really see that they've all got

qualities they could bring to this

but some are doing better than others.

I'm looking for that balance between

a knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a curator.

Do you know what I think as well?

-Yeah?

-A reaction.

-A reaction.

-A reaction which is deep felt.

I really wanted to stay in

and I hate it when people say that on television.

"I really want to do this! Please vote to me!"

You know, it's... But I'm really feeling, you know,

I could really achieve something.

There's ability there and I think sometimes it's difficult

for people to recognise and take hold of their own strengths.

-It's seeing what they are.

-Absolutely.

-And pushing them forward.

-Absolutely.

Understanding what it means to be a curator from a really personal perspective.

I don't know who's going to go cos we haven't seen each other perform the tasks.

I hope it's Richard but I don't know if it will be.

If I'm the one that goes today,

obviously I'm not going to go and sit in the corner

and break down in tears, but I will be upset.

Our exhibitionists return to gallery 24,

where two will eventually hang their own show.

However, for one exhibitionist, their time is up.

Well done.

You performed well in both your tasks.

The hang was really successful and the museum staff were delighted.

Your responses to the questions showed potential.

But we've made our decision.

Julia, you answered the five questions correctly,

but where's the sparkle?

Darren, you only answered one question correctly.

You're obviously inspired by art and we love your colourful personality,

but is that enough?

Richard, your analytical powers enabled you

to deduce three correct answers,

yet you failed to connect with the works.

Efa, you clearly connect to the work

and you got three questions right,

but where's the rock 'n' roll?

Unfortunately, one of you has to leave.

Darren, you're no longer an exhibitionist.

HE INHALES AND EXHALES DEEPLY

I am disappointed.

It would've been nice to hang on for another...

a little bit longer but, you know, it's the way it goes.

-I am absolutely gutted. Really upset.

-JULIA: Yeah.

-Sorry.

-We've all got on really, really well and we've become a team.

That was a really big shock.

I expected Darren to be in the last two, to be honest.

Well, we've lost our queen, haven't we?

And, so, it'll be a sorrier, sadder place without Darren.

Oh, bless! I mean, we love Darren

but, unfortunately, he got a bit weaker as the tasks went on.

Enthusiasm, personality, is not enough

and, therefore, he had to go.

Next time, our remaining three decide which paintings

they would hang in gallery 24.

When these pictures are taken down,

this space will look terrifyingly huge.

Nothing worse than a blank, white wall.

You need to think very, very carefully about your plans.

Julia seemed a bit concerned.

SHE GROWLS

Now I think I am determined to get through to the next round.

To see high-quality photographs

of the artworks featured in this programme,

go to the website and click on the exhibitionists.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd