Exhibition: Keats200 - Outdoor Exhibition

Discover the life and works of John Keats - Londoner, medic and poet - on the bicentenary of his death in 1821.

2021 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Romantic poet John Keats. Before his death at the age of just 25, Keats wrote some of the best-known and most beautiful poems in the English language, in part inspired by his time living at Wentworth Place, now Keats House, Hampstead.

The Keats200 outdoor display, tells Keats’s story from his birth in Moorgate, London, through his education in Enfield followed by medical training in Edmonton and at Guy’s Hospital, to his decision to give up a career in medicine and move to Hampstead to follow the life of a poet. Here he met fellow writers and friends who supported him, as well as the love of his life, Fanny Brawne. He also found time to read, enjoy his natural surroundings, travel and, most importantly, write. Just a few years later, in 1819, Keats experienced a year of remarkable creativity, during which he wrote poems such as ‘The Eve of St Agnes’, ‘La Belle Dame sans Mercy’, Ode to a Nightingale’ and ‘To Autumn’. The following year he became ill with consumption and left for Italy to improve his health, but died in Rome in February 1821.

Keats was virtually unknown in his lifetime and this exhibition also looks at how his friends preserved his memory and written works, creating a legacy which would inspire later artists and writers, leading to his current recognition as one of the greatest English poets.

This exhibition is part of Keats200. The Keats200 bicentenary is a celebration of Keats’s life, works and legacy, beginning in December 2018 through to February 2021 and beyond. It is led by three major partners – Keats House, Hampstead, The Keats Foundation and the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association – and is open to all individuals and organisations who have an interest in Keats or poetry. The bicentenary of Keats’s most productive years as a poet, and the period when he found inspiration, friendship and love, is an exciting opportunity to (re)discover and enjoy his works as well as engage with poetry and its ongoing relevance to us all today.