State Of The Art: The Rossettis

Carol Jacobi, curator of The Rossettis exhibition at London's Tate Britain, speaks to Allison Lee

What drew you to curate an exhibition on the radical Rossetti generation, and do you see this movement of challenging the traditional reflected in today’s society? 

The Rossettis’ story is just a fascinating one with so much to unpack—be it their lives or art. What was most striking is their desire for a new kind of art form that was authentic, raw and based on lived experienced rather than rules. I think this speaks volumes to something all of us are still struggling for today. We try to find ways to obtain the truthfulness—an authenticity of life that we so value—and there is no denying that the Rossetti generation popularised this way of thinking and pioneered the search for art that could transport and transform us. Today, I see this mirrored in the worldbuilding that happens in computer games and anime.