Cathy's Art Diary

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at the output of Studio Prints, a leading printmaking workshop founded in 1968 and active until 2011. The workshop was run by Dorthea Wright and Marc Balakjian who had long term collaborations with many of the post war London artists include Lucien Freud, Frank Auerback and Leon Kossoff as well as maintaining artistic careers of their own. The show had some beautiful examples of the work they produced shown around a display of archive material. Who can resist this print of Freud's dog Pluto, but I think my favourite work was this lovely window by Wright herself. Closes 13 September 2026    

Charming exhibition at the Courtauld of photographs of Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson's studio from the early 1930s. The show compliments the main exhibition in the gallery of Hepworth's sculptures in colour from a few years later. The photographs were taken by Paul Liab during a period of intense collaboration and experimentation by the two artists. They included pictures of individual works and ones evoking the artists working in the studio. Liab photographed the work of many artists and his archive was donated to the Courtauld in 1974. Closes 4 October 2026.

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at Barbara Hepworth's use of colour in her sculpture and drawings. There was a good blend of sculpture and the drawings which Hepworth referred to as sculptures in disguise. The works were beautifully displayed with a good narrative. A shoutout as ever for the Courtauld for the excellent booklet with the label descriptions in which stops bottle necks in the show and is a useful reference to bring home. I think my favourite piece was this wooden version of "(Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red" which to me evokes the sun breaking though a blue sky. I hadn’t realised before that the strings in these works are in a contrasting colour to the paint. I also loved some pieces which I assume were coloured stone but now realise form reading the booklet again that they are painted marble. Closes 6 September 2026 Review Times

Surprising exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at the conservation of the wall paintings in a medieval tower near Peterborough. I say surprising because I didn't know the show was on and didn't know about the paintings. I love this period of art and there is so little left. I was intrigued by the story of how they were found by a Home Guard troop in the Second World War and to learn that the students of the Courtauld are now working to conserve them. The first room concentrated on the paintings themselves with a reproduction of one wall hitting you as you walked into the small space. There were good photographs of the other walls and some wonderful watercolours by Clive Rouse who conserved the paintings in the 1940s. They also included a psalter and bestiary from Peterborough Cathedral which may have influenced them. The second room looked at the current conservation project and the history of wall painting conservation at the Courtauld. There was a good video sh...

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at landscapes by female artists from 1760-1860. These works were by largely unknown artists working during the first 100 years of the Royal Academy. Some of the works had been shown in the annual shows, held at the time in the building they were now being displayed. There were some beautiful works and fascinating stories from Elizabeth Frances Batty's small works which were engraved and published as "Italian Scenery" in 1820, Mary Smirke who showed at the Royal Academy every year from 1809-1814 despite being hindered by her artist father who was on the hanging committee and Harriett Lister who later worked with her husband, Amos Green, on works which began with an ink blot. There were a number of potential novels in this show. Closes 20 May 2026

Calming exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at late works by Seurat of towns on the North Coast of France. The show brings together 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by the artist during the five summers he spent on the northern coast of France, between 1885 and 1890. They are arranged chronologically with an excellent commentary and in some cases reproductions of postcards of the same scene. It is amazing how he builds such clear and accurate scenes out of dabs of colour. Despite the fact the show was very busy, the paintings had a calming effect, slowing people down with the pastel colours. I'd gone expecting to like the pure seascapes best, but I loved the scenes of coastal towns with signs of modern life. I think my favourite was this one of a busy harbour. Closes 15 May 2026 Reviews Times Guardian

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery presenting works produced as part of a schools’ project looking at the gallery’s Van Gogh self-portrait. To coincide with two new site-specific commissions at the Courtauld Gallery by artist Rachel Jones students across the UK, local community members and families, have participated in free workshops, projects and events, exploring the picture to create their own artworks on the theme of ‘sense of self’. I was a bit unclear how Jones had fed into this but one work was responding to   her work. I loved this tiled version of the self-portrait where each person had painted a section in their own style also this stunning self-portrait by Ellie aged 17. A number of the works were presented in a studio style setting which was fun. Closed 15 February 2026

Charming exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of prints and drawings by Wayne Thiebaud to compliment the main show of his paintings. The focus was a series of 17 prints produced as a book and portfolio called “Delights” mainly of food.   A few of them which had been left in the studio were coloured by Thiebaud. They were delicate works often of the same subjects as the paintings but produced as distinct art works. The show also included some of the plates for the prints. Closed 18 January 2026

Surprising exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery focusing on Wayne Thiebaud. I say surprising because if you only know these calm, pastel images from reproduction you assume they have a smooth finish but, in reality, the objects are almost sculptured in low relief paint. They are more complex that you think. The show included some early pieces which were darker in colour with loose brushwork. The images tend to be of displays of food, often in shop windows, or nostalgic trappings of sweet shops. They have a distinctively American feel even when the objects shown might have come from anywhere. A number of people around me were saying how they had a feel of a Hopper in their sense of nostalgia but also strangely loneliness. I think my favourite was the large picture of cakes and I had to go to the café and indulge after my visit. Closed 18 January 2026 Reviews Guardian Telegraph

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of abstract art since the 1950s. This display was prompted by the recent acquisition of a drawing by American sculptor, Alice Adams, and it traces the development of abstract art in this period throughout the Western World. A tough ask in a small space. I must admit I struggle with this type of abstract work but the show told the story clearly and I felt I knew more even if I didn't respond to the work. There was a good cross section of artists from Philip Guston to Gerard Richter. I did like this burnt work by Susan Schwalb where she burnt the paper with a candle then added precis lines with a copper stylus. Closed 12 October 2025

Beautiful new commission for the Courtauld Gallery by Rachel Jones. The work consists of two large canvases made especially for the two chosen locations in the entrance foyer and ticket area. They are bright abstracts which contrast with and compliment the architecture of the space. Both are called Struck and are created in oil pastel on linen and evidently reference cartoons which I wouldn't have guessed. I love the light and colour they bring to the space and they create an inviting introduction to the building. No closing date given

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of drawings by Lousie Bourgeois. The show featured works from the 1960s and highlighted Bourgeois daily practice of drawing. These works come from a period following course of psychoanalysis and a hiatus from the art world. The drawings echo her sculptures on show in another show in the gallery at the time as well as the curves of landscapes and bodies. They also move from a monotone period to using more colour. I didn't find myself responding to the works but I loved the quotes from Bourgeois on drawing such as "the drawings allow me to pinpoint and define anxiety. And to turn it at least into fear." and calling drawing "thought feathers".    Closed 14 September 2025

Charming exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery featuring some star works from the Barber Collection. This is the second show of works from the Barber Collection in Birmingham which I have seen recently as it is currently being refurbished and its collection is on tour. This selection was a wonderful who's who of artists and formed a good overview of art history. From a small Bellini to Degas and Toulouse Lautrec there were many moments of meeting old friends and works I have seen in so many online talks. It was a lovely touch to show three works within the Courtauld's main galleries to highlight links between the two collections. A particularly good hang was the bringing together of two versions of an "Ecce Homo" by Van Dyck next to each other to give the opportunity to compare and contrast.   Closes 22 February 2026

Baffling exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of work by three female artists of the late 20th century. I found the concept of the "abstract erotic" wasn’t well explained and got confused with the idea of "eccentric abstraction" both coined by American art critic Lucy Lippard. As far as I can tell both involved the use of unex cepted materials and often took a sensual approach to abstraction. The first room contained works by all three artists to illustrate this. The second room devoted a section to each artists, Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Alice Adams, with an overview of their career and was more approachable. Closed 14 September 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph

Interesting small exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of works on paper by Austrian and German 20th century artists. The show explained these works and the links between artists well and went into some detail on the techniques. There was also a section on the cultural anxiety of around the changing role of women. I think my favourite work was a portrait of Reinhard Piper by Peter Trumm which mimicked the effect of wood grain. I was also interesting to see a printing block made by Kandinsky. Closed 22 June 2025  

Lovely exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of works from the Oskar Reinhart Collection. This Swiss collection has a similar collecting policy to the Courtauld and Reinhart and Courtauld met in London in 1949. There was just a selection of work here with an emphasis on the Impressionists and Post- Impressionists but it included a beautiful earlier Goya of salmon steaks. I loved a picture of a wave by Courbet from 1870 which drew you into the pattern of the water as well as a Sisley of barges. My favourite though was a Manet of a café which had originally been part of a larger canvas which he reworked as two pictures the other being a well-known painting of a waitress now in The Met. Closed 25 May 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard  

Strange exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery focusing on the drawings of Henri Michaux done under the influence of the drug Mescaline. These were abstract works affected by the taking of a psychedelic drug in 1955. Michaux considered them to be a reflection of the inner workings of the mind and continued to produce work influenced by the experience into the 1960s.   He published various books and a film on the topic. The works themselves were quite repetitive consisting of packed images of fine lines so the more interesting aspect of the show was that it told the history of the use of these drugs in therapy and by artists. Closes 4 June 2025 Review Guardian  

Niche but  fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery exploring how different technologies of reproduction have shaped encounters with artworks since the 19th century. The main focus was on an ivory mirror case from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection of the “Castle of Love”. The show discussed the different types of casts which has been made of it to spread its image and allow study along with print versions of it. The original was there and I was surprised at how poor the modern 3D printed version was. The show also looked at the use of new technology in the 19th century from glass slides to brass rubbings used by art historians. Closes 14 February 2025

Interesting exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery of works on blue paper from their collection. The show explained how artists used blue paper to give a mid-tone to drawings and watercolour sketches. It also looked at the different types of blue paper and how it was made. The best aspect was the beautiful works which were on show from a drawing from Tintoretto's workshop to a 20th century piece by Wyndham Lewis. I loved a small Turner landscape and wonderful church interior by Pieter Saenredam from 1634. I was most intrigued at the story with a female nude by Govert Flinck from 1648. It represents one of the earliest documented cases of women posing nude in Western art as a court case from the same year tells us that Flinck painted three sisters "stark naked".   Closes 26 January 2025

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery bringing together twenty one of Monet's paintings of the River Thames. Monet had hoped that these works would be shown together in London   but a planned show for 1905 never happened. This show fulfils this wish just yards from the Savoy from which he made the sketches for two of the series. The 21 works, brought together from around the world, were hung in the three series of Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. I was fascinated to see that he only did sketches in London and that all the finished works were done back in Giverny. The commentary explained how Monet was captivated by the London fogs and the effect they had on light. Although you can view the pictures in any order I'd recommend going round in number order as the useful leaflet and labels do build a narrative. These are stunning pictures on their own but benefit from seeing them as a group   to really see what Monet was trying ...