Cathy's Art Diary

Magical discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival looking at the life and work of William Blake. Philip Hoare, author of a new biography of Blake was interviewed by the writer Michael Bracewell and led us through the artists life and work with excellent illustrations. Most magical was readings of Blake’s letters and poems by actor Jack Farthing which added an extra layer to the event.

Interesting discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival looking at the life and art of Paul Gauguin. It brought together the author of a recent biography, Sue Prideaux, with Mette Gauguin, the artist’s great granddaughter chaired by Michael Prodger, associate editor of the New Statesman. Both had sought to place Gauguin as a man of his time rather than judging him by contemporary standards. They talked us through his life and I learnt that he gone to the Americas to help build the Panama Canal but it went bust before he got there!

Fascinating interview at Charleston Farmhouse as part of Charleston Festival with fashion collector and muse Daphne Guinness. Interviewed by fashion writer NJ Stevenson, Guinness discussed visiting courtier houses in Paris and her fascination with going to the see the cutters and embroiders called Les Petites Mains. She talked about her fashion collection and had examples from it on stage with her. She was wearing the most amazing platform shoes with no heels which puzzled many of the audience. For the Charleston audience it was equally exciting to realise that she is the granddaughter of a Mitford.  

Feisty discussion   at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival pairing contemporary artists Maggi Hambling and Sarah Lucas. At first this seemed an unlikely pairing but it turns out they are great friends, living close to each other in Suffolk. The discussion flowed freely ably chaired by art critic, Louisa Buck. They compared their studio practice and an exhibition in Hastings which had just been announced where they are to choose work by each other they admire. Hambling revealed that she has recently lost the little finger on her right hand so is increasingly working with her left hand in her daily practice of drawing. As ever her eye rolling said so much. Review Times Guardian    

Fun exhibition at the Tithe Barn in Lenham of work by artists in the Pilgrims' Way Artists group. We went along as a friend was showing there, the sculpture Eve Shepherd, and it was good to see her work in a different setting. Alongside her were some lovely painters including Claire Sparkes with delicate figurative work and Heidi Laughton's landscapes. It was also worth the trip to see the venue, an original medieval barn, and there was a nice welcome not least from a lovely black Labrador. Closed 26 May 2025  

Fun interview at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival with Grayson Perry around his current exhibition at the Wallace Collection. This was a lively discussion wrangled by journalist and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer who led Perry into why he did the show and how he found himself reacting to a collection whose art he found he didn't like. As ever with Perry I found myself noting down quotes and soundbites to think about later such as "narrative is the most potent form of art", "I'm becoming a militant traditionalist", of AI "It's like a pedantic 14 year old" and of his studio set up "I have Colin who does the photocopying". Review Guardian  

Interesting discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival examining the work of Vanessa Bell. The talk brought together Wendy Hitchmaugh, who had recently released a new biography of Bell focusing on her art as well as her life, and Kate Hessel, author of the successful "The Story of Art Without Men". The event was well chaired by Jon King, research fellow who also has a book on Bell due out in a couple of months. The all highlighted how radical Bell's art was and how she created spaces for people to gather and work together from the house whose garden we were sitting in to important art groups. They also looked at the barriers she faced to working and selling her paintings. Needless to say, if you know me, I bought the biography and got it signed.  

Fascinating discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival with two members of the activist group Led by Donkeys. Guardian columnist Zoe Williams interviewed James Sadri and Oliver Knowles, two of the founders of the group. Before the talk I hadn't thought I knew their work but as they spoke I realised I had come across it but more from the press than galleries etc. In fact in the introduction they admitted they didn't think of their work as art but more as political statement. However I think it is a type of art so here I am blogging it. There was an excellent rolling display of their projects from the Covid Memorial Wall, through Tweets from politicians turned into billboards and a very moving installation of children's clothes on Bournemouth beach representing children killed in Gaza. They explained their work in a humorous but inspirational way. Just let’s say I've done a lot of Googling since and have followed them online wherever I ca...

Fantastic rehang of the National Gallery Collection. I roughly followed the chronological narrative which had been created around the gallery although, when I went on members day, a few rooms weren't open yet so I had to pop back on the Monday to get the whole picture. I am so happy they have kept that approach and particularly liked the rooms devoted to one artist where they have a lot of works by one person. I also liked the few themed rooms almost not noticing the wide period they cover as the narrative links the works seamlessly and each work seems to grow from the previous one. I was pleased I'd been to the introductory lecture on the rehang so I looked out for some of the nuisances like the lovely wall of small outdoor sketches and the wonderful dark blue colour of the High Renaissance rooms. Being a big art geek I also appreciated the opportunity had been taken to reframe a number of works such as Antonello da Messina's "St Jerome in his Study" whe...

Super opportunity at the National Gallery to see the two new Coronation portraits of the King and Queen on display. It was exciting to see these two works alongside other full-length portraits in the collection and place them in the Grand Manner tradition before they move to the throne room in Buckingham Palace.   I had seen the coverage in the press of their unveiling and felt the picture of Queen Camila was the better work but in the flesh the King Charles was a more painterly work and a better picture if not such a good likeness. I would like to know why they chose different artists. Both work well for their sitters but they might have worked better as a pair if they had used the same artist. Closed 5 June 2025 Reviews Times Telegraph

Fascinating  lecture at the National Gallery introducing the complete rehang of the collection. Chaired by Christine Riding, Director of Collections and Research, who had masterminded the project with four of the curators who were involved who each outlined their areas. They explained how they have kept a chronological approach but also introduced theme rooms eg one on still life, and rooms on individual artists where the collection is particularly strong. They also talked about the problems of hanging monumental and small works in the same space. At this point I had only seen the Sainsbury Wing rehang but I immediately understood some of the questions I had had in my mind. The most interesting thing I learnt is that to mark the rehang they will not be lending any works for two years so this is an amazing chance to see everything. It will be interesting to see how the rehang then reactions to those loans and how flexible it is.

A wonderful new acquisition at the National Gallery of an altarpiece dated around 1510. I’d seen this featured in the papers in the week and was so excited to see it and it didn’t disappoint. The figures in it are monumental and so realistic. I think I may be in love with the Saint Louis, surely he was a portrait.   The iconography is strange and innovative from the quirky dragon at the feet of Saint Margaret to the angel playing the Jews’ harp. The gallery have placed it in the Flemish room alongside Gossaert, Memling and Gerard David and I feel that is the right world for it although some press reports are hedging their bets by saying Flemish/French. I can’t wait to hear more about it and to the years of research work to be done. The instinct is try to attribute it to a known artist but it’s just a likely to be someone we’ve never heard of before and may never be able to name. My only moan is the highly reflective glass on it which didn’t work where it was placed opposit...

Fabulous reopening of the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery after a two year closure. I think this has long been my favourite bit of the gallery and it’s felt horrible having it closed for so long. It’s also made the rest of the gallery feel cramped. However it’s been well worth the wait. The foyer has been opened up with sections taken out of the floor above to create curved, double storey views and to let it light. More light is also coming from having taken the darkened glass out of the huge windows which run up the stairs. In the foyer is an upmarket coffee bar, which was coping well on members’ day when I went but it might struggle when the crowds arrive as it’s the first coffee stop they’ll see. However the £4.80 price of a coffee might put them off. On the first floor is a posh new restaurant and the book shop which I was worried had disappeared. It’s almost purely about books and has a great selection of old and new titles. I then popped up the picture galleries...

Useful online lecture from ARTScapades describing the exhibition of drawings by Victor Hugo at the Royal Academy. I had visited this excellent exhibition a few days before so it was less of an introduction for me and more of a rediscovery. Sarah Lea guided us through the show’s layout highlighting some key works. I must admit didn’t get a lot from the talk which I hadn’t got from the show which was clearly narrated. I would like to have heard a bit more about how the show was put together and what she had learnt from doing it.

M oving installation on the South Bank to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. I came across this lovely work, sponsored by Ancestry, while walking along the river. It consisted of a long table, laid with vintage China, to resemble a street party. At each of 80 place settings was a plate with the picture and name of a veteran or someone who had helped on the Home Front and above was a short description of what they had done. From listening to assistants on duty I gather in the morning descendants of the people featured had been invited along. I have idea how long the piece was due to be there as I can find nothing online about it but I was so pleased I found it.

Interesting exhibition at White Cube Masons’ Yard of lead works by Antony Gormley. In just a few sculptures the show charts the artist’s experimentations with lead between the 1970s and 1990s. I had seen some of the pieces before over the years. Upstairs were the smaller works but the more striking pieces were the full sized body works shown in the basement which looked impressive in the large white space. I loved that you could walk among them but it was a shame this wonderful standing figure with a girder for a head had to be guarded by four attendants. Closed 8 June 2025 Review Guardian

Surprising exhibition at the Royal Academy of drawings by the author Victor Hugo. I’d gone along on the basis I try to see everything but wasn’t expecting a lot, however I was blown away. There was an odd mix of works of amazing draftsmanship and surprisingly experimental and abstract work. It made me think of William Blake. I think my favourites were the detailed, accurate works including this amazing chain. I also liked the atmospheric castles. I loved that the first work was this cartoon called “The Art Lover” and here we ask were. Closed 29 June 2025 Reviews Times Telegraph Evening Standard  

Confusing exhibition at the Royal Academy, one of a series of three showcasing the work of 2nd year students in the schools. I have found all these shows annoying for the lack of information about the work. It’s often conceptual in nature and needs some explanation. It might cope with that if it was beautiful but on the whole it hasn’t been. This one took the biscuit as they had run out of the handout, not that it is that useful, so I didn’t even know which work was by which student. By checking the website I think I worked out that these striking paintings are by Djofray Makumbu and that possibly the small model is for an animation and is therefore by Zachariah Riley but if so it might have been nice to see one of his animations to put it in context. As for the other work presumably by Katrina Cowling and Joshua Fay who knows which was which. I rather liked a mechanical wave of corn which I thought was quite witty and the fact the arch of the staircase had been encased in fabri...

Interesting exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey showcasing the life and career of the sculptor Richard Hunt. I had not consciously come across Hunt’s work before which surprised me as he had been so prolific in America. The show started with an enlightening timeline of his life and I was impressed at how he broke down many barriers for a black artist. The worked looked good, if a bit sparse, in the large white space. I found it quite graphic in its style so it was interesting to see his drawings shown with the large sculptures. Closed 29 June 2025

Disappointing exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum looking at the role of textiles in history and society. It was disappointing as this was a huge topic to cover and might have worked better as a series of more focused shows on particular materials, eras or geographical areas. In trying to do it all it became muddled. There were some beautiful objects but as the narrative was unclear the labels became very long to describe the item and tie to a topic. It’s a shame as this museum normally presents much more precise shows. Closes 7 September 2025

Stunning exhibition at Eames Fine Art of the complete set of prints by Salvador Dali for Dante’s   Inferno. I think I had seen these once before in Barcelona but it was real treat to find them again on a walk along Bermondsey Street. The works have a real sense of being by Dali but respond sympathetically to the text. Sadly the planned book was never printed but the prints stand as an art work on their own. Closed 18 May 2025

Witty exhibition in the sales gallery of the Photographers’ Gallery of new work by Alma Haser. Haser explores the quirks of German idioms, their origins and often unexpected English translations by creating literal sculptures and collages of the words. These create fun works often with sausage-based translations which do make you think about words. Closed 22 June 2025  

Engaging exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery showcasing the work of documentary photographer, Peter Mitchell. The work focuses on the transformation of Northern England and was shown here to reflect several series of work. I found the work drew me in and I’d liken it to the work of Martin Parr for its wry look at people and life. I loved a series recording a ghost-ride which visited Leeds every year and a clever set “A New Refutation of the Viking 4 Space Mission” from 1979 comparing urban landscape to the exploration of Mars. I think my favourites were a poignant set recording the demolition of the Quarry Hill Flats in Sheffield. Closed 15 June 2025 Review Guardian    

Intriguing exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery using AI to interrogate archive photographs. It takes the archive of Cecil Rhodes, the miner and Imperialist, held at the University of Oxford and shows how applying AI learning to them to create single shot films enhances the original prejudices as AI replies on the data it finds in the original source. Planetary Portals (Casper Laing Ebbensgaard, Kerry Holden, Michael Salu & Kathryn Yusoff) is a research group that delves into imperial archives to produce critical cartographies. It made me think more generally about how AI works and how it can distort information rather than clarifying it. Closed 15 June 2025    

Interesting exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery showcasing the four finalists in this year’s Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize. I always try to get to this show and this year it felt more connected to photography than some years. On the upper floor there was an installation featuring photographs by Cristina De Middel chronicling a journey along the Central American migrant route. They were interesting images and I love this one of a church but I’d have liked to know more about the people and places. Also upstairs was Rahim Fortune nominated for his photo book “Hardtack” looking at the conflicts and nuances associated with the post-emancipation America. These were lovely black and white images of everyday life. On the floor below was Tarrah Krajnak and I was impressed that, although she is mainly a performance artist, she records her work using photography and prints all her images herself. I particularly liked a series where she photographed her hands holding a ...

Beautiful exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of late 19th century portraits by Stanisław Wyspiański better known as a playwright, poet and the originator of modern Polish theatre. I loved the expressive nature of these works which were an interesting comparison to the Munch exhibition which was on in the gallery at the same time. I had a real sense of seeing and getting to know Wyspianski’s friends and family and seeing a cross section of intellectual Polish life at the time. Closes 13 July 2025 Review Times

Intriguing small exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at a photographers’ studio in London run by women and specialising in photographing women. The studio was set up at the end of the 19th century by Lallie Charles and run with her sisters Rita and Isabella Martin until Rita set up her own studio.   Charles specialised in photographing society ladies for the magazines which were becoming popular. The show featured the photographs alongside the features they were used in. Martin concentrated on stars of the stage and screen and there was a delightful selection of her work. Needless to say my favourite was a picture of the actress Gertie Miller with her dog Chum. As well as showcasing the work of these photographers the show also reflected the changing role of women in the early 20th century. Closes 19 October 2025  

Impressive iteration of this annual exhibition at Somerset House showcasing images from the last year. I try to get the this show every year and was impressed that this year they changed the layout slightly, setting a defined route through what can be a confusing space. The themes were a lot clearer too. Overall the professional submissions with a series of images were in the rooms and the open, one off images, along the corridor. My favourite section was the Surfaces one, which highlighted pictures of the built and natural environment often devoid of people. There were some striking images such as    Yu Ting Lei’s image of an old building surrounded by urban development work and Márton Mogyorósy image of a church from above. As ever the show was full of interesting and moving stories from Japanese toilets to Belfast street kids. However I think my favourite picture was this one by Michael Dunn of two Bolivian ladies playing golf which just made me smile. Last year’s ...

Charming exhibition at Charleston in Lewes of newly commissioned work by San Francisco artist Koak. This was a mix of paintings, sculpture and installations which cleverly mirrored the themes in the Vanessa Bell show downstairs. I could see echoes of Bloomsbury art in it. I think my favourite was the large sleeping woman which looked so bold in the space but I also liked the take on a pond.    Closes 21 September 2025

Lovely exhibition at Charleston in Lewes focusing on Vanessa Bell. As you know I’m a big Bloomsbury fan so I was so excited to see this show, which I’d not managed to get to when it was is Milton Keynes, and it didn’t disappoint. I loved that a lot of space was given to Bell’s earlier, groundbreaking work and that a big section looked at her design work. Most of the show was arranged by place, reflecting the importance of place to Bell, plus giving it a rough chronological structure. I liked the mixing of portraits and landscapes as places as are as much about the people in them as the space itself. I found lots of old friends but there was also a great selection of works from private collections and regional galleries. Closes 21 September 2025