Cathy's Art Diary

Strange exhibition at Somerset House which appeared to be an exhibition of work by Josef and Anni Abers and Gary Hume but was as much a show of rugs based on their work by Christopher Farr. There was one of Gary Hume’s big shinny picture based on a hospital door then a big room of rugs in that design. Don’t get me wrong I liked them and wished I could have afforded one but it seems a little odd. In another room there was a selection of Josef Arbers square pictures and rugs based on them too! However the show also told you a lot about the artists and I was quite intrigued by Anni Arbers who had spent some time designing fabric which was reproduced here.

Retrospective exhibition at Tate Britain of the work of Gary Hume. These were wonderfully shiny paintings which really benefit from being seen in the flesh rather than reproduced as some of the detail is in the texture not the colour. For example there was a large picture called “The Red Barn Door” which in reproduction doesn’t look a lot better than a red square but in the flesh has the texture of a barn door and all the details drawn out within the paint. Very clever. I loved a picture called “Tulips” which as an almost cloisonné effect as the edges of the paint were raised.    Reviews Telegraph