WINCHESTER.- The first UK exhibition to explore the concept of sin in art, Sin brings together eight rarely loaned paintings from the National Gallery’s collection dating from the 16th and 17th centuries with two special loans by contemporary artists Tracey Emin and Ron Mueck. The Gallery at The Arc is one of just four venues in the UK to host the touring exhibition and the only venue in the south of England.

Paintings on display include Venus and Cupid by Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Mass of St Giles, Jan Steen’s The Effects of Intemperance (about 1663-5) and Rembrandt’s The Woman taken in Adultery (1644) - the first Rembrandt to be displayed at The Arc.

Kirsty Rodda, Visual Arts Exhibitions Manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust, commented: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have been able to secure such an important exhibition from the National Gallery for display at The Arc. Sin is touring to just four locations in the UK: Winchester is the only location south of York where visitors will have the opportunity to view these exceptional works together. It is rare to be able to see a Rembrandt outside major galleries: to host an exhibition that includes not just Rembrandt, but Ron Mueck and Tracey Emin, too, is an incredible privilege.’

Sin is curated by Dr Joost Joustra, Ahmanson Research Associate Curator in Art and Religion at the National Gallery, London: ‘Sin invites visitors to reflect on a fundamental concept that pervades our lives and history, but also to marvel at the ingenious ways artists have addressed the subject across time.’

The exhibition is accompanied by a lively, sin-themed programme of events, talks and workshops at The Arc, including a curator’s talk with Joost Joustra, a chocolatier masterclass with Chocolate Craft and a sin-inspired cocktail making evening with The Alchemist.