Cathy's Art Diary

Beautiful exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of works by contemporary sculptor, Thomas J Price, among the older pieces in the collection’s sculpture galleries. I’ve admired Price’s hyper-real work for a while and it worked well in this space. I liked the fact it included small and large work but I would have liked to see more of it. I just counted five pieces plus a sixth in the British Galleries which I missed. It was lovely to set up a dialogue between the old and new pieces and between the sculptors of the past with this contemporary black view. Closes 27 May 2024  

Interesting small display at the Victoria and Albert Museum looking at the digital art collection of Patric Prince which has been donated to the museum. I’m not sure I’m understood all the pieces but was moved to see that many of them would no longer exist if she hadn’t collected them. It feels like it’s almost too early to assess their importance. It was interesting to see how many pieces included notes by the artists/producers when they gave them to her. I particularly liked the idea of an event in 1992 when photographs were transferred between machines and enhanced by the receiver. The picture in the show from this was a portrait of Prince. Closes 15 September 2024  

Small display at the Victoria and Albert Museum highlighting the donation of over 2400 drawings and items relating to Beatrix Potter by Leslie Linder.  Linder died in 1973 and his collection was left to the museum. The display looked at how his collecting started with a drawing of gardening Guinea Pigs which led him to be a scholar of her work publishing “The Art of Beatrix Potter” in 1952.  Most significantly, when Potter’s niece, who inherited her house, discovered a collection of her journa ls written in code, Linder deciphered them discovering many of the stories behind the books.  In a few objects the display told this complicated story simply and clearly.  Closes 14 September 2024

Fascinating exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum looking at portraits of   two Jamaican gentlemen scholars who lived nearly 300 years apart. There was a room devoted to each figure, putting them in context, and discussing their lives. This was a great way of contrasting but linking different lives. I started with the room on contemporary photographer, Vanley Burke, whose portrait was a self-portrait taken this year. Burke has recorded black lives via his photography and the artefacts he has collected relating to the black presence in Britain. The photographs and objects were shown together and created a picture of life in this country since the 1950s. It was interesting to then contrast this to the life of Francis Williams, a free born black Jamaican who was educated in England then returned to the island to manage the family estates. The portrait is quite naïve but beautiful and full of objects. It may be a self-portrait. I was interested to see that the globe to th...

Beautiful exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum looking at the work of Gabrielle Chanel. I found the pieces in this show stunning and the narrative it built excellent, but I do have some criticism on the layout. The show is a sell out and so is very busy, particularly as I think people are becoming   members in order to get in. The layout is innovative but not for the numbers it is catering for, so the early section, which is laid out charmingly like small shop fronts, is very cramped. It becomes nearly impossible to read the information boards. I had done an online lecture on the show so could live without the boards but it was annoying, as was the showing of films in such narrow spaces that they caused bottle necks. While I’m moaning I’ll also add that the glass cases where too reflective so at times, particularly if a film was running nearby it was difficult to see the clothes. Moaning over because the clothes themselves were stunning. It was amazing to see so many...

Useful online lecture from ARTscapades introducing the exhibition on Rubens and women at Dulwich Picture Gallery. I say useful as I’d hoped to get to the show but I’ve run out of time now so I was pleased to hear an explanation of what was there and what narrative they are suggesting. Amy Orrock, a co-curator of the show, guided us through the four rooms and their themes. The show is built around the seven pictures by Rubens owned by the gallery which are all of women. She guided us though those as well as the excellent loans which illuminate those works and add to the story. The show looks at portraits, Biblical subjects and Rubens development of the nude discussing the idea of the Rubenesque figure. I was interested to hear that Orrock feels it is based on the antique “Crouching Venus” figure. Wherever it comes from I think I have it!

Sublime exhibition at the Hayward Gallery of work by photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. I say sublime as a lot of the work had that awe inspiring quality of sublime landscapes particularly the seascapes. Some of the pieces also had an eerie quality like the portraits of wax works from Madame Tussaud’s which looked real. I loved the idea of layers of history in them from the original subject, the wax work, the photograph and us the viewer. I loved the first baffling series which appeared to be perfectly posed wildlife shots although the one of an early man and women messed with your mind. You then realised they were dioramas from the Museum of Natural History in New York.   I also liked the pictures of interiors of cinemas and theatres. Sugimoto had taken them on a timed exposure the same length as a feature film that was shown. This resulted in the screen in the centre being an intense light. I found myself slowing down I look at them in detail and being drawn into that centr...

Baffling exhibition at Somerset House by Sonya Dyer. The work consisted of a two screen video called Action>Potential which I’m afraid did nothing for me. The commentary said the character “Andromeda is trying to return home to her galaxy after unexpectedly finding herself in a science lab, where she comes across a rogue mitochondria named Lucy”. Evidently it also “metaphorically embodies the reclamation of the neglected stories of Black women of science and mythology”. Sorry but all of that passed me by. It was shown with a large scale sculpture of a mitochondria which oozed between rooms via a fireplace. I thought it was effective in the space and suitably weird. Closed 12 November 2023

Lovely exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of 18th century drawings of Venice. The show as a whole built a sense of the city at the time which was then, as now, a magnet for visitors from carnival figures, through scenes of the Grand Canal, portraits of characters and records of interior design. I loved a small drawing by Pietro Antonio Novelli of a gnocchi seller. I’d not known that the Friday before lent was called Gnocchi Friday and Punchinello figures like this sold them in the streets. I also liked the tiny watercolours of the Grand Canal on blue paper like postcards. My favourite work was a picture of the church by the Rialto by Canaletto which looked just like it does now. I struck up a lovely conversation with the gentleman next to me about where the fish market was in relation to it. Closes 11 February 2024  

Surprising good  exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery by 14-18 year olds in response to Édouard Manet’s painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) in gallery’s collection. I say surprising as, often when a gallery showcases art by young people, it can feel a bit shallow but this included some beautiful pieces and illuminated aspects of the painting I’d not thought about before. The project brief was developed by The Courtauld’s learning team in collaboration with a group of young people and Turner Prize-winning artist and Courtauld alumnus, Jeremy Deller, and was open to UK wide submissions. I was immediately drawn to a stunning painting of a pub interior by Mariel aged 17. I’d happily have it on my wall. I also liked two pieces focusing on the mandarins on the bar which I’d not realised were luxury items at the time. An innovative piece analysed the scents which might have been in the scene and there were a series of tins reproducing them. Surprisingly effective once you ...

Beautiful exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of work by contemporary artist Claudette Johnson. The first room showed her signature large figurative drawings of Black women including self-portraits. The draftsmanship was stunning. I loved a trilogy of pictures. The second room moved into more recent pieces in pastel and gouache. At the core are stunning drawings set against colourful yet simple abstract backgrounds. I loved the contrast of the defined drawing and loose brushwork. My favourite, Blues Dance, had been done for the show and showed a woman dancing, completely absorbed in the moment. Closes 14 January 2024 Reviews Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard

Fascinating small exhibition at Somerset House looking at cutting edge design solutions and how they come about. Makerversity is a community of over 300 creatives based at Somerset House and this show highlights work by current and previous members. The central room included a workshop hosting four projects in rotation showing their working practice. There were some brilliant projects and I was drawn to a process inspired by a Candy Floss machine to turn waste plastic into usable fibres. It seemed a simple solution for a small manufacturer. I was also intrigued by a headband which delivered low electrical impulses to eradicate period pains and other symptoms. If the girls being interviewed on the video were anything to go by I wish this had been available to me. I wasn’t so convinced by the idea of a crop to grow fully formed hats but I’m prepared to be proved wrong. Closes 4 February 2024  

Excellent online course from the London Art History Society looking in depth at the life and work of Nicolas Poussin. Over five weeks and ten lectures Giulia Martina Weston led us thought the themes in Poussin’s work, placing him within the context of his time. The 17th century isn’t a period in art I know very well so as well as learning about the artist I also got a good overview of the art market in Italy and France at the time. I was fascinated by hearing that critics at the time talked about Poussin as the anti-Caravaggio and the New Raphael. I must admit in the Caravaggio v Raphael argument I’m with the former so I felt that explained why I don’t feel drawn to Poussin. Despite not being a fan of Poussin I feel I will now get a lot more from looking at his work as I now understand his philosophy from his Neo-stoicism, his vision of art as poetry and how he used biblical and mythical texts, his repletion of images like the variations in music and use of the antique. We als...

Minimal exhibition at Tate Britain of sculptures by Rhea Dillon. This display is in the Art Now series and was described as bringing the works together “as a conceptual fragmentation of a Black woman’s body.” I must admit I didn’t get that but it was at the end of a long day of art. There were 6 or 7 pieces in quite a large white room and they didn’t seem to speak to each other. Aesthetically I liked the large Perspex cube but without the description I would never have thought it represented lungs “which Dillon renders as breath lost and stolen from Black subjects.” Closes 1 January 2024    

Fascinating  display at Tate Britain of drawings and watercolours by contemporary artist Chris Ofili shown with works by William Blake that inspired him. It was a clever move to have the different artists in different rooms and the show would have worked whatever order you saw them in. Both artists drew from a variety of sources to inspire their work and the colour palette is similar. It is surprising to think the artists were working 200 years apart.   There were good explanations of the works and some Blake’s I’d never seen before. Closes 2 June 2024    

Fascinating  display at Tate Britain on the work of early 20th century artist Ethel Walker. This is a period of British art that I love yet I was surprised that I had not come across Walker, particularly as she had done a portrait of Vanessa Bell and as you may know I’m a Bloomsbury nerd. The commentary explained how she had been made a Dame and was described in her obituary in the Times as “the most important woman artist of her time”. She represented Britain three times at the Venice Biennale. How fickle is the art market! I thought the works were just as good and interesting as the pieces in the permanent collection in the next room from about the same time. I particularly liked the portraits which were tender and colourful. She also did large murals she called ‘decorations’ and I loved “The Excursion of Nausicaa” which created a Utopian vision of an all female society. Surely that should be up with   “Orlando”   and “The Well of Loneliness” as major Lesbian art...

Retrospective exhibition at Tate Britain of work by Sarah Lucas. The show was beautifully arranged with each room feeling like an installation. I loved that some pieces were displayed without barriers. A lot of the commentary in the booklet is written by Lucas which gives it an immediacy. I am afraid through that I just don’t relate to Lucas’s work. I understand it and welcome the points it makes but I don’t find it that attractive. It was like the Philip Guston show I saw a few days earlier in that it benefits from being shown as a buddy of work but I wouldn’t want a piece. I won’t be rushing out to stuff a pair of tights. The title references Nitrous Oxide and it was a coincidence that I visited on the day its sale was banned in the UK. Closes 14 January 2024 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard

Stunning new mural/installation on the stairs of Tate Britain by Chris Ofili. The space is more walled in than before so it is given a feeling of a church with frescos. You are hit by the vibrant colour all around you and the immense images. I was pleased to see it is actually painted onto the wall rather than being an enlarged reproduction. A real feat as well as being beautiful. The work is a homage to the Grenfell fire and the artist Khadija Saye who died in it. Ofili had worked with her at the 2017 Venice Biennale. The description explains the work is in chapters and a handy leaflet explains the narrative although you don’t need it to be moved by the piece. Ongoing Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph  

Heavy exhibition at Tate Britain looking at feminist art over twenty years at the end of the last century. I say heavy because it was a mix between an art exhibition and social history. There was a lot to read and I must admit at times it was just too much. There were a lot of groups and movements to represent and it became a bit indigestible. I liked the way it was set out with themes that made it vaguely chronological and the use of chip board display cabinets which gave it a feel of the period. I also liked the mix of fine art and the imagery of political magazines and pamphlets. At times though the labels in the cases were a long way from the objects. It was nice to hear the show stimulating conversations as people went round. A lot of the audience, including myself, were of the era being shown so I’m not sure if it was history to us or nostalgia. It did make me realise how far we’ve come since 1970. Closes 14 April 2024 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening S...

Interesting online lecture from ARTscapades re-interpreting the Renaissance. Jonathon Jones, the art critic of the Guardian, outlined his new book of the same title as the lecture leading us through his arguments that the Renaissance was a time when people’s minds turned to pleasure and away from the Medieval despair and a focus on the next life. He saw perspective as the means by which artists could express these ideas and the merchants who commissioned the art as the drivers of it. He discussed how the period saw the rediscovery of the nude in art and how classical writings and myths drove a new eroticism. Having done a lot of Renaissance studies, I enjoyed the arguments and recognised many of them however the talk and book have been billed as a re-interpretation and I’m not sure I found that from the talk. Maybe I need to read the book to get more.  

Interesting exhibition at Tate Modern on the 20th century American artist Philip Guston. I’d done a course on Guston the week before and was very glad I had as his career was so varied I’m not sure I would have understood the trajectory of it just with the commentaries although they were good. You hardly believe that one artist did all the work as each period is so different. The show is chronological, starting with early pieces inspired by contemporary European art and the early Italian Renaissance. I was fascinated to see how his art developed purely from looking and that he had no formal training. There was a good section of his mural work which combined good archive material with easel works of the same period to show their style. I think these pieces were my favourites as they did remind me of Italian frescos. The period post Second World War saw him move into abstract expressionism along with other American artists. I never respond well to this type of art but it was wel...

Fabulous and enlightening exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands looking at the role of Jewish Londoners in fashion and the clothing industry. The Museum of London always puts on excellent exhibitions and this was no exception. They are well designed and simply explained. I loved the focus on telling people's stories in this show and the personal objects and I was astonished at how many well-known brands have Jewish origins. The show was cleverly divided into East End and West End separated by a walkway which discussed how the opening of Oxford Circus tube station and the development of the Central Line linked the two areas. I loved the themed areas which were often designed like small shops or workshops. There are too many stories to report and I would really encourage you to go and read them yourself. Highlights for me include E. Moses and Sons in Aldgate which was the biggest clothing shop in England in 1846 having been founded in 1829, the luggage company Molmax wh...

Moving exhibition at One Canada Square of photographs from the Daily Mirror. The show marked the 120th anniversary of the paper and was displayed around the walls of the foyer. The Mirror has the first paper to give photographs a prominent place and the early examples in particular are fascinating. The 55 pictures gave a good overview of British political and social history over the period. They are shown with good short descriptions and the name of the photographer where it’s known. It would have been nice to see some original prints but for a show in this sort of space it was done well. I say moving because once you get into the pictures from your lifetime the memories come flooding back and the last one of a father saying goodbye to the son he was putting on a train out of the Ukraine bought a tear to my eye. The photos did reflect the papers left of centre bias but, as I sympathise, that added to it for me. However my favourite picture was this one of Dr Crippen being smug...

Interesting symposium organised by the Sam Fogg Gallery and held at the Royal Institution on the artistic links between the Islamic world and Europe. The symposium compliments an exhibition currently in their gallery and brought together some excellent speakers on the topic. Federica Gigante, from the Khalili Research Centre at the University of Oxford talked about how slaves from the wars with the Ottoman Empire, who were used to row pirate galleys by the Italians, were allowed to manufacture and sell goods in the 'off' season in the Renaissance period. Operating in Western Italy their presence partly explains the more ordinary Ottoman goods in Italy which would not have come via trade routes. I know a lot about this period but had never come across and found it rather mind blowing! Susana Calvo Capilla , a professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, discussed the political implications of the term Mudejar style in 19th century Spain and now.   I have to admit t...

Strange exhibition at Nahmad Projects of new work by Ksenia Pasyura. I say strange as they were paintings of rather surreal figures with exaggerated features and limbs which are evidently meant to lead you to question conventional ideas of beauty and identity. I liked the colour and vibrancy but they were not to my taste. However I am reading "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" at the moment which has a character with abnormally large thumbs so they did have a certain resonance for me at the moment.   This was another new gallery to me. There seems to be a rash of them at the moment. Closed 24 November 2023

Colourful exhibition at the Stephen Friedman of new work by Yinka Shonibare. This show included some of Shonibare's signature sculptures featuring brightly coloured waxed Ankara fabric. I particularly liked this life-sized horse and rider which comments on colonialism but also remined me of Papageno in The Magic Flute. Complementing this statue were some large applique quilts featuring large, colourful, endangered birds. Alongside Shonibare's work was a group presentation of work by African artists and the African diaspora curated by the artist some of whom had participated   in a residency programme he runs in Lagos. This work seemed duller in comparison but it set up an interesting dialogue. Closed 11 November 2023

Charming exhibition at Messums Cork Street of new work by ceramicist Christie Brown. As well as having some of her figurative ceramic sculptures, the show also included some wonderful large life drawings. The figures in the drawings had been reworked, redrawn and collaged to give a sculptural effect and a sense of movement. The palette was similar to the ceramic figures so they worked brilliantly together. It really complimented the Elizabeth Frink studio recreation which was shown with it. Closed 18 November 2023    

Delightful installation at Messums in Cork Street recreating the sculptor Elizabeth Frink's studio. I love Frink's work so it was a wonderful surprise to pop into this gallery and find this atmospheric recreation of her studio. It turns out in 2019 Messums Wiltshire was involved in rescuing the studio from collapse and reconstructed it in their barn. It is now being moved to a new purpose-built location. I loved the mix of objects in the space from some beautiful sculptures, though working plaster casts to the sink and water heater! Closed 24 November 2023  

Surprising exhibition at Alon Zakaim Fine Art of works by Marc Chagall. This is why I love drifting around Mayfair art galleries. You suddenly come across a show that might be a major headline piece in a museum. I could image this as a focus show at the Courtauld. The display showcased pieces from the finest collections of privately owned Chagall works in the UK dating from 1938 to 1984. Some of the more complex works had good labels explaining who was in the pictures and the symbolism of them. Shown over two floors there was a fascinating selection of works a number of which were for sale and had sold. Generously a number were shown in their extensive windows for those not brave enough to go in. I did go in but I wasn't brave enough to take a photo in the show so this is a piece in the window. Closes 16 February 2024    

Impressive exhibition at Tiwani Contempory of new work by Anglo-Nigerian artist Joy Labino. This was another exciting new gallery space I found on a walk up Cork Street although I did find it a challenge to find the way in. I loved these big, bold works depicting an everyday Black life and family dynamics. There was a tenderness to the interactions and I loved the bold colours. The surface had a broken-up quality while being readable and engaging. Loved the quote in the press release that the show is "Labinjo speaking to herself, and to anyone that feels the same as she". Although placed in a culture, I felt they were about the universality of human experience. Closed 11 November 2023

Bright, glossy exhibition at Waddington Custot of new work by Ian Davenport. I was excited to see these as I'd recently come across a large, public installation by Davenport by the O2 in Greenwich and wanted to see more work by him. The main works are large, striped pictures where the paint has been allowed to either skew across the bottom of the work or apparently flow onto the floor. A couple of others looked as if paint had been thrown at the canvas in quite a precise way. I loved the mix of a Bridget Riley type precision with mess. Closed 10 November 2023