In 1903 scientist Guglielmo Marconi set up the first public demonstration that Morse code messages could be sent wirelessly over long distances. Yet before the presentation could begin, the apparatus in the London lecture theatre began to tap out the message “Rats! Rats! Rats!”, followed by a string of taunts and personal insults.

Human beings have been one of the great subjects of art throughout the ages. Artists in all disciplines and styles have strived to explore humans’ multiple facets: their figure and body, their gestures and attitudes, their ideas and feelings, their dreams and passions, their strengths and vulnerabilities.