The Great Bear (lithograph)

The Great Bear is a 1992 lithograph by Simon Patterson. The work resembles the London Underground Tube map, but Patterson uses each line to represent notable but seemingly random people (and planets) grouped into categories corresponding to each Tube line.

The work is in an edition of 50 prints alongside 15 artist's proofs, all framed with an anodised aluminium frame just like real Tube maps. The copyright of the work is shared between the artist and London Underground from whom the artist obtained permission after protracted negotiation.

The name 'Great Bear' references the Ursa Major constellation. The artist may be evoking a similarity between the Tube map and maps of the stars, with the lines forming constellations between them.

Copies of The Great Bear can be found in the Tate Gallery (P77880) and the London Transport Museum (2003/12651).