Art
William Rolls
15/11/18 13:54 Filed in: Art
William Rolls is a ceramic animal sculptor specialising in dogs.
The background to his work is that it’s the distillation of many years of experimentation and exploration of ideas and materials. Current work is hand-built at the studio in Hereford and mainly salt-fired in the Welsh Borders. His latest work is to explore different surface finishes to capture furry coats, subtle expressions and emotions. In each piece he attempts to capture the movement, life and essence of the subject.See more online here >>> www.mulberrytreegallery.co.uk
Carla van de Puttelaar
28/04/18 14:24 Filed in: Art
ARTFULLY DRESSED: WOMEN IN THE ART WORLD
THE WEISS GALLERY | 16 – 31 May 2018From 16 - 31 May 2018, The Weiss Gallery will hold one of its most unique exhibitions to date: 'Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World', portraits by Carla van de Puttelaar. Sixty photographs of some of the most influential women in the art world today will be shown.
This is an exciting venture for The Weiss Gallery, specialists in Tudor, Stuart and Northern European portraiture. Gallery owner Mark Weiss sees Carla's unique reinterpretation of historic portraiture and costume as an important iconographic re-working of his most beloved art-form - portraiture. It is a visually sumptuous project, and he comments: “I have always been interested in photography, and this project, combining as it does my passion for the human face and form, showcases Carla's genius in dramatically capturing the personality of her sitters in a uniquely evocative way.”
Carla van de Puttelaar's striking photographs, inspired by historical portraits, offer an insight into the women running the international art world, from artists and gallery directors, to curators, designers and art historians. Van de Puttelaar describes the works as 'idealistic', but although the portraits are an attempt at aesthetic perfection through the lens of traditional iconography, yet they subvert that very trope. The theme in itself is a challenging feminist statement at a time when gender equality in the workplace and the art world is in the news. Carla questions what constitutes female beauty, power and by extension, vulnerability.
Van de Puttelaar's photographic work has gained global recognition, and she has exhibited in numerous museums and galleries around the world. Her work has also been featured in significant publications such as The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. Carla has always had a keen interest in portraiture and photographs her sitters in natural light, with very dark, Caravaggesque backgrounds. There is an intensity to her portraits, and she describes her work as recording a specific, momentary expression, be it emotional or powerful, but always individual.
Among the sitters are Maria Balshaw CBE, Director of the Tate Art Museums and Galleries; Fashion historian Amber Butchart; Emilie Gordenker, Director of the Mauritshuis; Lidewij de Koekkoek, Director of the Rembrandt House Museum; Catharine MacLeod, Curator of 17th Century Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery; Hanna Klarenbeek, Curator at the Paleis Het Loo; Aileen Ribeiro, Fashion Historian and Costume Expert; Jennifer Scott, Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery; Diana Scarisbrick, pre-eminent Jewellery Historian; Burcu Yuksel, Art Consultant and Dealer; Miho Kajioka, Photographer; Fariba Farshad, Director of Photo London and Roxana Halls, Artist, among others. They are dressed in haute couture, by famous designers such as Iris van Herpen, Jan Taminiau and Claes Iversen, vintage and period costume, or wrapped in sumptuous historic fabrics by Watts of Westminster. Carla describes her sitters as: 'Powerful, beautiful and so bright…'
As well as being a respected photographer, Carla van de Puttelaar is an Art Historian who gained her PhD from Utrecht University specialising in 17th Century Scottish portraiture. She studied at Gerrit Rietveld Academy to become a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Photography. Carla lives and works as an artist in Amsterdam, and has lectured at various institutions including the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Her wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed her to build a strong network of friends and colleagues in the art world, forming the inspiration for her prestigious list of sitters for The Weiss Gallery's exhibition.
For more information please visit www.weissgallery.com
Wood Engravings by Anne Desmet and Friends
16/03/18 15:47 Filed in: What's On
Exhibition: 5 May - 23 June 2018
Printmaker Anne Desmet RA will curate an intimate exhibition of contemporary wood engravings at Kevis House Gallery in Petworth, West Sussex. Anne Desmet is one of only three wood engravers to be elected as Academicians in the Royal Academy's 250-year history.The show will feature the work of six artists; Anne Desmet RA, Neil Bousfield, Edwina Ellis, Peter Lawrence, Peter S Smith and Roy Willingham.
“What I hope to create is a sense of six mini solo exhibitions, each one bringing out some of the abiding threads in each artist's work." Says Desmet. "Although all of the artists regularly exhibit with the Society of Wood Engravers, none of the works shown here has ever previously been exhibited by the Society of Wood Engravers, so they will offer a wealth of unseen delights to even the most assiduous devotee of wood engraving exhibitions. All the engravings shown will offer key insights into the ongoing, long-held interests of each engraver and all are works that each artist considers seminal in their expansive oeuvre.”
Neil Bousfield is a younger artist whose engravings started out as imagery in self generated novels without words, following in the grand tradition of Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward and bearing striking similarities to the characteristic noir atmosphere of Ward's 1930's engravings. More recently Bousfield has experimented with subtle overlays of printed colour, tone and pattern, developed from vigorous, keenly observed drawings of beaches, harbours and landscape near his home in Norfolk, coupled with imaginative aerial views, contours and geography of Ordnance Survey maps. “ The work here explores the notion of place and home encapsulated through experience, memory and narrative,” says Bousfield “made tangible within drawing and engraving."
Anne Desmet RA's chooses architectural motifs as her subject matter. However whilst her engravings depict specific places, they are also intended to represent something universal; the way light brings life to a subject; the way apparently permanent structures are poignantly prone to the ravages and redevelopments of time, weather and human intervention. Her interests also spreads into what our buildings tell us about mankind's great aspirations, follies, passions and humour.
Desmet enjoys playing with shape, form and structure - to break down and rebuild existing structures into invented or more abstract forms through the medium of collage. These small scale, highly detailed works which take, often, many weeks to create, may evoke in the viewer a sense both of timelessness or of the passage of time - or both ideas simultaneously. These are the abiding thoughts and threads that have connected her prints and collages since her first tentative engravings (in the mid 1980s) to today, whether their subject is ancient Rome London's Olympic site, Brooklyn Bridge, a derelict neo-classical interior or Eton College.
Edwina Ellis established her reputation with meticulously wrought, observational, landscape and still life engravings. Recently PhD studies have led her to experiment "with colour and compound engraving and printing and continue to augment the modular collection of engravings, vinyl cuts and linocuts developed during this research. My current aim," Ellis says, "is to harness and combine the techniques I have developed in the belief that experimental journeys close in on what it's all about."
Closer looks at Ellis's work shows a strong sense of the abstract within the particular, a sense of layering and an intricate textile reminiscent of woven textiles.
Peter Lawrence's engravings have long celebrated the glorious abstract potential of the wood engraving medium at a time when many other British practitioners stayed firmly within the figurative tradition of Bewick.
"Dark Corners, is one of the first completely abstract prints. Working from an outline drawing of forms, the engraving is largely improvised. Other prints are abstracted from life, or combine a series of differently styled engravings with an abstract form, sometimes using multiple blocks to resemble collage." says Lawrence.
Peter S Smith's engravings, like Edwina Ellis's, have a strong textural quality and a pervading sense of the abstract within the particular.
"On sunny days, while waiting for the train. I draw my shadow across the station: some of the drawings become engravings."
Smith's engravings are fascinating both as semi-abstract compositions in light and shade but also because the character of each engraved mark and the combination of marks he makes are unpredictable and unexpected.
Roy Willingham has long been concerned with the fine balance between the figurative and the abstract. His starting point is often meticulously observed drawings yet many diverse influences including Russian Constructivist graphics, Edward Wadsworth's Dazzle Ship engravings, Picasso, Matisse and a vibrant yet finely calibrated sense of colour and tone have long invested his work with great energy and originality. They are truly miniature marvels.
Refering to his print Downland, Willingham says "This print derives from the memory of a walk over the South Downs from Hassocks to Lewes and a solitary tree near Ditchling Beacon standing out against the emptiness of the downland landscape."
Kevis House Gallery hosts the Society of Wood Engravers Annual Exhibition each year (next held November - December 2018). The gallery holds a large collection of work by the wood engraver Gwenda Morgan (1908 - 1991). Kevis House also exhibits pictures by a range of contemporary artists.
For more information please visit www.kevishouse.com
Half A World Passed Me By
14/11/17 19:35 Filed in: Art
A solo show by artist David Walker
Lawrence Alkin Gallery: 17 November – 9 December 2017Press and Private View: Thursday 16 November 6-8pm
In November, Berlin-based street artist David Walker will unveil a brand new body of work at London’s Lawrence Alkin Gallery.
Featuring several ‘firsts’ for the artist predominately known for his large-scale female portraits, Half A World Passed Me By includes works of both female and male sitters.
The show sees the introduction of brushes, acrylics and new techniques for Walker, whose previous works were made exclusively freehand with spray paint. On his new approach, Walker commented: “Although the spray paint medium is still present in this new body of work, I feel using new approaches and materials has allowed me a fresh dexterity and an opportunity to mature as a painter.”
Half A World Passed Me By also includes figurative works, studies and sketches, and Walker will introduce a series of text-based paintings featuring his own writing.
Collaborating with Berlin based multidisciplinary artist Yuli Gates on a number of pieces within the show, David has also used Yuli as a model for some paintings. Together Walker and Gates have created works that juxtapose form and flora, fusing painting with hand embroidery techniques.
There will also be separate collaborations with German graffiti artists turned contemporary painters, Base 23 and Mina.
The show title ‘Half A World Passed Me By’ contains various personal references, in keeping with this new body of work. WaIker explains: “I have been completely blind in my right eye since birth. It’s not common knowledge as I didn’t want it to be used it as a USP for my work. I also turned 40 last year, coinciding with one of the most difficult periods in my life for many reasons. In the aftermath I feel far more fearless as a person and artist and far more comfortable to invite people further into my world.
“Nowadays I’m more interested in making my work more intimate, I endeavour to create things that are an extension of my life and experience, the people around me and my reality.”
Half A World Passed Me By is made up of around 25 works, featuring male and female portraits, figurate paintings, form and flora and poetic texts. The pieces range from 25cm x 25cm up to 160cm x 220cm and have been created using a mix of spray paint, acrylic, ink and embroidery. The show is split over two levels at Lawrence Alkin Gallery, the top floor focusing on portrait and figurative work and the downstairs showcasing new text based work, portrait studies and collaborations.
Walker’s last London show was in November 2014 at the Hoxton Arches in conjunction with Lawrence Alkin Gallery and was a sell-out show. Since then, Walker has been busy painting large-scale murals on streets in France, Denmark, Belgium and New York. He also recently created pieces for the Street Art Museum in Amsterdam and the just-opened Urban Nation Museum for urban contemporary art in Berlin.
Born in London, Walker is now based in Berlin and has a studio in a former primary school in Kreuzberg, one of the few buildings in the area to survive the war. Walker comments on his now-home: “Berlin is full of life and inspiration, there is enough here to feed you forever.”
Half A World Passed Me By will be on display from Friday 17 November – Saturday 9 December at Lawrence Alkin Gallery, 42 New Compton Street London WC2H 8DA www.lawrencealkingallery.com @lagalleryart
Save Black Rhinos on Black Friday
14/11/17 13:06 Filed in: Art
At ‘The ART OF OPPORTUNITY Affordable Art Sale’ on Friday 24th November 2017
To coincide with ‘Black Friday’, a shopping tradition which started in the USA the day after Thanksgiving, and is so-called after the custom of businesses recording their losses in red ink but their gains in black, The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) is holding an ‘Art of Opportunity: Affordable Art Sale’ both on-line and in their newly re-furbished gallery below their offices at Saba House, 7 Kings Road, Shalford, nr Guildford, Surrey.The ‘Art of Opportunity Affordable Art Sale’ which will run on towards Christmas, will not only give supporters the chance to buy a selection of stunning prints at reduced prices from the charity’s on-line catalogue, but in addition a selection of eclectic art donated by artists and trustees from their own private art collections. In addition to more well-known wildlife artists there are items from esteemed painters William Russell Flint to Terence Cuneo. Proceeds from the sale will go to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, enabling funding of not only black rhino but a host of other species conservation projects across Africa and Asia which they fund in order protect some of the world’s most endangered animals.
Karen Botha, CEO DSWF said “This really is a wonderful opportunity to buy a wide variety of art to suit varied styles and tastes – not only for yourself but as early Christmas gifts for your friends and family.”
All proceeds after costs from the sale of each original piece will go directly to support the work of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation funding vital conservation initiatives across Africa and Asia.
Exhibition opening
01/08/17 12:23 Filed in: Art
MIX: Summer Group Show
Lawrence Alkin Gallery: 28th July – 2nd Sept 2017Private View and Press Preview: Thurs 27th July 2017
Opening on 28 July is the annual MIX Summer Group Show at Lawrence Alkin Gallery in Soho, London.
The MIX Summer Group Show will consist new and exclusive original works, and a select number of sought-after limited edition prints from more than 20 modern and contemporary artists. As well as those on the gallery roster, the show will feature a handful of carefully selected artists who are exhibiting in the UK for the first time.
Harland Miller 'I Am The One I've Been Waiting For'
Gallery Director Sam Rhodes commented on what people can expect from the show: “Our annual summer group show is always an interesting exhibition, showcasing many talented contemporary artists, each with their own signature style and differing medium and practices. We’ve curated a mix of established and emerging artists, spanning collage, silkscreen prints, neon, oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings, pencil drawings and mixed media. The main thing they all have in common is clearly defined originality. It’s a real treat to have such a concentrated pool of talent in one show.”
Static 'In Bloom - Dare'
Each original artwork being exhibited in the show is brand new and hasn’t been shown before. This includes three fashion industry-inspired pieces by New York street artist XORS who’s exhibiting in the UK for the first time, a neon piece ‘I Love You’ by Zoe Grace and the very last original in a series by Nick Smith.
Zoe Grace 'I Love You'
Exhibiting artists include Damien Hirst, Banksy, Harland Miller, Stik, Dave White, Zoe Grace, Lucy Sparrow, Florian Eyman, Dean Fox, Static, Ryan Callanan, Renee Snelman (XORS), Euan Roberts, Miss Bugs, Bridgette Riley, Patrick Caulfield, Will Blanchard, Chris Levine, Nick Smith, Holly Frean, Abi Whitlock, Tom French, Jeff Gillette and Teresa Duck.
MIX: Summer Group Show runs from Friday 29 July to Saturday 2 September at Lawrence Alkin Gallery, 42 New Compton Street London WC2H 8DA www.lawrencealkingallery.com @lagalleryart
'The Art of Travel'
24/05/17 15:45 Filed in: Art
CHRISTIAN MARSH PAINTS CITYSCAPES : INTENSE DEFINITION, AN OCCASIONAL HUMAN PRESENCE SOLO EXHIBITION AT PLUS ONE GALLERY, THE HOME OF HYPERREALISM, FROM JUNE 14 TO 8 JULY
Christian Marsh studied illustration, taking two degrees at the University of Wolverhampton, his home town, where he still lives, but inspiration comes from travelling to faraway places, especially the sunshine of America’s West Coast.In his own words: ‘The use of photography is very important in my work as it allows me to freeze a moment in time.’
‘I spend time in American cities, like Miami and San Francisco, where the light is pure. I seek out images flooded with detail of shadows and strong light reflections. I like the challenge of detailed urban architecture, but mix the solid architectural shapes with the curved and asymetrical ones of people and nature.
My new exhibition is named after a book ‘The Art of Travel’ by philosopher Alain de Botton. He reminds me that travel is more than sight seeing, it is about noticing people in the street, in buildings and restaurants.’
Unlike many hyperrealist artists Christian Marsh introduces people into his places. ‘They add narrative to the work, raising questions of what they are doing and thinking.’
Art critic John Russell Taylor, who wrote a definitive study of Hyperrealism, says that Marsh is one of the most ‘human, humane of all the artists who embrace Exactitude.’
Exhibition: ‘The Art of Travel’
Dates: 14 June – 8 July
Location: Plus One Gallery, B & C Trafalgar House,
Juniper Drive, Battersea Reach York Road, SW18 1GY
Entry: Free admission to the gallery
Website: www.plusonegallery.com
Willow Gallery - A celebration of Summer
A celebration of Summer
From 16 June 2016
PAINTINGS FOR SALE AT PRICES FROM AROUND £20,000 TO £250,000
Willow Gallery moved from Weybridge to Duke Street St James’s in 2005, a ‘quality street’ since the 18th century, lined with fine art galleries and exquisite shops.
In St James’s they expanded their stock from 19th century art to sell a wide variety of Modern, Impressionist and post-Impressionist Pieces. The gallery is run by a close knit trio: founders Andrew and Jeannie Stevens, and Alick Forrester partner for ten years, almost twenty years with the company, curator and contact for this exhibition. They all love art, but it is Jeannie Stevens’ vision that informs the Willow spirit. One of their unique qualities is to ‘share a meticulous attention to provenance and accurate attribution.’ Nothing about their enterprise is left to chance.
In a world of fluctuating prices for art, Andrew explains the Willow commitment to reassure new customers: ‘with a vast network of contacts throughout the globe, we are aware of paintings long before they are available on the open market. Before acquiring a painting, a member of staff will usually travel wherever it might be, to evaluate the piece and confirm that it fulfils all relevant criteria concerning quality, price and condition.’
The June show will give the visitor an immediate impression of summer pleasures and the joy of life: sunshine, serene countryside, explosions of flowers, long lazy days by the seashore. There are paintings by French artists such as Renoir and Utrillo, Dufy and Vlaminck, established British names Munnings, Lowry and Seago.
How to translate the endless mutations of light into pigment is one of the wonders an artist can achieve. The Willow Gallery, in so many of its summer exhibition paintings, conveys that quality.
Willow Gallery, 40-41 Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6DF
Visit their Website here >>> www.willowgallery.com
Calling all artists for the Big Arts Show
Secretts Garden and Farm Centre, Milford in Surrey 10 to 11 September 2016
(Patron Andrew Logan)
The Big Art Show will be one the largest art shows of it's kind in Surrey, showing some of the best craft and art artists in Britain. Exhibitors at this years’ show, include glass artists, ceramicists, furniture designers, jewellers, textile artists, painters, sculptors, metal workers.
There will be demonstrations including bronze casting, stone masonry, glass blowing, silversmithing, ceramics and a tattoo artist. Live entertainment with music and poetry readings, a bouncy castle and puppet shows with puppet-making work shops. Good food and drinks are available and free parking for 3,000 cars.
Please visit www.thebigartsshow.com under 'Call for Artists' for an application form places allocated on a first come first serve basis.
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Buying artwork and pictures
13/04/16 17:35 Filed in: Art
Dos and Don'ts of Buying Artwork
Image: The Back Garden by Maureen Greenwood.
Along with the knowledge of books, music and movies, knowledge of art also signifies cultural sophistication. Collecting contemporary artwork is an enjoyable process for art lovers. An increasing number of people now want a piece of art to embellish their homes and offices. Buying artwork is not as simple as it might seem to some. Let us take a look at some Dos and Don’ts of buying artwork:
Research thoroughly before buying
You do not need to be an art expert before buying but some prior research is necessary. Search on the Internet about different galleries. Buying art online may also be a good option, buying art online is a lot more popular and many galleries offer 14-day returns. However, be wary of the fakes. Read about the artist and the gallery and check for good reviews.
Do not rush
Sometimes, you may think that you have found the perfect piece of art. But being hasty is not a good idea. Think about it for some time. Does it blend well with your home? Will it have the same effect on you five years later? Answering questions like these will help you a lot before buying art.
Buy art that means something to you
Just like music, art is also about feelings and emotions. It is about human connections. Buy something that speaks to you and makes you feel things differently. Learn the story behind it. It may make you feel happy, sad, nostalgic or surprised every time you see it. The same piece of art can strike a chord with you, and possibly mean nothing to another person. Choose what you like best.
Do not try to follow others when buying art
One mistake that many people make when buying art is that they try to follow the pack. Your friend may have bought a famous painting from a well-known French artist. It does not necessarily mean that you buy that same piece of art. Art is unique. Create your own taste. Do not get influenced by peer pressure.
Choose art that you can cherish for a long time
You are most likely to keep the piece of art you bought for a long time. Therefore, choose something that you can appreciate whenever you look at it. It should be engaging and active; something that inspires deep emotions.
Do not buy art that hides into the background
Art needs to be attended and looked at. If it hides in the background, there is no point in keeping it. Make sure that everything fits in perfectly. Both your artwork and your furniture deserve separate attention.
Do not forget to ask for an authentication certificate
Finally, do not make a purchase from an unreliable source. Make sure that you have some proof about the authenticity of the piece you are buying. This will protect you from fakes.
For more tips and advice about buying artwork online visit: www.art2arts.co.uk
Anna Chromy - Chinese Taste Maker
Quite simply, the most influential living Western artist in China.
ARTIST FINDS KEY TO CHINESE TASTE AND SELLS 13 SCULPTURES TO BEIJING FOR £100,000 TO £1MA Czech-born Monaco resident, now in her seventies, Anna Chromy is the first Western artist invited to hold a solo exhibition in the National Museum of China on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Staged in October 2015, Harmony: Canon & Contemporaneity was curated by three of the most influential figures on China's domestic art scene.
The honour was simply the latest in a decade of Chinese plaudits for an artist who, following a life-threatening accident in 1992, turned her attentions largely to sculpture.
Wan Siquian, the former Vice-Major of Beijing responsible for the construction of the Olympic Facilities and the National Grand Theatre, as well as it sculpture programme, “deeply regretted” only meeting Chromy after the 2008 sports fest. Otherwise he would have included her work, saying: “In all these years, I have not come across works as powerful and elegant as seen now in Anna’s exhibition in the National Museum of China. Ten years earlier and the City of Beijing would be full of her works”.
Wang Chunchen, of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Wangjing, Beijing, explains Chromy's particular appeal in a lengthy introduction to the exhibition catalogue, noting that while her works are inspired by European classical sculpture, they are not simply copies or re-imaginings, but "are endowed with new distinctive life elements by the artist".
“After we deconstruct the relationship between form and object we fall into the void," writes Wang. Chromy's sculpture is what emerges on the other side, representing "a meaning of enlightenment to today's sculpture art in China".
In short, what Wang appears to be saying is that Contemporary Chinese art and taste has, to an extent, lost its way and Chromy acts as a beacon to guide it back to the right path, both in terms of her focus on the myths and philosophies of our ancestors and in her mastery of contemporary techniques.
According to Wang, Chromy has "walked through the fracture between modernism and classical sculpture to once again continue such an elegant graceful sculpture heritage". Wang believes that: "We have to encourage such spiritual enlightenment and care in the Chinese context of sculpture creation and practice, which is the root to and is necessary for rebuilding Chinese new culture and civilization."
Chromy declares herself to be strongly influenced by Eastern cultures as well as the Western Classical tradition. Wu Weishan, Director of the National Art Museum of China, also writing in the exhibition catalogue, notes the importance of Lao-tzu and Confucius in her thinking and approach. She has found inspirations from them, says Wu, "which in her own words 'get energy on a particular aspect of conscience'."
So much for the philosophy and approach. What about the facts of her success so far? To start with she has more public art permanently on show in China than any other living Western artist; 13 works in all.
She first came to Chinese attention in July 2005, when two national Chinese TV networks, CCTV and Phoenix, covered her show of 24 monumental sculptures in the Place Vendôme in Paris. In December that year she was the guest of honour at the Guangzhou Art Fair.
This led directly the Art Museum of Guangzhou – the third largest in China – acquiring two of her works, Sisyphus and Carmen, in 2006.
A year later she took part in the Shanghai Art Fair, and in 2009 held a solo exhibition at the Beijing Clubhouse of the prestigious Hong Kong Jockey Club.
In 2010, Chromy created the installation Galileo Galilei in the new Science City in Guangzhou, following this up two years later with another solo show, this time at the Art Museum of Foshan near Guangzhou. In the same year she was also inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the National Sculpture Association of China in Beijing by Wu Weishan, its director, and her work, Olympic Spirit, entered the collection of the Association's Museum.
While participating in the 2013 Beijing Art Fair, Chromy was appointed as the only foreign judge in the National Sculpture Competition of China by the President of CCTV.
Her star rose even further when the Sunshine Insurance Group, one of the largest companies in China, commissioned her to decorate their new Beijing headquarters with eight of her monumental sculptures, installing her 10m high Sunshine Goddess as the company symbol at the HQ's entrance gates, in 2015, and adding a fountain with the five musicians comprising her piece Music of the Rivers, as well as several other smaller versions of Sunshine Goddess for their regional offices.
Fang Shao, Chairman of China Central Place, Beijing’s most exclusive real estate development, is another fan: “Five years ago, when I opened China Central Place I launched a public tender for sculptures to go on our central squares. There was no proposal, which would satisfy me. Therefore, the places are still naked. I am glad to have found now with Anna Chromy an artist whose works do justice to the beauty of our buildings and will add an extra European touch to them.”
Her October 2015 National Museum of China exhibition, organised by the City Sculpture Committee of China, resulted from an invitation by Director Chen Luchen
Phoenix TV have invited Chromy to be the guest of honour on their Ideas without Borders programme and have now moved the October exhibition to their telecast centre in Beijing for another three months' display, which they are actively promoting through their scheduling.
Chromy also has more sculpture on public display in Europe than any other living artist – 60 works in all – and, astonishingly, has created the monumental icon Cloak of Conscience as a symbol not just of her existential philosophy, but also of the philanthropic awards scheme she and her husband Wolfgang run through the Conscience Institute.
The largest sculpture ever carved from a single block of Carrarra marble – yes, at 250 tons even bigger than any Carrara marble block Michelangelo ever managed to get his hands on – the 5m high cloak took her four years to create, with the help of assistants, and is so large that you can even view it from its hollow insides.
Carved in situ at Carrara, it will be installed permanently in a symbolic space before the end of 2016.
Chromy’s dual pre-eminence in the West and East helped inspire the Ministry in charge of the China Pavilion at Expo 2015 in Milan to offer her another commission. This was to illustrate President Xi Jinping’s massive international infrastructure project under the motto "One Road, One Belt". The result was The Silk Road, a symbolic piece showing two towers engraved with scenes from the ancient silk routes, supporting a globe held by the hand of the East and the hand of the West, surmounted by the Angel of Peace, a tribute to the City of Xi'an (Eternal Peace), located at the beginning of the Silk Road.
Wu Zhuyou, Director of the Counsellors Office at the State Council considered her achievement of such quality, he concluded: “Anna Chromy has been definitely welcomed in the circle of our Grand Masters.”
Wu Weishan and Wang Chunchen agree that the transcendent nature of Chromy's art is particularly appealing to Chinese taste, as is the way it resolves the differences between classical form and abstract modernism. They find her pieces both haunting and a focus for reflection, and in simple terms they appreciate the strength of her forms and the sheer artistry of her craftsmanship.
Private commissions have followed the public displays and, while the art speaks for itself in appealing to Chinese taste, Chromy's understanding and interest in Eastern philosophy certainly adds to the mix, especially when it comes to explaining each piece.
Perhaps the true secret of her success is that Chromy has avoided the trap of looking at the concept of art from a narrow Western perspective. She does not adopt the elitist attitudes that some members of the New York and London art world cognoscenti purvey in dismissing representational forms.
Whether you like her art or not, Anna Chromy is undoubtedly a taste-maker par excellence. Whatever else buyers may want in future, these forms have proved that they will feature prominently on Chinese shopping lists.
Visit www.annachromy.com for more information.
FREE art demos return at Corner Gallery
Celebrated Surrey Silk & Watercolour Artist Tessa Spanton
3rd Feb 6pm, 7pm & 8pm demonstrations.Adding to the growing list of FREE demonstrations by professional Artists, Corner Gallery is giving you a chance to learn through demonstration different methods and techniques of the most difficult medium of them all, WATERCOLOURS by TESSA SPANTON on our WEDNESDAY LATE CREATIVES evening.
Please Email, facebook message or call us (020 8669 5899) to book your free session of either 6pm/7pm or 8pm. Please book early as there are only 10 spaces per session.
Pieces of work will be on sale by this demonstrator and Coffee & Cake served free of charge.
Website: www.corner-gallery.com
Frank Brangwyn
The Graphic Art of the First World War
9 January – 5 March 2016Guildford House Gallery. A touring exhibition in Guildford from Leicestershire County Council Museum Service. Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) was a famous international artist when the First World War broke out.
A self made artist and designer with no formal academic training, Brangwyn was well aware of the power of printed images to influence public opinion, and felt it was his patriotic duty to use his art on behalf of the war effort.
Although not an official war artist Brangwyn produced over 80 lithographs and posters during the First World War, which included images of the machinery of war, the non military involvement in the war effort, and rehabilitation of injured servicemen.
Born in Belgium he identified with its people and the destruction of the country at the start of the war. Brangwyn’s first poster Britain’s Call to Arms showed the reality of war in all its horror to the unsuspecting British public. The poster, which was displayed on the London Underground system inspired men to enlist in huge numbers. However the War Office, concerned by the graphic nature of the image asked Frank Pick, the commercial manager of the London Underground, to remove it from underground stations. They later relented and the poster continued to be used for recruitment during the early stages of the war.
This exhibition contains a selection of twenty imposing posters. These stark monochrome images show a glimpse of what life was like for many people during the war.
For further details call 01483 444751 or email heritageservices@guildford.gov.uk Exhibition entry is free.
Guildford House is open Monday - Saturday 10 – 4.45; Sunday 11-4 (May – Sept)
Paintings by Victor Edelstein
Exhibition December 1-24 2015
Victor Edelstein’s clients included Diana, Princess of Wales, for whom he made the famous dress in which she danced with John Travolta at the White House. He had worked for Biba and Christian Dior in London before starting his own workshop.But 22 years ago he chose art over dress designing and from December 1-24 he has an exhibition of his work and that of Annamaria Succi, his wife, at the Indar Pasricha Gallery at 22 Connaught Street, London, just behind Marble Arch. The works make for perfect Christmas gifts.
And in the voluptuous swags of textiles, curtains, wall hangings, cushions and the drama of theatre curtains Victor Edelstein shows that he has lost none of his skill and mastery of the cut and hang of luxurious materials made manifest in his pictures where they too dance, though not now for John Travolta, but for a select group of cognoscenti who understand grace.
Pictures by Victor Edelstein and Annamaria Succi lift the spirit with their lively colours and exotic light. Both painters have been inspired by India and their fascination with the country, it’s people, the wonderful palaces, abundant flowers, plants and animals is reflected in their work.
Anyone lucky enough to find one of these paintings among their Christmas presents, will know that the giver wanted them to have enjoyment from the gift for ever.
Michael Strauss, former Head of Impressionist Pictures at Sotheby’s, says: “I have long been an admirer of Victor Edelstein’s pastel. He has a special touch with that softest of mediums which create exquisite luminous effects. By such means he has interpreted light and its play on surfaces in his unique fashion.”
Victor’s recent show at the Didier Aaron Gallery in Paris, ‘Palace Interiors in Pastel’ created an unusual reaction – “an almost greedy feasting on the images by viewers,” according to French arts writer Sylvie Tolila – “and a sea of red sold dots.”
Victor explains his motivation for the paintings. "The challenge is to enter a room and try to find ‘The-Picture-That-Might-Be-There’. I like to find interiors that have not been touched for many years, which is why I have tended to concentrate on the interiors of palaces. For me there is an irresistible fascination in discovering in these largely unchanged interiors a true sense of the past.”
He studied painting with David Cranswick in London and Charles Cecil in Florence and held a first solo exhibition at Sotheby’s showing oils and pastels of Still Life, landscapes and portraits. The show sold out. Since then he has exhibited interiors from Venice and India at Hopkins, Thomas, Custot in Paris and at both Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox and Derek John’s Gallery in London. In New York his pastels were well received at Didier Aaron.
Annamaria Succi creates her own gems, having spent her life looking closely at beautiful objects. This intense concentration shows in her wonderful still life paintings and pastels. One will never look at a cabbage in quite the same way after seeing the ballgown she captures in this homely vegetable, nor the radiance of a quince, or a lemon. The Dutch Old Masters would recognize a fellow spirit in Annamaria.
She started her art career at Sotheby’s in 1969 in the publishing department, then became the editor of the Year Book, 'Art at Auction' and in 1974 went on to manage and do the buying for the British Rail Pension Fund Art Collection – one of the few art funds ever to have made a profit. In 1981 she went on to become an art investment adviser and dealer in old master drawings. Finally in 1995 she concentrated all her time on her own painting.
Today she has a strong following in Europe and the USA. Anne Heseltine says of her work: “Small in size they shine like little jewels and glow against the dark paneling of my old house. The eye does not become accustomed to them and so tire, but there is always something new to see in them. They give me infinite pleasure.”
The Venetian professor of art, Ileana Chiappini di Sorio adds: “Annamaria revisits a classical genre in her work with a very personal viewpoint. Her pictures are a pretext to enhance natural forms as revealed by light….capturing the evanescent character of her subjects with true and delicate rendering.” In fact many of her works seem to glow with an inner light and life of their own.
Indar Pasricha says of these two remarkable artists: “I’ve always seen my role as creating bridges between Britain and India and in the work of these two artists that ambition is realized. Victor’s Indian and other interiors are all about light – the intense coloured light of India and the subdued moody light of England. Annamaria’s work reminds me of the Indian miniature, capturing in gem-like tones images that stay fresh and vital.”
For more information please contact Julian Roup on 01892 669200 or 07970 563958 or email info@bendigopr.co.uk
Unique Artworks from Boris Johnson MP and others to be auctioned for charity
Unique Artworks
The Watts Contemporary Gallery at the Artists' Village in Compton, Surrey will host a very special Love and Life exhibition until October 17 and CharityStars will be supporting the exhibition with an online auction.Among the works of art on show are pieces from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP and many more. Artworks have been donated and created by a wide variety of artists and celebrities including Sir Peter Blake, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Joanna Lumley OBE, Felicity Kendal CBE and many others. The artworks will then be auctioned for charity on October 17, but bids can be placed ahead of this date at http://www.charitystars.com/.
The auction is being supported by a variety of Royal Academicians and other leading artists. Artist to the stars Sherree Valentine Daines will also contribute a piece of art to the auction. The work will be inspired by the Artists¹ Village and once complete, it will be entered into the Love and Life auction.
Money raised will go to the Watts Gallery Trust and Transplant Links Community (TLC). TLC is a UK registered charity that saves the lives of children and adults in the developing world who suffer from fatal kidney disease. Established by a group of British doctors, they offer teaching and advice, as well as carry out living kidney transplants, and help local medical teams in a variety of countries.
A selection of the art that will be auctioned:
Arlene Phillips CBE: Drawing, Love & Life Boris Johnson MP: Drawing, Toot Toot! John and Kate Siebert: Artists’ proof, Illustration for Louis Aragon’s work “One who says things without saying anything”, by Marc Chagall, artist John and Kate Siebert: Limited edition lithograph, L’inspire, by Marc Chagall, artist The Belgravia Gallery: Lithograph, Girl on Gold, by Charles Mackesey, artist Sir Peter Blake: Carpet design, Carpet square from the Supreme Court Vanessa Raw, triathlete: Painting, New Dawn Dame Zaha Hadid, architect: Metal etching, Middle East Centre, St Antony¹s College Oxford
Perdita Hunt Director of Watts Gallery Artists’ Village said: “G F Watts supported over 38 charitable causes and was a real philanthropist. It is exciting that Watts Gallery Trust is partnering with TLC, which saves lives through transplants, to mount an exhibition of generously donated works and to auction these in support of art for all and saving lives. We are delighted that the founder of TLC, has been one of the most successful artists-in-residence at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village.”
Dr Jennie Jewitt Harris, Chief Executive of TLC and current Artist-in-Residence at Watts said: “This is an exciting venture which combines the love of art with the chance to save lives. Funds raised will support our medical work in Zambia, Ghana, Trinidad and Jamaica; where there is a desperate need to help people with kidney failure. The artworks donated are so varied and we’ve been bowled over by the kind contributions, of artists and celebrities.”
Peter Monkman, artist and donor of a work said: “It was a real privilege to be invited to contribute to the Transplant Links and Watts charity auction, knowing the power of the visual arts in the context of the Watts Gallery Artists’ Village to enlighten and improve the quality of life. I produced a painting especially where the child reaching up represents a sense of transformation, hope and reaching out.”
Online bidding please visit: www.charitystars.com The auctions close on Saturday October 17 2015.
Visit Watts Gallery website here LINK
Artist Friends of Turner’s House exhibition of works
26/09/15 13:45 Filed in: Art
Turner’s House, Twickenham - September 26/27 October 3
14 September 2015 – It is not surprising that many Friends of Turner’s House are artists. Many, inspired by the great landscape artist, have had the thrill of sketching and painting in Sandycombe Lodge, Turner’s unique country villa in Twickenham.They are holding a selling exhibition of their work to benefit Turner’s House Trust restoration fund to restore the house to the artist’s original design.
The exhibition takes place on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September (11-5pm) and Saturday 3 October (2-4pm). 3 October is the last day Turner’s House will be open to visitors prior to closing for restoration through 2016. Entry to the exhibition is free on all days, but for guided tours of the house on 3 October there will be the usual £4 entry fee.
The exhibition will include a wide range of mediums and styles, producing figurative to abstract works in painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and printing, which includes etchings and lino productions.
Turner’s House Trust has received generous support and donations from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other corporate and private donors, but needs the final slice - £177,000 - of funding to progress with its plans to conserve for the nation this unique Grade II* listed building, which is currently on the Historic England (formerly known as English Heritage) ‘Heritage at Risk Register’.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife, we use National Lottery players' money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about www.hlf.org.uk
Prints for the People
02/07/15 16:15 Filed in: Art
25 July – 4 October The Pottery Building, Watts Gallery - Continuing the Watts Contemporary Programme - Art for all at affordable prices
Watts Gallery Trust, in partnership with Gwen Hughes Fine Art, presents Prints for the People, an exhibition of 20th Century lithographs, including the popular School Prints scheme produced in the 1930s and 40s, for sale at affordable prices.
With the admirable aim of making good art accessible to everyone, several series of prints were published in Britain in the late 1930s-1940s. From the Contemporary Lithographs series (1937-38) to The School Prints (from 1946), the Lyons Tea Shop Lithographs (1947-55) and the Coronation Series (1953), all were designed to celebrate the best of British talent and the leading British artists of the day were commissioned – including Julian Trevelyan, Barbara Jones and Edward Ardizzone.
As well as the improving socialist principles which drove these series, they arose for pragmatic reasons. Post-war Britain was drab, and paint unavailable. Colourful lithographs covered up walls in need of refurbishment in schools and cafes, and provided cheerful distractions from the run-down surroundings. Cleverly, the lithographs in the Lyons tea-shops were also available for sale to the general public “at a price within reach of the slenderest purse”. The canny publishers of the School Prints directed the artists to incorporate frames into their images, to save schools the added expense of having to get the prints framed.
Although most of the lithographs were produced in large editions (often more than 2000), post-War austerity which restricted the quality of the printing paper, and the fact that they were tacked to walls in busy places, meant that remarkably few copies have survived.
Highlights of Prints for the People will include Julian Trevelyan, Thames Regatta (School Prints, 1951), Raoul Dufy, The Band (School Prints, 1951) and Vincent Lines, Skating, (Contemporary Lithographs, 1938). All works are for sale and prices start from £75 (unframed), with most prints under £1000.
Commenting Watts Gallery Trust Director, Perdita Hunt observes: “The laudable campaign to give colour and inspiration to wartime and post-War Britain in the 30s and 40 through the production of lithographs of work by leading artists chimes immediately with the Watts Art for All ambition to take art to deprived communities in London at the end of the 19th Century.” “This exhibition of Prints for the People, part of the Watts Contemporary programme, offering good art by the best of British artists at affordable prices, gives visitors to Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village a complementary experience of 20th Century art.” “There is also the opportunity to purchase work at affordable prices, which, through its sale, will benefit Watts Gallery Trust’s Art for All programme involving young people, excluded groups, schools and life-long learners.”
Commenting Gwen Hughes says: “I am delighted to be putting on Prints for the People with the Watts Gallery this summer. It is wonderful to be part of the Gallery’s exciting programme of activities, and I hope this collaboration will introduce these fascinating prints and their story to a new audience.”
1. Barbara Jones, The Fairground (1946), School Prints, Series 1
2. Edward Ardizzone, The Wreck (1951), School Prints, Festival of Britain series
3. Raoul Dufy, The Band (1949), School Prints, Third (European) Series
4. Kenneth Rowntree, Tractor (1946), School Prints, Series 1
5. Julian Trevelyan, Thames Regatta (1951), School prints, Series 4
6. Vincent Lines, Skating (1938), Contemporary Lithographs
7. Henry Moore, Sculptural Objects (1951), School Prints third (European) Series
8. Ruskin Spear, The Piano Lesson (1945), CEMA lithograph
9. Edwin Ladell, Fishing at Marlow (1951), Lyons Lithographs, Series 2
10. Ceri Richards, East End Celebrations – Costers Dancing (1953), Royal College of Art Coronation Series
www.wattsgallery.org.uk or Telephone 01483 810235
Discover Brown’s London Art Weekend
Above: Artist Mat Collishaw and Chef Mark Hix in HIX Mayfair with the F-lamed duck artist dish. Behind, ‘Lame Duck 1, Lame Duck 2 and Lame Duck 3’ by Mat Collishaw
Discover Brown’s London Art Weekend’s programme of talks, art tours, recommended walks and the Artists menu at HIX Mayfair 3 - 5 JULY 2015, MAYFAIR AND ST JAMES’S
The second Brown’s London Art Weekend will take place in Mayfair and St. James’s from 3 - 5 July 2015. For 150 years Mayfair’s galleries and auction houses have welcomed the world’s greatest art collectors, and this event is the ultimate celebration of this London heartland, rich with art galleries. Experience the unrivalled quality and diversity of this key art market destination as 100 galleries and auction houses open their doors to the public for this exciting event. With talks, walks, and 100 exhibitions to see, Brown’s London Art Weekend offers a unique opportunity for art lovers to explore the capital’s greatest private galleries.
Brown’s Hotel will be hosting a programme of specialist art talks over the course of the weekend, covering topics from ‘How to start your art collection’ to ‘Fashion in Art’ and ‘The history of art in Mayfair’. Each talk will be hosted by a leading art expert and will last 45 minutes at £30 (including refreshments). Find the full programme at www.brownslondonartweekend.com Mark Hix, Director of Food at Brown’s Hotel, has collaborated with artists whose works are displayed in HIX Mayfair at Brown’s, creating an innovative, seasonal and delicious menu including dishes such as: Glen Ligon’s inked spelt with cuttlefish and sea purslane, Peter Peri-Peri Dorset blue lobster and Lancashire spring chicken and Mat Collishaw’s f-lame’d duck with New Forest cherries (see image above). This special Artists Menu will be available in HIX Mayfair from 3 – 5 July 2015. For those who would like a creative tipple, Hix presents The Artist’s Collection, a palette of colourful mini cocktails (£20 per palette of 4 mini cocktails).
Brown’s London Art Weekend is once again led by Brown’s Hotel, situated on Albemarle Street, surrounded by the many galleries taking part in the event. The understated elegance of Brown’s Hotel and its location make it a popular choice for art collectors, gallery owners and artists.
Brown’s London Art Weekend, now an annual event, received very positive feedback in its first year. “A gateway to the extraordinary range and quality of art works and art expertise to be found in London’s premier art district” Emma Crichton- Miller. Each participating gallery will be open from 11am – 5pm on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July 2015, many of which will be hosting talks. Guests are advised to sign up to talks at www.brownslondonartweekend.com
A large team of volunteers will be on hand to help visitors navigate their way between the discrete upstairs salons of old master dealers to the cavernous white halls of the leading contemporary galleries and auction houses, and whilst it will prove almost impossible to take in everything on offer, there will be a series of suggested themed routes and formal tours from Brown’s Hotel. Paul Smith, Nicole Farhi and Kate Bryan are amongst those who have recommended themed art walks around their favourite galleries. The full programme of talks, tours and walks that will be taking place over Brown’s London Art Weekend can be found at www.brownslondonartweekend.com
‘Do Not Be Afraid’
11/02/15 10:15 Filed in: What's On
‘Do Not Be Afraid’ Art Exhibition Opens at Guildford Cathedral in time for Lent
Catherine Clancy’s work inspired by great poets and hope
Guildford, 17 February – 6 April 2015: Artist Catherine Clancy is holding an exhibition in Guildford Cathedral titled, “Do Not Be Afraid”. Her evocative abstract paintings and impressive sculptures are the culmination of a year’s work, which form this ground-breaking exhibition. The work is timely; as people prepare for a period of abstinence Clancy mirrors in image what is felt in the heart.
Clancy speaking ahead of the exhibition said: “All of us in our lives face dark times, from the loss of a loved one, to the loss of a relationship, or health and financial problems. My work looks at how we face down these fears, how we have to go through the dark to emerge into the light. Ultimately this is a journey about the return of the spirit after desolation and despair”.
Clancy has chosen the title ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ as reference to the visitation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary during the Annunciation. She wishes to illuminate Mary’s ability to say ‘yes’ when truly scared. The title also refers to a more recent example of bravery when the poet Seamus Heaney said: ‘Noli Timere’ – ‘Do not be afraid’ as a last gift of love and reassurance, to his wife as he passed away. In response to, and in support of the exhibition, a series of lectures will be given at the Cathedral over Lent, exploring the same title, “Do not be afraid”.
The exhibition’s opening work takes inspiration from Eliot’s poem the ‘The Four Quartets’, beginning with despair where all seems lost, to a spiritual awakening. Clancy is also influenced by other poets such as Robert Graves, Robin Robertson and the writings of some of world’s great philosophers, charting the journey from darkness to a more hopeful place. This triumphant moment is beautifully captured by her painting ‘A Blinding Brightness.’
Clancy’s work is profound and will arrest the soul. Her use of oil and colour is stunning. The well-known Irish philosopher Richard Kearney commenting on Clancy’s work in her catalogue said: “Beautiful images and hugely moving text”.
Catherine Clancy works as both a painter and a sculptor. Catherine holds a PhD in Philosophy and Fine Art from University of the Arts London. Prior to this she studied at Central St. Martins. The exhibition opens at Guildford Cathedral on 17th February 2015 and runs for seven weeks. The opening times are from Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 4.30pm
For more information contact: Catherine Clancy – Artist
Email: catherineclancy@me.com
Telephone: 07903 354278
Website: www.catherineclancy.co.uk