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Curator's introduction to Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn’s Early Light

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Useful online lecture from the National Gallery introducing their exhibition of studies by Edwin Austen Abbey for the state capital of Pennsylvania. Christopher Riopelle, the curator of the exhibition, introduced us to this American artist who came to London in 1878 and never left. He rapidly made a name for himself in England including being commissioned to paint the coronation of Edward VII. Through his friend, John Singer Sargent, he was commissioned to design the murals for a room at the Boston Public Library and as a result of that he was then commissioned to design more murals for the state capital of Pennsylvania. He did studies for these in England and sent them to the US where Violet Oakley managed the project and completed it from Abbey’s studies after his death. Riopelle took us through the seven works in the exhibition on loan from Yale University explaining how Abbey had a studio built at his house in Sussex to undertake the project. He explained how Abbey produced ...
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Marvellous Maiolica: Pottery of Renaissance Italy

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Fascinating online lecture from the Wallace Collection looking at Maiolica ceramics. Suzanne Higgott, who had previously worked at the museum, led us though the history of Maiolica using the collection as the bones of the talk. I have been wanting to dip my toe into this world for a while and this was an excellent introduction to the subject. She started by discussing its origins and influences then looking at how it was made, talking us through the process of glazing and adding lustre. Next we worked through the main centres of production in Northern Italy and some of the more famous workshops. She showed us some beautiful examples and used them to introduce the main themes of decoration. I was interested to see how many were based on prints and how the topics reflected were the same as paintings of the time. She ended by discussing the 19th century revival which led to reproductions some of which were passed off as originals and collectors and museums vied to get the best pi...
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The Edwardians : Age of Elegance

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Glamourous exhibition at the King's Gallery looking at the monarchs on the Edwardian era. It defined Edwardian from Edward VII's marriage before he became to the throne to the end of the First World War and was gently themed while showing some fabulous paintings and objects. You started by looking at their private lives and processions with the two side rooms focusing on the smaller objects like Faberge rock crystal and gemstone animals and birds and photographs taken by Queen Alexandra. It also looked at their homes and included a dress worn by Alexandra. The other large room focused on court life including Edward and Alexandra's coronation robe and dress and wonderful paintings of the event. The final rooms took on a more political feel, looking at the role of Empire at the time and finishing with looking at the First World War and the monarch’s role in its commemoration. All in all this was a delight and who can argue with a show that has tiaras and portraits ...
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Punchdrunk x Woolwich Contemporary Art Fair Talk

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Interesting talk at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair at Woolwich Works examining a collaboration between these cultural neighbours. In a day of disappointment around talks at the show (see my previous post) it seemed inevitable that the IT failed for this event and it started late but Georgia Figgis, Community Engagement Manager at the immersive theatre company, Punchdrunk, and Cia Durrante, Head of Partnerships and VIPs for the print fair coped well and luckily it was a talk that didn't really need images. They discussed how their collaboration had come about and why collaboration is important to artistic creation and to help in these straightened times for the arts. Figgis talked about how every visitors’ visit to the show was unique as they went round in their own way and like the way their theatrical productions work. The talk was full of ambition and hopefully will lead to great things in the future, but they talked about how this had to be tempered by reality so the ou...
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Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair 2025

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Irritating version of this annual show at Woolwich Works focusing on the art of the print maker. The show had some good themes running through it but these weren't always clear. One featured 10 artists to mark the 10 years of the show which were scattered around the show but here was no distinct trail to find these. There were also curated sections with 50% of the hang being curated and the other 50% being space for galleries. Again this wasn't clear and some explanation of curatorial choices would have been interesting. I will also make my annual moan about the small labels often placed too low or too high to read or so close to a deep frame so they were overshadowed. Please get this right. Add to this a new moan that I booked a session with two talks I wanted to go to. The day before I got email reminders to both but on the day I found that one had been moved forward an hour and a half to a time I couldn’t make and the other had been moved to another day. As was type thi...
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Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025

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A striking iteration of this annual exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring the shortlisted works in this year’s photo portrait prize. As ever there were some stunning images and themes of old age and disability seemed to emerge such as Donato Telesca's stunning photograph from above of a Parolympian weightlifter. Can I have my usual moan about reflective glass on photographs? I would have loved to show you an image of Luan Davide Gray's "We Dare to Hug" showing a tender older gay couple but the reflection means you see more of me and the other people and works in the show than the picture itself. My favourite this year was Timon Benson's "About to Leave" of his father shown here just before he moved back to Kenya, pictured through his living room window. Other shout outs to Tom Parker's picture of three Mongolian contortionist girls creating great shapes, Tamsyn Warde's picture of a small child, Benji, in a pub with his favour...
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Female Invest pop-up

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Innovative pop-up installation outside St Martin in the Fields by Female Invest, a website to promote financial learning and support for female investors. The work marked 50 years since women in the UK gained the right to open a bank account and get a mortgage or a credit card without the signature of a man. There was a very helpful lady with the work who explained this to me but it would have benefited from an information board to explain it as well as it was drawing a crowd. It consisted of a series of covered boxes, the lady described as seats, with labels on them naming inspirational women including those in the world of finance. You could add names to blank labels to be placed in the centre of the work. It was simple but effective. It made me realise I had benefited from this change when I opened my first bank account at 18 just a couple of years later even though I remember my father accompanying me to the bank for this historic moment partly I suspect as he was going to h...
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