Pallant House Gallery Magazine No.24

Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera The Elephant and the Dove Hayden Herrera on Mexico's legendary artistic couple A Magician in Light John Banville introduces Manuel Alvarez Bravo Happy Birthday Butlins Anna Fox celebrates 75 years of the iconic resort

£2 Number 24 June – October 2011 www.pallant.org.uk

PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY

n lor e sp lcey nfredckett el ha browny a haw victo he iv sif k e pa vita s ll b a e jo r a h u le uth lex h cht d el fiskieln mar georn rob rahaann cia ra n bl an zol ow teb art avi her hofe ialui ge wa ms hris nce ack e p s m a e b le d t d r s cu r s llacrs ro enh y bill wort hruv stepa tad tts tad mateve ophe am b ark ul d b o fi rra e jilly ert f ff wi woo hingt a mi hanieei pe nia krcus ilwor rich uxto rth rry y ma sutt rith j llard drow on c stry a quater n ova klein rth ri ard n la n e ts fe c j b r o o maudah c qu n jonhn gi oep laura ire b drewyle pewma jeff ld ly hard lis s os jakeinn s buc bbo ple ju ford arcla bu ter n di lowe nn m t n r h a t vid ichaenbe harvephek pie s he lian jane y we ton k ide r ne mglen r la w y i l allhnashel lyorg kikey jo n coxre dia ine ild s ackrols smenne chardacle s h a b a iter orn aian dns m i smi n atktake man lume lly myd siall bi th armlong n nd ead nth aws ina s th sh in n shi h topo nfe atth meo lly le itag l e o l ira e tes mich ny c on sealimi eila vigel eayas ulo ed andews n nel wen e a s z s h d a a o cheeh h a ca el ch ro saan heteren llmellis eu i phi uardrew nton on dy m do co juoush pbe allen rah nry ace cor pauan c llip ki o pasabinia u n o i s k ao ben lianaary iall frasger otatonlastaventr l day nnin g w lozz andr i rnaphan-dav cerq in ed er br liver sop ir may ale richaghamlliam i taty e ís o nd iait micid da ueira wardyan barrahie ry ckie x we rd tr dav turn ana k l b u eg ’con n ha hael vid m leite s an nea tt ca der j eva bch br pp aid pr ull l i o n a nd ry d ell z milto kidneach j tonytony e jonthy d m un eren idget biga tt illiaall-paouglaora p n finl r jamohn mcraggorm ishe e mo swordes s mcc il r g r llia m tu ge g s whalovaay at es c aine will ley a woodncha th ra ophieum u c l s a i n c rk wh ker erenvi ite ric davi uo o ppe thomam f len jo jona x m hel ic lle h d k r th it u n rris omae liliava dr dav ard h ann amo ralph as a rlong es athan hael lingson s he ne li ewe ey b arri esleyto gl bro dank sim na mloxle y w o y t h a jn tt e s y on am the p ivo rn da tim nn n bill n h aria

british sculpture in the 21st century www.sculpture.org.uk

Contents Features

Frida Kahlo, Self-portrait with Monkeys, 1943, Oil on canvas © 2011 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / DACS.

You can find full details of our latest events programme in the new What's On guide.

Previous copies of the Gallery magazine, as well as all the latest news, exhibitions and events, can be viewed online at www.pallant.org.uk You can also follow us at .com/pallanthousegallery .com/pallantgallery .com/pallanthousegallery

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Kahlo & Rivera: The Elephant and the Dove Hayden Herrera Kahlo & Rivera Curators' Choices Stefan van Raay and Julie Brown Manual Alvarez Bravo: A Magician in Light John Banville Happy Birthday Butlins Dr Roni Brown Anna Fox: My Best Shot Anna Fox Nick Blinko: Art from the Asylum Marc Steene and Carlo Keshishsian Clifford Charles: Less ness Clifford Charles The George and Ann Dannatt Gift Simon Martin

Friends 43 44 45

Chairman's Letter Leaving a Legacy: Kevin Jamieson Friends' Events

Regulars 7 11 40 51 52

Director's Letter Exhibitions Diary Collections News Bookshop - Frida's Wardrobe Gallery News

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Pallant Photos Artwork of the Month 3

Contributors Editorial Editor Emma Robertson, e.robertson@pallant.org.uk Sub Editor Beth Funnell Gallery Editorial Julie Brown, Simon Martin Stefan van Raay, Marc Steene Guest Editorial John Banville, Dr Roni Brown, Clifford Charles, Anna Fox, Hayden Herrera, Kevin Jamieson, Carlo Keshishsian Friends Editorial Jillie Moss, Sarah Quail Design, Editing and Production David Wynn

With thanks Headline Sponsor of the Gallery 2011

Headline Sponsor of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY Friends

Advertising Booking and General Enquiries Kim Jenner +44 (0)207 3005658 Jane Grylls +44 (0)207 3005661 Emily Pierce +44 (0)207 3005675 Gallery Information Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1TJ, UK +44 (0)1243 774557; info@pallant.org.uk www.pallant.org.uk Opening Times Monday Tuesday–Saturday Thursday Sunday/Bank Holidays Free Day

Closed 10am–5pm 10am–8pm 11am–5pm Saturday 3 September 2011

Art Library library@pallant.org.uk +44 (0)1243 770824

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Sponsors of the Friends of Pallant

High quality afford advice – call us no 01243 532161 chat, at no cost. If Willard Conservation Limited, The Priory and Poling Charitable Trusts, advice@cawley.co.uk www.cawley.co.uk The Garfield Weston Foundation, and other Trusts, Foundationswe andwill.

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Friends Office Events +44 (0)1243 770816 friendsevents@pallant.org.uk Membership +44 (0)1243 770815 friends@pallant.org.uk Bookshop www.pallantbookshop.com; shop@pallantbookshop.com +44 (0)1243 781293 Field & Fork at Pallant House Gallery www.fieldandfork.co.uk; Reservations +44 (0)1243 770827 4

Pallant House Gallery makes every effort to seek permission of copyright owners for images reproduced in this publication. If however, a work has not been correctly identified or credited and you are the copyright holder, or know of the copyright holder, please contact the editor.

Art insurance specialists For further information, please contact Robert Hepburne-Scott Tel: +44 (0)20 7234 4307 Email: rhscott@heathlambert.com A division of Heath Lambert Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection

Frida & Diego

Kahlo

Rivera

9 July 2011 – 2 October 2011 Exhibition Sponsor

With generous support from James and Clare Kirkman and the Aldama Foundation Catherine and Franck Petitgas Keith Clark The Kahlo/Rivera Supporters' Circle Exhibition Partners The Vergel Foundation Pera Museum, Istanbul Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin

Director's Letter Stefan van Raay

William Gear, Landscape, 1951, Oil on canvas, Pallant House Gallery (The George and Ann Dannatt Gift, 2011), © The Estate of William Gear

One of the highlights of this year is the arrival of the George and Ann Dannatt Gift of over 100 works to the Gallery and 1500 books to the library. This most generous gesture complements our collections beautifully and enhances amongst others the representation of the St Ives group in our collection.

It is also most appropriate that this hugely individual collection will come to the Gallery, 'a collection of collections'. We are truly indebted to George and Ann Dannatt and pay tribute to their philanthropy with a first display of highlights from the Collection in July (p. 38).

This summer's major international exhibition, 'Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection' turns the spotlight on two iconic artists of the 20th century. After a tour of Istanbul and Dublin, this is the only opportunity to see this exhibition in the UK. All works come from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, one of the world's most significant private holdings of 20th century Mexican art (p. 14). In addition we have a display of rarely seen photographs

by Kahlo's father Guillermo. It will be the first time the work of Frida Kahlo has been shown alongside the work of the two most important men in her life.

We also show a selection of photographs by another key artistic couple who offer a significant glimpse into Mexico's cultural history, the photographers Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Lola Álvarez Bravo. See pages 22–25.

Together, they follow the sequence of exhibitions celebrating women surrealists including Eileen Agar, Leonora Carrington, who recently died age 94 on 25

May 2011 and Remedios Varo; important photographers like Lee Miller and Sebastiao Salgado; and creative couples such as Sandy Wilson and MJ Long and Robin and Lucienne Day. We are most grateful to Robert Littman and Magda Caranza de Akle of the Vergel Foundation; Jonathan Colchester and Christian Flackett of GAM, the sponsor of the exhibition; the supporters James and Claire Kirkman and the Aldama Foundation, Franck and Catherine Petitgas, Keith Clark; and the Kahlo-Rivera Supporters Circle.

At the same time we present an essentially English subject: 'Anna Fox: Resort' is a new series by leading British photographer Anna Fox, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Butlins (p. 26). The images are the result of two years photographing Southcoast World in Bognor Regis - one of only three remaining camps in the UK. We thank Anna Fox, Photoworks, Roni Brown and Butlins for supporting this exhibition.

A further exhibition in the De' Longhi Print Room highlights the Gallery's work with outsider artists, in this case the artist and Punk musician Nick Blinko (p. 32). We complete the season with a showing of work by the South African-born artist Clifford Charles (p. 36).

Finally, it is a continuing challenge to find the income to balance the books of the Gallery. I am most grateful that one of our volunteers and patrons kindly agreed to explain why he intends to leave a legacy to the Gallery, one of the most significant ways to ensure that the work of the gallery can continue now and in the future (p. 44).

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De'Longhi Prepares for VIP Charity Art Auction with a Number of High Profile Artists

Maurice Cockrill, 2010 Donation

De'Longhi continues to invest in arts, charities and the local community through its third year of sponsorship of Pallant House Gallery. Since our last gallery booklet, preparations for the art event of the year have been heavily underway.

Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction 2011 On Tuesday 27th September, the much anticipated Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction returns to London's art and social calendar at its new prestigious home of Bonhams of Mayfair. The auction, now in its fifth year, will see pieces of modern art go under the hammer with the help of a celebrity host, with all proceeds donated directly to Macmillan Cancer Support. Some signature artists donating to this year's prestigious auction include Rankin, Adam Dant, Jonathan Yeo, Maggi Hambling, Mary McCartney, Nick Hornby and many, many more.

To date, the charity event has raised over ÂŁ500,000 to help people whose lives are affected by cancer. The money raised has helped support people affected by cancer through funding services such as information and support centres, phone services, build cancer care centres, as well as funding nurses and other specialist health care professionals.Invitations to this VIP entry art auction will be distributed through a ballot system.

For more information about the artwork being sold, to request a lot book or enquire about applying for an invitation, please contact Clarion Communications at delonghi.artauction@clarioncomms.co.uk or 020 7343 3147. For more information about De'Longhi, its products, offers and coffee events visit www.seriousaboutcoffee.com

British art at its very best the premier fair for modern and contemporary British art

14 -18 September 2011 Royal College of Art Kensington Gore London SW7 2EU for information tel: 020 8742 1611 e: info@britishartfair.co.uk w: www.britishartfair.co.uk

© Brian Griffin

exhibition:

A New York style gallery in Petworth

Toni Arden is pleased to announce an exhibition at Petworth House: ‘Portraits of the Egremont Family, Past and Present’, featuring photographs taken by Norman Parkinson and Brian Griffin.

Petworth House (in the little dining room) from 22 April to 2 Nov 2011.

Arden and Anstruther 5 Lombard Street, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 OAG. tel:

01798 344411

10 website for more details www.ardenandanstruther.com Opening times Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat 11-5pm see

Exhibition Diary Main Galleries Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection 9 July – 2 October 2011 Few artists have captured the public's imagination with the force of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907– 1954) and her husband, the Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886–1957). This major touring exhibition, which comes to Chichester for its only UK showing, is drawn from the prestigious Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection and brings together the iconic paintings of these two central figures of Mexican Modernism for the first time in this country.

Rooms 12, 13 and 14 Anna Fox, Small Play Area, 2010 © Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

Anna Fox: RESORT 25 June – 2 October 2011 Butlin's holiday camps first opened in 1936 as holiday centres for the great mass of working-class families, becoming a familiar part of British culture and folklore.

Contemporary photographer Anna Fox has spent two years photographing life at Butlins Southcoast World at Bognor Regis in West Sussex, one of only three remaining camps in the UK. Timed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of this iconic English institution, RESORT provides a vital and highly charged insight into the Butlin's holiday experience. Rooms 15 and 16 The George and Anne Dannatt Gift 1 July – 1 October 2011 A remarkable new addition to Pallant House Gallery's permanent collection, the George and Ann Dannatt Gift of Modern British Art features over 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints.This exhibition features highlights from the collection including works by British artists such as John Craxton, Elizabeth Frink, Alan Reynolds and Keith Vaughan, as well as prints by European Modernists such as Eduardo Chillida and Juan Gris. Room 4

Guillermo Kahlo 9 July – 2 October 2011 Little-known photographs by the other significant male influence in Frida Kahlo's life, her father Guillermo Kahlo (1872–1941), depicting churches and cloisters around Mexico City and Tepoztlan alongside views from the Castle in Chapultepec Park. This exhibition places for the first time in this country the work of Frida Kahlo alongside, the two most important men in her life. Landing Gallery Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo 9 July – 2 October 2011 A selection of photographs by a key artistic couple who offer a significant glimpse of Mexico's cultural history, the photographers Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902–2002) and Lola Álvarez Bravo (1905–1993). Manuel's cinematic images of Mexico speak of the mystery of everyday life and contemporary political and social problems. Lola was a close friend of Frida Kahlo and hosted Frida's first solo exhibition in Mexico in her gallery (Galería de Arte Mexicano) in 1953. Room 17

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Exhibition Diary Spencer Finch: The Evening Star Ongoing A stunning star-burst of neon light, inspired by Turner's 'Evening Star', the sculpture provides a startlingly contemporary counterpoint to the historic crystal chandelier hanging in the entrance of the 18th century house. Across the courtyard Finch has also created a corresponding light installation in the glass walls of the Loggia called 'Passing Cloud after Constable.' Staircase Modern British Art: A Collection of Collections On show throughout the year One of the best collections of 20th century British art in the world including important works by amongst others: Andrews, Auerbach, Blake, Bomberg, Caulfield, Freud, Hamilton, Hodgkin, Nicholson, Moore, Paolozzi, Piper, Sickert and Sutherland.

Throughout the galleries

De'Longhi Print Room Nick Blinko: The Visions of Pope Adrian 37th 27 June – 14 August 2011 Outsider artist Nick Blinko has a loyal underground following as both an artist and lead singer of seminal early punk band Rudimentary Peni.

This one-man exhibition offers a unique opportunity for the public to experience and enjoy his beautifully intense works of art.

Clifford Charles: Less ness 16 August – 9 October 2011 An exhibition of contemporary drawings of ink on paper by the South African-born artist Clifford Charles. These contemplative drawings explore the ephemeral and changeable nature of water meeting ink. Charles’ work draws inspiration from his travels and the conversations that have followed.

Studio

Linda Bee, Yellow Curve, Oil on canvas, 2010

St Wilfrid's Open Art Competition 31 May – 3 July 2011 The return of the joint open art exhibition held to raise funds for St Wilfrid's Hospice and Outside In, Pallant House Gallery's groundbreaking project for marginalized artists.

Chichester High School for Girls Textile Dept 5 July – 31 July 2011 An eclectic exhibition of textile works by AS and final year GCSE pupils at Chichester High School for Girls Stephen White - Outside In 2 August – 28 August 2011 A solo exhibition by the Step-Up participant and Outside In ambassador Stephen White 2009 Outside In award winner David Jones 30 August – 2 October 2011 A solo exhibition by Outside In award winner David Jones Community Programme First Steps in to the Gallery 4 October – 30 October 2011 An exhibition of selected works by participants from the Community programme

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The Elephant and the Dove To mark a major exhibition of the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Hayden Herrera introduces the life and work of Mexico's legendary artistic couple

When the Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera married in 1929 the bride's parents said "it was like the marriage between an elephant and a dove". With his enormous girth and his slow lumbering walk; Rivera at 42 certainly was elephantine. Beside him Kahlo at 22 did look small and delicate. But her voluptuous lips and her dark piercing eyes beneath joined eyebrows hardly suggested dove-like innocence. Indeed, the photographer Edward Weston who met Kahlo during her engagement said she reminded him of an eagle, and when her father took note of Rivera's interest in Frida, he warned: "She is a devil." Nor did Rivera's hugeness and her fragility mean that he was the stronger of the two.

Like an elephant, Rivera could trample over people, but Kahlo, with her drive to invent herself and to persevere against all odds, was in many ways the stronger character. Perhaps to make him smaller and to express her affection, Kahlo called him by nicknames such as "frog-toad". Both of them have become myths.

Rivera was world famous in his lifetime; largely thanks to feminism and multiculturalism Kahlo has recently become a cult figure. They encouraged such legendary status; Kahlo by playing the role of heroic sufferer and by the flair with which she played beauty to Rivera's beast, Rivera by his mania for publicity and his talent as a fabulator. He loved to talk while he painted, entertaining groups of admirers with tall tales like the time he fought in the Russian Revolution alongside of Lenin, or the time he ate female flesh wrapped in a tortilla – "It's like the tenderest young pig," he said.

Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait as Tehuana or Diego in My Thoughts, 1943, Oil on masonite © 2011 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / DACS.

Although she needed complete privacy when working, Kahlo could be gregarious as well, and she too was capable of telling different stories about the same event on different occasions. She said of her first meeting with Rivera, for example (and this story is probably true), that they met at the photographer Tina Modotti's house: "Once at a party, given by Tina, Diego shot a phonograph and I began to be very interested in him in spite of the fear I had of him".

Another time she said they had met when in 1928 she took her first painting to show to Rivera who was then at work on his Ministry of Education murals in Mexico City. After demanding that he come down from his scaffold, she asked him whether it was worth her while to go on painting. Rivera, whose own version of the story agrees with this version of Kahlo's, told her she definitely had talent. In his autobiography he described the young Frida as a spunky girl whose paintings "revealed an unusual energy of expression, precise delineation of character and true severity."

Both Kahlo and Rivera recalled that their first informal encounter occurred in the early 1920's when she was a student at Mexico City's National Preparatory School, the place where the Mexican mural renaissance was born and where Rivera, recently returned from a long sojourn in Europe, painted his first mural. Kahlo not only made Rivera the target of her mischief, she also liked to watch him paint. School friends recall her infatuation with the frog-like Rivera who came to work wearing a Stetson hat and a cartridge belt. To their horror, she 15

told them that her ambition in life was to have his child. Her fascination with the muralist was cut short when in September 1925 the bus she was riding home from school was hit by a trolley. She almost died from her injuries. Whilst convalescing at home she began to paint. From this time on, the need to confront, communicate and exorcise pain became a motivating force in her art.

Kahlo's and Rivera's work could not be more different. Working for the post-revolutionary government, which hired artists to create murals that would edify the people and give them a pride in their Mexican heritage, he painted monumental murals embracing broad historical and political subjects on vast public walls. By contrast, the majority of Kahlo's paintings are small, extraordinarily personal selfportraits. Although her focus was narrow, she probed deep, and her self-portraits capture universal feelings so vividly that they pull out all our empathy and reveal us to ourselves. Rivera's work, on the other hand, takes in the panorama of Mexico past and present. Its great scope does not make it shallow, but its force and meaning are cumulative. The viewer must look first at one part and then at another to gather a picture of Rivera's intent, whereas Kahlo's impact is immediate, direct and as centered as an icon.

Kahlo's and Rivera's reverence for each other's art was a powerful bond. He encouraged (even cajoled) her to keep on painting in spite of the misery of the numerous surgical operations that never healed the damage the accident caused to her back and right leg. Rivera loved her shockingly self-revealing subject matter, her courage to paint, for example, her own birth or herself in 1932 having one of the several miscarriages that made her realise that she would never fulfill her wish to bear Rivera's child. When she was depressed after this miscarriage, it was he who suggested that she paint the important moments of her life on small sheets of tin like the Mexican retablo or ex-voto painters who depict people being saved from accidents or other disasters by a holy intercessor. He also pushed her to show and sell her work. Rivera's support of her art was absolutely essential to Kahlo's continuing artistic endeavour. In a 1943 essay on his wife's relationship to Mexican art, he wrote: "In the panorama of Mexican painting of the last twenty years, the work of Frida Kahlo shines like a diamond in the midst of many inferior jewels; clear and hard, with precisely defined facets… Frida's art is individual-collective. Her realism is so monumental

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that everything has "n" dimensions. Consequently, she paints at the same time the exterior and interior of herself and the world." Rivera often told friends that Kahlo was a better painter than he was – no doubt his praise was lavish because her painting and the scale of her ambition was so distinct from, and so much smaller than, his own.

In turn, Kahlo thought Rivera was the greatest painter in the world; she called him the "architect of life." Next to his, her own art seemed insignificant; perhaps in part because she did not want to compete with Rivera, she frequently spoke of her work in diminishing terms, as if it were an amusing pastime.

She acted surprised when people took an interest in it, and purchases astonished her. "For that price they could buy something better," she would say or "it must be because he's in love with me," Sometimes she would turn her serious engagement with painting into a joke, for example when she told the writer of a Detroit News article entitled, "Wife of the Master Mural Painter Gleefully Dabbles in Works of Art," that Rivera "does pretty well for a little boy, but it is I who am the big artist".

There was no question in either of their minds, or in the minds of their close friends, that they were the most important people in each other's lives. Friends recall that when Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, Rivera was like a 'soul cut in two' and that 'he became an old man in a few hours, pale and ugly.' In his autobiography Rivera wrote that the day Kahlo died "was the most tragic day of my life. I had lost my beloved Frida, forever… Too late now I realized that the most wonderful part of my life had been my love for Frida."

This extract is taken from "Beauty to his Beast" by Hayden Herrera in "Significant Others: Creativity and Intimate Partnership" edited by Whitney Chadwick and Isabelle de Courtivron. © 1993 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London. Reprinted by kind permission of Thames & Hudson.

'Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection' is on show in rooms 12 to 15 (9 July to 2 October 2011). A full events programme accompanies the exhibition. Please see the What's On leaflet or visit www.pallant.org.uk for more details.

An illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition (RRP £30), available to buy from the Gallery bookshop.

Frida Kahlo, Portrait of Diego Rivera / Retrato de Diego Rivera, 1937, oil on Masonite © 2011 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / DACS.

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Kahlo & Rivera

Curators' Choices Stefan van Raay on Rivera's 'Calla LilY Vendors', 1943 Sometimes cultured Mexican friends will take me aside and whisper: "Do you understand why Frida is such a star?" as if ashamed to admit to the serious sin of straying from worldwide consensus. In their eyes Diego Rivera still towers over 20th century Mexican art along with his contemporaries Siqueiros and Orozco. Rivera was, after all, the leader of the Muralists who re-invented the legacies of the Mayas and Aztecs and the Italian Renaissance into a modern medium which celebrated the progress of Mexico after the Revolution. The Mexicans, of course, have direct access to his imposing public artworks, without doubt the most brilliant part of Rivera's oeuvre. For these alone he deserves his place among the great artists of the 20th century.

These same Mexicans look at Kahlo's paintings with a different eye to many others. They see for example their direct link with the traditional ex-voto paintings, a fixture of Mexican churches, and which Kahlo collected.

They see too, on a daily basis, images of violence and suffering to rival any of the themes in Kahlo's anguished renderings. Pain and death are very much part of Mexico's visual culture and one cannot avoid the latest gruesome photographs on the newsstands.

So Kahlo has not attained her iconic status through Mexican opinion. Rivera himself, however, was the first Diego Rivera, Calla Lily Vendors / Vendedora de alcatraces, 1943, oil on Masonite, 150 x 120 cm, Š 2011 Banco de MÊxico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / DACS

to see Kahlo's artistic qualities and to encourage her to continue to paint. He was convinced that no other artist had ever observed his or herself both physically and psychologically with such honesty as Frida - a point which is still key to the great empathy her works evoke all over the world.

The works by Rivera in this exhibition are all easel paintings or works on paper. The earliest work clearly shows the influence of Cubism flourishing when he studied in Paris but consequent trips around Europe, particularly Italy, inspired the muralist movement of which Rivera became the champion. The 'Lily Vendors' painting of 1943 gives the viewer a 'detail' of Rivera's murals, in fact it could be taken from a much larger market scene. It is an enchanting painting which depicts a scene familiar even now - girls with pigtails in regional dress selling lilies are a common sight in any market in Oaxaca, South Mexico. It is also an illustration of Rivera's love for Mexico's vibrant tapestry of cultures. The income from the easel paintings provided Rivera and Kahlo with the means to live an exuberant lifestyle with domestics, house guests, dinner parties and several houses and financed Rivera's large scale mural projects. Most importantly the income paid for the building of the Anahuacalli in Mexico City, the Aztec pyramid style museum for his important collection of pre-Hispanic art which he donated to the nation.

Both Rivera and Kahlo were immensely proud of Mexico's rich cultural heritage which not only provided 19

them with endless subject matter but pervaded their lifestyle as well. At the same time they were prominent supporters of the Communist movement, combining nationalism with internationalism. While Rivera's murals tackled Mexico's history head on, Kahlo's pride in Mexico's many different cultures and rich arts and crafts is clearly evident in her work and in the way she presented herself.

Inevitably the lifestyle, the many high-profile affairs, and the politics, have all added to the aura around them, beyond the art. Their story continues to enthral people all over the world, including Mexico where Kahlo has become as big a name as Rivera.

Julie Brown on kahlo's 'The Love Embrace of the Universe', 1949 Frida Kahlo has become an iconic figure in world art history, and an inspirational force for feminism and women artists in particular. I admire Frida Kahlo as both an artist and a woman; for her life and her art is too intertwined to be able to separate the two. Her story resonates with the universal experience of being a woman. She determinedly fought against being merely regarded as Diego's wife. A self-taught artist, she wanted her voice to be heard, to affirm her place in the world, in spite of the pain of both their relationship, and the ill health she endured which left her unable to bear children.

These became the motivating factors of her work.

'The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me and Señor Xólotl' of 1949 is a prime example, unique in this exhibition as it is not only a self-portrait, but a portrait of Frida and Diego as a couple, and of their relationship.

Frida – unusually with her hair flowing - cradles Diego in her arms, like the monstrous baby he had been referred to as. Behind them, the Mexican earth goddess, with milk dripping from her breast, appears to be taunting her with her fertility. Frida, in the traditional Tehuana dress Diego favoured, drips tears and her heart is bleeding. Instead of the real baby she longed for, Diego is her baby unable to live without her nurturing. Like a child Diego will never truly belong to 20

her and although they are dependent on one another in the end she knows she has to let go. Diego cannot give her the monogamous commitment she desires.

Diego, depicted with a destructive third eye on his forehead and carrying a life-giving flame, reminds me of the Indian myth of Parvati and Shiva. To earn Shiva's love Parvati practised meditation in order to reach his higher plane. The gods eventually recognised her effort as they were afraid the energy she emanated would cause harm and become a destructive force. However Shiva was distracted from his meditation by Parvati's embrace, burning down his surroundings with the flame. This echoes Frida's efforts to hold on to Diego, and be rewarded by him loving her with all his heart.

Shiva, the God of destruction and transformation, has all the power and control, able to both give love and destroy it. This echoes the power balance in many relationships, women, exuding passion and an emotional honesty, and men, exercising control and restraint. Señor Xólotl, their pet dog, sits at their feet, the ever faithful companion.

The painting references both a European Christian tradition, such as depictions of The Virgin and Child with St Anne, and Buddhist iconography, which speaks of division and harmony, Yin and Yang. The dualism in Mexican culture is often represented by the sun and moon. The moon represents the female, beautiful, but prone to change. The sun is the male, aggressively following its course in the sky with indifference.

Frida and Diego, like the sun and moon, could never come together. The moon perpetually follows the sun without ever uniting. Yet they could not exist without one another.

Diego said after her death: 'Frida is the only example in the history of art of someone who tears open her heart to tell the biological truth about what she feels'.

She wore her heart on her sleeve, and did not depict their relationship in the intellectualised way of her husband. She blatantly expressed the pain she felt and in her work. She painted her personal reality, whereas Diego's work was political, existing independently of their relationship. Frida's life and work was one.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection is on show in rooms 12 to 15 (9 July to 2 October 2011). A full events programme accompanies the exhibition. Please see the What's On leaflet or visit www.pallant.org.uk for more details.

An illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition (RRP £30) is availabe to buy from the Gallery bookshop.

Frida Kahlo, The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me and Señor Xólotl / Elabrazo de amor de El universo, la tierra (Mexico), yo, Diego y el Señor Xólotl, 1949, oil on canvas, 70 x 60.5 cm, © 2011 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / DACS.

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A Magician in Light Photographers Manuel and Lola Alvarez Bravo were close friends and contempories of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Both were major figures in Mexico's post revolution renaissance. To mark a display of their work Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville introduces one half of this key artistic couple.

Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Calabaza y caracol (Squash and Snail),1928, Gelatin silver print, © Colette Urbajtel/Asociación Manuel Álvarez Bravo

What is it that the camera captures? Is it the scene itself, fixed in what Henri Cartier-Bresson famously defined as the 'decisive moment', or a stylization of it? As any schoolboy knows – at least, any schoolboy with a smattering of Descartes, Berkeley and Kant – all that we can grasp of the world is its properties, such as length, breadth, weight, colour…. The thing in itself we cannot apprehend. So what is it that is there in the photograph? The more we ponder this question, the more forcefully we are compelled to the realization that the seeming reality which the camera shows us is an impossibility, since, in the blinking of the camera's shutter, time is stopped. The world in pictures is a world of being, while in the real world, where time is the unacknowledged legislator, everything is a ceaseless process of becoming. Plato no less than Heraclitus would have disdained the camera.

Manuel Alvarez Bravo was as much aware of these matters as any other great artist of the camera.

He had the additional difficulty of deciding how to deal with the 'otherness' of Mexico, a chronically underdeveloped country living smack up against the richest nation on earth. On the one hand there was the temptation of the picturesque – the beaming peon, the hot-eyed señorita, the cactus outlined against a blazing sky, the plodding burro, as in the German Hugo Brehme's picture-postcard visions of Mexico – and on the other the drama of revolution, social struggle, bloody suppression. Was he to be a documentarist, a romantic, a realist, a surrealist? Over a very long life he 23

had never quite decided what his approach to his art should be – and therein lies much of his strength.

Born at the dawn of the twentieth century, Alvarez Bravo was one of the founders of modern photography. It might be said that the visual arts were in his blood: his father, Manual Alvarez García, was an amateur photographer, while his grandfather was a painter with a keen interest in photography. Alvarez Bravo left school in 1915, when he was only thirteen, though later he attended night school, and also took lessons in painting. Indeed, he might have become a painter, had not the father of a school friend given him a camera. At once he set about making himself into a photographer, though later he was to destroy all his early work.

In the earliest days of his career, Alvarez Bravo was a friend and colleague of the likes of Henri CartierBresson, Edward Weston and Paul Strand; after Tina Modotti was expelled from Mexico in 1930 – she had been accused, rightly, it seems, of involvement in an attempted political assassination – Alvarez Bravo inherited her camera and her job photographing murals and public artefacts for Frances Toor's magazine Mexican Folkways. Already in 1927, Alvarez Bravo had opened a small photographic gallery in the house in Mexico City where he was living with his first wife, Lola Martínez de Anda.

It is evident from his work that Alvarez Bravo was remarkably open to the influence of other photographers. In 1930, for instance, he discovered Eugène Atget, and at once the mark of the great Parisian master's hand becomes apparent… Everywhere, of course, there are reminders of Alvarez Bravo's friendship with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The photographer's dark-hued, hieratic nudes convey a Kahloesque immediacy and lyrical intensity, but also that unsettling awkwardness, that sense of being at a slight angle to the world that is Kahlo's unmistakable mark.

In March 1935 his work appeared in a joint exhibition with that of Henri Cartier-Bresson at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and the following month the show, now including work by Walker Evans, was moved to the Julien Levy Gallery in New York.

Levy was a dedicated admirer of surrealism and the surrealists, and introduced Alvarez Bravo to many of the artists who were to have an influence on his work for the rest of his life.

Alvarez Bravo took to surrealism with the same enthusiasm with which Latin American novelists greeted the second wave of magic realism inaugurated

by Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred 24

Years of Solitude, published in 1968 – the first wave had been set rolling by the disgracefully underacknowledged Swiss-Russian-French-Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier in his novel 'El reino de este mundo' of 1949 – for here, it seemed, was the ideal mode by which to capture the almost hysterical strangeness of the Mexican experience. Once again, though, Alvarez Bravo's humour and inability to take himself solemnly were to save him from the worst excesses of the wilder proponents of surrealism. His adaptation of surrealist techniques is wholly characteristic of this great humanist. Also his combining of those techniques with other influences allowed him to forge his characteristically eclectic style.

It seems inevitable that Alvarez Bravo would have been drawn to the cinema – he had produced a movie, Tehuantepec, in 1934 – and for most of the 1940s and throughout the 1950s he worked in the film industry as a still photographer, and on a number of movies with Luis Buñuel; he also taught for a time at the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Producción Cinematográfica de México. In 1959 he gave up the movie business in favour of publishing, and set up the Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana, of which he was photographic directory. He was a busy man, and led a full and energetic life.

Alvarez Bravo's characteristics as an artist are rigour, wit, a relaxed eclecticism, elegance, high irony and social if not political commitment. He was unmistakably Mexican but also, like his friend and colleague Cartier-Bresson, an international man, a citizen of the world. As his widow Collete Alvarez Urbajtel notes: 'He hated excess, the picturesque, the commonplace, clichés of beauty, affectation.' As all real artists do, he managed to draw out of the stolid surface of things something of their true and ineffable essence and in doing so he once confounded the philosophers and became a kind philosopher himself.

This extract is from "A Magician in Light by John Banville in "Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Photopoetry". © 2008 by Thames & Hudson Ltd, London. Reprinted by kind permission of Thames & Hudson.

A display of photographs by Manuel and Lola Alvarez Bravo will be on show in room 17 alongside the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition from 9 July to 2 Ocotober 2011. Please visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information.

Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Organ Pipe Cacti,1929-1930, Platinum print, © Colette Urbajtel/Asociación Manuel Álvarez Bravo

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Butlins 75th Birthday Social historian Dr Roni Brown introduces Anna Fox's hyper-real photographs of Butlins Bognor Regis and the artist picks out her best shot

What two organisations could be more contrasting in terms of their audience than Butlins Bognor Regis and Pallant House Gallery and what better reason could there be for bringing them together?

The commissioning of 'Resort' by documentary photographer Anna Fox was inspired by this very idea – that the popular cultural heritage of the Butlins brand in tandem with their 75th anniversary in summer 2011 provided a unique opportunity to provide a fresh perspective on the nature of contemporary British leisure by one of Britain's leading photographers.

Fox's curiosity for the subject matter is causally linked with other prominent colour photographers.

Fox is Professor of Photography at the University for the Creative Arts where she studied and was taught

by Martin Parr who edited John Hinde's extraordinary work on Butlins from the 1960s and 70s . Hinde was a leading practitioner in the field of commercial colour photography from which he established one of the world's largest postcard businesses. The postcards produced for Butlins were in fact the work of Elmar Ludwig, Edmund Nagele and David Noble who were employed by Hinde to orchestrate compositions of intense detail according to Hinde's house style. For Hinde and Bill Butlin the postcards served purely commercial purposes. However, reproduced as large scale images and seen within the context of the gallery (the Museum of Modern Art in Dublin in 1993 and the Photographers' Gallery London in 2007), Parr Anna Fox, Fairy Make Up, Butlin's 2010 © Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

recognised the social significance of Hinde's images in providing a unique record of British leisure during a period of economic change and the expansion of the package holiday industry.

'As with all Hinde imagery, they show an idealised view of the world and, after the passage of time, acquire the power of a lost dream. The most remarkable thing of all is that the cards were painstakingly produced not for any aspirational ideas or as great art, but as humble postcards to sell for a few pence to holiday makers.' (Martin Parr ) Like Parr, Fox sees in the Butlin's experience a series of social encounters set against the culture, values and commercial imperatives of a successful and evolving business. Fox sees business in operation – the sets and costumes, the highly trained redcoats, but she also sees the tools, the construction and the evolving site (multi-million pound hotels emerge to replace chalet accommodation). 'In my photographs I have tried to give small clues to the theatrical nature of the Butlins resort by making sure there are always details of the world behind the stage set visible at the edges of the images.' Fox also conveys that unique proposition of a Butlins holiday, one that is highly self-contained, safe and family orientated: children and adults alike create moments of sheer fantasy – there is freedom of expression here - and there is boredom and waiting and conspicuous consumption too. Moving between the poles of the ordinary and extraordinary is Fox's leitmotif. In Anna Fox: Photographs 1983-2007 Fox 27

Anna Fox, Bowling Alley Spring 2011, © Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

finds the surreal and funny in her Hampshire village, depicts the social fabric of Basingstoke as a new business hub, and with extraordinary care and honesty explores the relationship of her parents as they deal with long term illness. The reason I find Fox's work so apprehending is that she appears to judge so well how to engage with the subject of her work, with warmth or humour, or when to observe with cool neutrality.

In the case of Butlins Fox has to contend with a set of popular preconceptions about the brand: not least the jollity of the hi-de-hi image (a phrase long since abandoned by Butlins) that seeks to undermine the authenticity of experiences that are 'laid on' against those that have the appearance at least, of being contrived around individual circumstances and taste.

It is inescapable that the image of Butlins is tied to ideas about class, which through the popular media has been satirised for its overtly popularist stance.

Such well-rehearsed perceptions became evident with the opening of the Butlins Ocean Spa Hotel at Bognor Regis in 2009 in which the press contrasted the image of dowdy camp goers with an uber-modern exuberance that only a company so invested in the idea of family fun could conjure up. Yet the history of Butlins attests to the very idea of supplying 'affordable luxury': many of the early buildings were deliberately designed to echo the visual iconography of transatlantic liners alongside the programming of high profile 'names' for the entertainment of guests. For Fox the matter of representation lies less in dealing with the image of Butlins, richly laden as it is, but with authenticating the experience of a highly diverse range of holiday-makers – as diverse in age, ethnicity, culture and aspiration as any community outside London.

If ideas about representation pose artistic challenges then so too does the technical and working 28

environment. Butlins is a technically complex space to work in and to establish these images required a team of people, just as it did for Hinde's photographers in the 1960s. As Fox comments 'it has been incredibly hard shooting this project and it is vital to understand that there has been a whole team of people working for me. In particular, lighting director Vicki Churchill who has done so many inventive things both with the lighting and the direction of the shooting and Andrew Bruce who has been first assistant. Without his technical know-how and creative understanding the whole thing would have been impossible. When Hinde created his work there was never the suspicion of the photographer that exists today. The scandalous story of the photographers at the tragic incident of Diana's death has tarnished the public's view of photography.

I try to mediate this anxiety by using the large format as people see this type of camera quite differently. Our work resembles a film set and we resemble a film crew - at times there have been 8 of us at one shoot.'

Today, rightly, there are a series of ethical guidelines to photographing people to ensure that those captured in Fox's work have given their permission and understand the curatorial context in which their images will be contemplated. We have been conscious throughout the project of these and other issues of representation – not only of people but the Butlins brand and the inevitable tensions between the needs of the commercial organisation to protect and promote a very particular brand image and the documentary photographer whose purpose is to create an historical record. Jeremy Pardey, the Resort Director at Butlins Bognor Regis, has perhaps unusually and bravely placed his trust in the highly individual vision of the artist – and this brought with it considerable risk. As Pardey says, the most challenging aspect of the project has been 'getting everyone to understand the brand and the journey we are on.'

There is a deliberately hyper-real quality to Fox's interpretation of the Butlins experience – that is contrasted with simple everyday pleasures. As Fox says 'I am interested in how we all are in society and our desires, more than I am actually interested in the brand.

The brand has grown out of our society and as such could be seen as a metaphor for our desires.'

Anna Fox: RESORT is on show in Rooms 15 and 16 from 25 June to 2 October 2011. Dr Roni Brown will talk about the history of Butlins with Roger Billington, Head of Butlins archive on Thursday 7 July at 6pm. Please visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information.

Anna Fox, Small Water Play, © Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

Anna Fox, Bar Summer 2010, © Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

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anna fox

My Best shot OCEAN HOTEL RESTAURANT SUMMER 2010

This photograph, of the Ocean Hotel’s new restaurant, represents a breakthrough for me in shooting the Butlins project RESORT; it was my first experience of working with a team, as opposed to on my own, and with Vicki Churchill directing the lighting (who then became more and more involved on each subsequent shoot) it was a revelation to discover how much more could be achieved in an image with a highly skilled group.

That day, in the Ocean Hotel, there were three of us; I was working on a 5x4 camera which was new for me. On later shoots the team expanded to around eight; each person with a specific role (or two) either to do with lighting, digital capture, documentation, model releasing as well as the actual camera work. Teamwork has been hugely influential in the development of this project; we were able to use more lights – particularly important in the large interiors – every aspect of the shot was checked and re-checked and it was also possible to deal properly with the public who may be walking in and out of the images.

I had known the John Hinde images of Butlins for sometime and admired the very staged compositions and the stunning colour he used making the images feel like theatrical sets. My intention from the start 30

© Anna Fox, courtesy James Hyman Photography, London

was to attempt to look at the contemporary face of Butlins with the same kind of vision.

The Ocean Hotel is the most recently built accommodation on the Butlins site and so it was important to photograph it; it is a playfully designed building. I had tried the foyer and still wanted to photograph the actual bedrooms but the restaurant and bar were immediately appealing; they literally breathed bright colour. It was a blue sky day and this is always helpful if there is a window in the shot (in the sense that grey skies are too pale and rarely fill the space well). We came into the bar area to find several families with small children eating lunch.

As Vicki set up the lights and the digital camera (for test shots – necessary to check for unwanted reflections etc) I made sure I talked to everyone inside the restaurant and my assistant Steve checked everyone passing by outside. It was remarkable that everyone agreed to be in the shot – frequently restaurants are the most challenging places as people really do not like being photographed while eating. It takes time to set up and I was incredibly anxious as people were fast finishing their meals. There was a wonderful big group of three families near the door but I couldn’t quite get far

enough back to get a good composition with them in. The family nearer the window were more ideal; framed by the bright pink wall they carried on eating without bothering to give me a second glance – a strange situation with three or four lights directed at them, a 5x4 camera on a tripod and a digital Nikon also on a tripod, wires running all over the place. The family were perfect for the shot and the colours of their clothing and the push chair were uncannily appropriate. The little girl, with painted tiger face, started to get impatient and could not resist turning to look at us – I took the first shot just before she started to pose and act up for the camera in dramatic style. It was a brief moment when her eye caught my lens and we were lucky enough to be ready.

Anna Fox: RESORT is on show from 25 June to 2 October 2011. Anna Fox will be talking about her work and the RESORT project in an event on Thursday 4 August at 6pm. Please see the What's On leaflet or visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information. Anna Fox is represented by the James Hyman Gallery, London.

For all sales enquiries please contact info@jameshymanphotography.com 31

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Art from the Asylum To mark a new exhibition in the De'Longhi Print Room Marc Steene, Head of Learning and Community, pays homage to Outsider artist and punk musician, Nick Blinko

Nick Blinko (born 4 September 1961) is a British musician, writer, and artist best known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitar player for the British band Rudimentary Peni. He occupies a unique and extremely interesting position as an artist; his work as a visual artist, musician and writer mark him out as an idiosyncratic creator steeped in his inner self. From the perspective of Outside In, a project initiated by Pallant House Gallery that supports artists who find it difficult to access the art world, he represents an interesting example of a non-traditional creator. Nick Blinko would say that his work should speak for itself, as I expect would most artists, and interviewing Nick by email has revealed how this artist cannot be divorced from his creativity and his life journey. Nick writes like he creates, with wit, imagination and intelligence. His unconventionality infuses his often abstract prose, conjoining words and phrases to answer questions.

Asked how he creates his work and the impact of medication Nick said: "Parts of my pictures where I have used but small perception are often deemed the most successful. Later when I became psychotic I realized outsiders like Wölfli [Adolf Wölfli, a Swiss artist who was one of the first artists to be associated with the Art Brut or outsider art label] were B.C. Before Chlorpromazine." This reference to chlorpromazine hydrochloride, a medication used to treat psychosis, and his mental health is extremely important in understanding Nick as an artist. Diagnosed as schizophrenic he spent time in mental health Nick Blinko, Untitled, 1984/85, Ink on paper

institutions including Napsbury Hospital, an asylum near where he lives and grew up in Abbots Langley.

The medication he was given to treat his schizophrenia impacted on his ability to create. The first tablets made his hand shake and impaired his vision, other tablets impacted on his energy levels and if the medical interventions did not work he was encouraged to find inspiration from the Bible.

Asylums and their impact on his life feature directly in many of his works. One work in the exhibition, 'The London Asylum', is a drawing of a sinister building with a fence of arrows in front, the only gap being blocked by an overpowering monkey puzzle tree; the asylum seems impenetrable, removed, shrouded in a half mist.

It is an image which in Blinko's words, "confirms the notion that the psychiatric set-up is like a grim parody of the illness itself." In another work in the exhibition, 'Necropolis Asylum Hearse', Nick describes its suggestion of the strange inner workings and contraptions used in the contained, closed world of an asylum: "Necropolis Asylum Hearse is connected to odd vehicles, velocipedes that trundled asylum grounds. I sometimes saw wheeled mattresses with their otherwise ward-bound incumbents taking the air." Nick also refers to other famous artist patients of asylums such as Louis Wain (1860–1939) the famous cat painter who developed schizophrenia later in life, implying that the system and those working within it are as ill as the patients themselves: "Where once Louis Wain had dwelt the art therapist was painting..... cats, I thought this guy's sicker than I am."

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Asylums have a powerful and long-lasting physical and symbolic impact, even when closed and redeveloped there is still a powerful resonance. It is interesting to note on entering Chichester the water tower of the old Graylingwell Asylum competing with the spire of the cathedral as the dominant landmark. Nick had a strong relationship with the water tower of his local asylum: "I could see the tiny water tower from our garden when I was five. When I was 17 I went to work there, mainly in the Orphanage Annexe. The first thing I saw from a large Elm Ward window was the water tower, only now it was so vast it occupied the whole view, Alice or Freud?" This reference to Alice in Wonderland and the shifting scale of the tower and its Freudian symbolic interpretation hint at his differing relationship to the asylum. With this thought in mind it might be possible to consider that asylums were in fact microcosms of society at large and that the people contained within them were there because they saw through or could not cope with the larger asylum the rest lived in.

Nick's micro-obsessive drawings from the 1980s occupy a claustrophobic world heady with symbolism and perversion. At times they remind me of Aubrey Beardsley in their technique and atmosphere. Nick speaks of artists Samuel Palmer, L.S. Lowry and David

Lynch's film Eraserhead as other sources of inspiration.

Using this intoxicating mixture of inspiration and personal experience he has created a completely unique and new world in which process and vision walk hand in hand. Looking closely at Nick's highly detailed work one is often tripped up by a detail which on observation is as interesting and powerful as the whole. These are the works that connect with a deeper subconscious.

I especially love the deeply mysterious moon sleeping on the sea in one of his pictures. It has a complete authenticity in its otherness; it is as strange as strange gets. Nick Blinko is clearly an extremely talented artist and the exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, his first solo show, provides for the first time a unique opportunity to see a body of his work and to closely observe the troubled inner workings of an original mind.

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Nick Blinko, Necropolis Asylum Hearse, 2008, Ink on paper

Nick Blinko: The Visions of Pope Adrian 37th is in the De'Longhi Print Room from 27 June to 7 August.

Outside In launches its national open art competition on 21 July. Submissions are open until 20 July 2012. To find out more or to enter visit www.outsidein.org.uk

Outside In 2009 Award winner Carlo Keshishsian on Nick Blinko

To me, nothing is comparable to Nick Blinko's work.

I have been fascinated by his output of microscopic meandering for half of my lifetime and only managed to witness its potency in 'real life' for the first time in October 2008, in an exhibition at Orleans House. I was first introduced to his character through hearing his band, Rudimentary Peni, on a cassette compilation a friend made for me. My friend was from San Francisco and most of the bands on the tape were from the US. Rudimentray Peni's music sounded very distinct, and as I sought out the album that the song was from, I discovered Blinko's incredible art work on the cover. His visual style parallels his vocals in the band in terms of intensity, density and depth. Blinko's drawings drew me in to his mind's maze. The music on Rudimentary Peni's Death Church album was not your traditional UK Punk sound, nor did it sound American. There was a social commentary aspect and a gothic element, but there was something very personal, abstract and complex being expressed, which I assume is Blinko's influence. The artwork reflects this aspect of their sound.

Around that time, rather surprisingly, Tower Records in Piccadilly had a healthy punk rock and counterculture section downstairs. As well as picking up 'Death Church', I discovered Blinko's novel 'The Primal Nick Blinko, Untitled, c.1984/85, Ink on paper

Screamer' whilst perusing the book section.

As I was judging books by their covers in order to decide whether my curiosity had been triggered enough to want to look inside any of them, I noticed one with Blinko art on the cover and immediately knew he had drawn it. The book contained a few other drawings, which complemented his semiautobiographical novel. By coincidence, his linear stylings seemed like a more refined, intensive, detailed and complex approach to expressing one's character (and in his case, demons). Particularly when I consider what I was drawing at the time.

I was just about 15 years old and the idea of acquiring one of his works seemed like an impossibility.

I kept listening to 'Peni' and admiring the album art work over the next decade. I decided to seek out more information from the internet regarding Blinko's elusive activities and hoped to come across more images. I found the Henry Boxer Gallery online and saw that I wasn't the only one who valued Blinko's work so critically. I had never bought any art work before and was reluctant to ask how much the works cost. A few years later in 2009, when I was in a position to buy something, I followed this up and took a bit of one of my favourite artists home with me.

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Reflections Ahead of his exhibition 'Less ness' in the De'Longhi Print Room South African-born artist Clifford Charles gives an insight into his work and methods

How long have you been working with ink on paper and what attracts you to the medium?

I have been working with ink for more than 16 years.

The medium appeals to me as it has a large range of possibilities. It is very basic, simple and instantaneous but it has an elaborate vocabulary: it is both opaque and transparent, liquid and solid etc. I wanted to give it the honour it deserves as a discipline, to give it time to open up to its complications.

Can you explain the title, 'Less ness'?

It is concerned with the idea of trying to remove all the excess distractions and get to a core of what life is and what we value. We live in a world where we are constantly fed and bombarded by images so the opportunities to just stand still are becoming very limited. My work, I hope, offers the chance for the viewer to engage with that moment of stillness. This is such a fundamental experience - we still have to stand still in front of a work to appreciate it.

You are originally from South Africa. How important is that cultural identity to your work?

All artists come with specific histories and identities but I believe that the challenge is to transcend that sense of self and speak to an audience beyond ourselves - to occupy spaces that are shaky and challenge certainties. In 2003 I took part in a group show called Faultlines at the Venice Biennale which looked at artists from Africa and the Diaspora.

The concept of the exhibition was an attempt to create a rupture, to challenge assumptions of

place, like the tectonic plates of an earthquake.

My contribution was called 'Painting on water' which contained a conundrum – the impossibility of producing images on something moving. It was about not being bound or fixed by identity or tradition and allowing ourselves to be mutable, movable and transform. This is an important theme in my work.

My early work was strongly motivated by figurative art, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Goya, but I have since moved towards abstraction. I suddenly felt that figurative art was too prescriptive for me, I wanted a medium that could speak more openly and engage more broadly.

How do you feel about exhibiting alongside Pallant House Gallery's collection of Modern British Art? It allows me to engage with the Modernist tradition which I align myself with. It is also very interesting to me that my works will be displayed alongside Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Both came from very politicallycharged spaces and attempted to engage with social upheaval in their work – albeit in very different ways.

Equally their work is about their relationship to each other – like that infamous bridge that both separated and brought together the two spaces they occupied.

Pallant House acts like that bridge, connecting not only to my past but also other Art Movements to today.

Lessness runs from 9 August to 25 September.

The artist will give a talk on Thursday 1 September at 6pm with curator Gilane Tawadros. Visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information.

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The Dannatt Gift Simon Martin, Head of Curatorial Services, celebrates a remarkable new addition to the Gallery's permanent Collection

Featuring over 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints, the George and Ann Dannatt Gift of Modern British Art is one of the most significant donations to the Gallery in our history. It not only complements the existing collections but fills a number of 'gaps', particularly in the area of post-war abstract art.

An abstract artist, George Dannatt (1915–2009) initially trained and worked as a chartered surveyor, but studied composition and harmony in the evenings and also worked as a music critic. His musical training undoubtedly influenced his abstract paintings, and they in turn inspired the composer Sir Arthur Bliss's last major work 'Metamorphic Variations', which he dedicated to George and Ann. George had first begun to experiment with constructivist painting in 1955 after being introduced to the artist Adrian Heath by his brother, the architect Trevor Dannatt RA. Soon afterwards, he became friends with Patrick Heron after visiting his studio in his capacity as surveyor, and through visits to Heron's Cornish home he was drawn close to the St Ives artists. Dannatt became a regular visitor, exhibiting with the Penwith Society of Arts and joining the Newlyn Society of Artists. Through his friendships he developed a remarkable collection of artworks by figures associated with Cornwall, including Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, Peter Lanyon, Ben Nicholson, William Scott and John Tunnard.

George and his wife Ann, founder of the Association of Women Housing Managers, whom he married in 1943, created their own rural equivalent of Kettle's Robert MacBryde, Apples on a Caucasian Cloth (detail), c. 1944, Oil on canvas, Pallant House Gallery (The George and Ann Dannatt Gift, 2011) © The Estate of Robert MacBryde

Yard, filling their home in Wiltshire with artworks, books and music. Having no immediate heirs, George and Ann had placed their collection in trust and they explored ways in which the majority of it could be kept together for the benefit of future generations. They had been Friends of Pallant House Gallery for a number of years, and so I was very sad that although he had approved of plans for a future bequest, George died in the week that I was due to meet him. Visiting the house and studio soon afterwards, with the pencils and paints just as he had left them in the studio was a moving experience, and it is a great testament to Ann's generosity of spirit that she has decided to present the collection as an outright gift in her lifetime.

Besides the St Ives artists, we have selected works by a range of British artists including Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde, John Craxton, William Gear, Paul Nash, and Keith Vaughan. In addition, the Dannatt Gift has an international dimension and features prints by European Modernists such as Jean Arp, Juan Gris, and Victor Vasarely. The Gift complements the Gallery's identity as a 'collection of collections', alongside those of church patron Walter Hussey, architect Colin St John Wilson, property developer Charles Kearley, and The Golder – Thompson Gift of contemporary prints.

Aside from the quality of the individual works, it is the personal stories of friendship and patronage that make these collections so interesting.

There will be a display of highlights of the collection in Room 4 from 1 July to 1 October.

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Collection News

William Scott, Cup, 1974, Gouache and collage on paper/mixed media, Pallant House Gallery (The George and Ann Dannatt Gift, 2011)

GIFTS AND DONATIONS The growth of Pallant House Gallery's permanent collection has invariably been due to the generosity of individuals. While this summer sees the arrival of the remarkable George and Ann Dannatt Gift of over 100 works of Modern British Art including many figures from the St Ives group, donations of individual works of art continue to make their impact on our exhibitions and displays. Works on paper depicting human toil have recently been presented by two anonymous donors, including 'Burning Coach Grass', from the 'Work on the Land' series (1917) by William Rothenstein, three works by Frank Brangwyn: drawings of a 'Water Carrier' and 'Road Workers' and an etching of the 'Fishmarket, Bruges', and a Keith Vaughan drawing of two more leisurely figures reclining in a landscape.

PASSION FOR PRINTS To thank Pallant House Gallery for the exhibition 'A Passion for Prints' marking the 10th anniversary of their on-going gift of contemporary prints, Mark Golder and Brian Thompson have presented the Goldsmiths MFA Print Portfolio 2011, a set of limited edition prints from 40 emerging international artists, which includes screenprints, woodcuts, etchings, photographic prints and even photocopies.

Furthermore, The Golder – Thompson Gift has inspired gifts to the collection in its honour: Meryl Ainsley the Director of the Rabley Drawing Centre has donated an etching by the late Craigie Aitchinson (1926-2009) 40

of his Bedlington terrier 'Sugarbush wearing a Hat' (2009), and Nicola Shane and Rebecca Hicks of Purdy Hicks have donated an etching by the Brighton-based artist Andrzej Jackowski entitled 'Woman with Hair Up (Night)' (2003) as a way of thanking Mark and Brian for their support of the artists and galleries. We are most grateful to all these donors for their generosity.

LOANS OUT Recognising our good fortune with regard to the richness of the collections, the Gallery always tries to be a supportive lender to exhibitions at other museums and galleries, both in Britain and abroad.

We are lucky to have over 200 paintings, prints and drawings by the American born artist R.B. Kitaj and this summer we will be lending a group of these to the exhibition 'Kitaj: Portraits and Reflections' at Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal (9 July – 8 October 2011).

A group of paintings and studies for the Chichester Cathedral Tapestry have been lent to the exhibition 'John Piper in Kent and Sussex', which will be at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne (2 July – 25 September 2011), and a group of Pop Art works to the Lightbox in Woking for the exhibition 'Snap Crackle and Pop: British Pop Art'(30 July – 28 September 2011). In July the Gallery's Futurist masterpiece 'Danseuse No.5' (1915/16) leaves the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris for MART at Rovereto in Italy where it will feature in a major retrospective celebrating Gino Severini's Futurist and Neo-Classical work.

Jenna Burlingham fine art

John Piper

Elisabeth Frink

Mary Fedden

Ffiona Lewis

Kenneth Martin

Ruskin Spear

A new gallery in Kingsclere Specialising in 20th Century British paintings, prints, sculpture and ceramics, as well as work by selected contemporary artists.

Do visit the gallery or website to view our extensive and ever changing selection of art. For further information, or to receive details about our exhibition schedule and art history courses, please contact us at: info@jennaburlingham.com 2a George Street, Kingsclere Newbury RG20 5NQ 01635 298855 info@jennaburlingham.com

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00 - 5:00 Wednesday 10:00 - 8:00 Saturday 10:00 - 2:00 and at other times by appointment

www.jennaburlingham.com

MARY FEDDEN EXHIBITION

9 JUNE – 1 JULY 2011

PETER BROOK, ALAN LOWNDES & DONALD MCINTYRE EXHIBITION

7 – 29 JULY 2011

As Modern British painting specialists we are interested in acquiring works by these and other artists. Please contact us with enquiries and for valuations.

Chairman of the Friends' Letter Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required) Lady Nicholas Gordon Lennox

Murray Robertson, Miracle and Ordeal, 1992, Pallant House Gallery (The Golder - Thompson Gift, 2002), © The Artist/Glasgow Print Studio

Dear Friends, Patrons and Gallery Club Members Once again we are looking forward to a summer exhibition with an international theme: 'Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection'. This exhibition will be supported by a great variety of events which we hope very much you will enjoy.

The AGM which I mentioned in my last letter will be held on Monday 25 July and I am delighted to tell you that Dr Mark Golder has agreed to speak to the Friends that evening. Many of you will have seen the Passion for Prints exhibition and be aware of Mark Golder and Brian Thompson's support of the print collection through their Golder - Thompson Gift. Mark will speak about how he collects for the Gallery as a Friend.

We are always immensely grateful to all of you who regularly pledge your support to the Gallery by becoming a Friend. I would like to remind you that one way in which you can increase your support is by upgrading your membership to become a Gallery Club Member or a Patron. Another possible way is by remembering the Gallery in your Will. Kevin Jamieson, now a Patron who has been a volunteer for many years has kindly agreed to go public and explain why he has decided to leave a legacy to the Gallery. You can read about this in the article on page 44. If you would like to upgrade your membership or discuss leaving a legacy in confidence please contact Elaine Bentley on 01243 770844.

We were delighted when the participants of the Art Lunch Course of 2009 offered to sponsor the restoration and framing of 'Study for Chichester Cathedral Tapestry' by John Piper – as a way of thanking the Gallery for presenting the course which they had so much enjoyed. I would like to thank Jeremy and Linda Shaw, whose idea this was, for arranging the donation in conjunction with the other participants of the course, and for their great interest in the collection.

We very much look forward to displaying the Piper print when restoration is complete.

The Pallant Proms season of recitals resumes again in September and runs until Spring 2012. The recitals are at noon on the last Saturday of each month, with the exception of December. The day and time is easy to remember and we do hope they will become a regular part of these Saturdays for many people.

Please do tell your friends about these lovely recitals, the ticket price for members is just £5.

I hope you will enjoy the summer programme and I look forward to seeing many of you at the Gallery. In the meantime I would like thank you all so very much for your wonderful support of the Friends.

Pallant House Gallery Friends

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Leaving a legacy Kevin Jamieson

Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required)

Ivon, Hitchens, Red Centre, 1972, Oil on canvas, Kearley Bequest, through The Art Fund (1989), © Estate of Artist

Back in the 1960s in Manchester, where I was born and grew up, we were active members of the Whitworth Art Gallery and Friends of the City Art Gallery. The arts were always very important to us as a family. My mother went to art college before the war and without pushing it down our throats she gently encouraged our interest. I remember her painting when my brother and I were at school, as she said: 'purely for pleasure'.

Both Manchester galleries had good permanent collections, L.S. Lowry of course is a particular highlight. I remember a sketch of a man full of curiosity peering through a hole in the fence and an all time favourite of mine, George Stubbs 'Cheetah with two Indian attendant and a Stag'. Later I lived in Bristol and was an equally active member of the Royal West of England Academy.

It seemed natural therefore when I came to Chichester in the 1980s to join the Friends of Pallant House and later, as I was still working, I became a volunteer on Saturdays. In fact my mother, who came to live with me, became a member first and also a regular Tuesday volunteer. It was always interesting to talk to visitors about the restoration of the house, the needlework on the bedspread, the permanent collection and the special exhibitions. One exhibition some years ago was of paintings chosen from the collection by children at a local primary school. It was fascinating to hear a child explain to family and friends, why they had chosen a painting. I'm sure this made a lasting impression for the future.

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Pallant House Gallery Friends

So what of the future? The foundation laid by the Hussey Bequest and later the gift of the Kearley and Wilson collections, along with other acquisitions, make up a remarkable collection which always impresses visitors of all ages including children who look at what is on show and I am sure absorb much. Personally, colour is very important to me and a super example is Ivon Hitchen's 'Red Centre'. Also the excitement and interest created by exhibitions such as Surreal Friends with Leonora Carrington and Robin and Lucienne Day is quite superb. Visitors are genuinely amazed – in the nicest possible way – by the incredibly high standard of these shows and frequently tell me they are on a par with those they would expect to see in a London gallery.

All of this is why I have remained a Friend, continued as a volunteer, recently become a Patron of Pallant House Gallery and, very importantly, decided to leave a legacy to the Gallery. It is now more important than ever that individuals make provisions to support the arts and I think a legacy is an easy way of helping to secure the future of a place that can be such an asset.

For me Pallant House Gallery is an amazing example of that.

If you are interested in becoming a Patron or would like to discuss leaving a legacy in complete confidence, please contact Elaine Bentley, Head of Development on 01243 770844 or email e.bentley@pallant.org.uk. Legacies to charities avoid inheritance tax.

What's On Friends' Events Gallery Events Friends Private View Sunday 10 July, 10am An opportunity for Friends to enjoy their own private view of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and the Anna Fox: RESORT Butlin's 75th Anniversary Exhibition.

Free. Coffee and biscuits.

Friends Coffee Morning Tuesday 21 July, 10.30am Anne Bone, Arts and Heritage Manager, Chichester District Council will talk about the new Chichester District Museum in Tower Street, The Novium. £5 includes coffee and biscuits.

Friends Annual General Meeting Monday 25 July, 6pm This year's AGM will take place at Pallant House Gallery. After the business meeting Dr Mark Golder will give a short talk – A Model for Collecting – on how he and Brian Thompson set up The Golder Thompson Gift. (This fascinating collection of contemporary prints purchased through Mark's and Brian's generosity was featured in the recent exhibition: A Passion for Prints).

Free. Drinks afterwards.

Friends Gallery Tour Tuesday 16 August, 11am A special Friends tour of the summer exhibition Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera with Assistant Curator Julie Brown. £5 (£2.50 student Friends) includes coffee and biscuits.

Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required) Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required)

Art Lunch Creative Couples – Part II Thursday 15 September, 10.30am – 2.15pm André Breton described Frida Kahlo's work as 'a ribbon around a bomb'. This could also serve as a metaphor for the famously tempestuous marriage between Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Rivera's huge public and political works are a contrast to Kahlo's intensely personal and intimate small paintings. The illustrated talk will explore the creative talent and vision shared by both artists and how their passionate and stormy relationship shaped their art. The tour, after a private lunch by Field & Fork, will include the Gallery exhibition, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Masterpieces from the Gelman Collection. £60 (Friends £54) Book Club Sunday 18 September, 2.30–4pm The return of the Art Book Club for the autumn and winter seasons begins with Lacuna by Barbara Kingsover. Discussion will be followed by, and indeed will continue, over tea and Field & Fork cakes. Book lists will be obtainable from the Friends Office from 1 July and copies of all titles from Pallant House Gallery Bookshop. £5 includes tea and cake.

Pallant Prom Saturday 24 September, 12pm The return of the autumn series of piano recitals by students from the Royal College of Music. Information about the musicians and their repertoire will be available in August. £5. Friends free but any voluntary contributions towards expenses will be appreciated!

Visits

Watts Gallery Tuesday 5 July, 1.30–5.30pm A special afternoon visit to the Watts Gallery with a welcome from the Director and a private tour of the artworks and archive with the Curator. Recently re-opened after an £11 million refurbishment, the Grade II listed Arts and Crafts building houses the collection of drawings, prints and sculpture of the renowned Victorian artist G.F. Watts and has been restored to its former glory. There will also be an opportunity to see the extraordinary Art Nouveau chapel designed by Mary Seton Watts and enjoy a homemade tea in the tea shop. £32 includes coach travel and tips, admission and afternoon tea.

Pallant House Gallery Friends

45

Friends' Events A Private Collection Tuesday 19 July, 10.30am– 12.30pm A morning visit to the nearby home of a private collector who has generously offered to take us round his sculptures and highly individual and fascinating paintings. A table has been booked at The Crab and Lobster, Sidlesham for an optional lunch afterwards. Own transport required and some walking on rough ground involved. £30 includes coffee and tour.

Lunch at own expense.

Strawberry Hill House and Marble Hill House Wednesday 3 August, 9am–6.30pm Your opportunity to visit Horace Walpole's 'little Gothic Castle', Britain's finest example of Georgian Gothic revival which inspired his seminal Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. Strawberry Hill re-opened in April after a £9m restoration project. After a guided tour of the house we will go to another 18th century villa, Marble Hill House, the beautiful Palladian villa built for Henrietta Howard, mistress of George II. Picnic lunches can be eaten in the grounds or there are several cafes nearby. We shall have a cup of tea at Marble Hill House and a guided tour. £45 includes transport, morning coffee and a cup of tea, all admissions and tour costs, and the driver's tip. Lunch is NOT included.

46

Pallant House Gallery Friends

Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required)

The Design Museum, The Fashion and Textile Museum, and The Purdy Hicks Gallery Thursday 8 September, 9am–7pm A day on London's South Bank for those of you who enjoyed Robin and Lucienne Day's designs in the spring exhibition. The visit will start at The Design Museum where Kenneth Grange's lamps, cameras and kitchen appliances will be on show in Making Britain Modern.

We shall go on to bustling Borough Market to find lunch and then to The Fashion and Textile Museum.

The Rebel on the Row features Tommy Nutter's classic techniques combined with up-to-the-minute styling. Finally we shall have drinks at The Purdy Hicks Gallery where there will be an exhibition of new works by Michael Porter. £48 includes transport, all admissions and guided tour costs, drinks at The Purdy Hicks Gallery and driver's tip. Lunch is NOT included.

Rye and area Monday 3 October, 8.30am–7pm A day in Rye to set the scene for the forthcoming Pallant House Gallery exhibition on Edward Burra. We shall visit Rye Art Gallery with its fine collection of works by Burra, Grant, Bell, Piper, Epstein and Whistler, and its selling exhibitions of contemporary art; Lamb House, home to Henry James between 1898 and 1916, and later to E.F. Benson and Rumer Godden, and Smallhythe Place, the half-

timbered 16th century cottage home of Victorian actress Ellen Terry from 1899 to 1928. £45 includes transport, driver's tip, morning coffee at Rye Art Gallery and lunch in a nearby pub. Tea at Smallhythe Place is not included.

Entry to Rye Art Gallery is free as is entry to Lamb House and Smallhythe Place if you are a member of the National Trust. Entry to Lamb House is £4 and to Smallhythe Place £5.50 for non-members.

Please note there will be a fair amount of steep walking in Rye. A short break to Stratford Upon Avon and the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Blenheim Palace and Compton Verney.

Thursday 3 November – Friday 4 November 2011 A night away in Stratford and an opportunity to see not only the RSC's new home on our own guided tour but also a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We shall have a pre theatre supper at the theatre itself and bed and breakfast at the nearby The Falcon Legacy Hotel. We shall also visit Blenheim Palace and Compton Verney. £182 (£17 single person supplement) includes coach travel, dinner (with a glass of wine), bed and full English breakfast, entry to Blenheim and Compton Verney, theatre ticket and tour, and all tips.

The cost does NOT include lunch.

Further details including booking arrangements from the Friends Office.

Patrons of Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required) Pallant House Gallery We are immensely grateful to the following Patrons of Pallant House Gallery for their generous support:

Mr and Mrs John Addison Smith Keith Allison Lady Susan Anstruther John and Annoushka Ayton David and Elizabeth Benson Henry Bourne and Harriet Anstruther Vanessa Branson Frank and Lorna Dunphy Lewis Golden Paul and Kay Goswell Mr and Mrs Scott Greenhalgh Mr and Mrs Alan Hill Kevin A S Jamieson

James and Clare Kirkman Lefevre Fine Art Ltd. Robin Muir and Paul Lyon-Maris Angie O'Rourke Catherine and Franck Petitgas Charles Rolls Sophie and David Shalit Tania Slowe John and Fiona Smythe Tim and Judith Wise and the many other Patrons who wish to remain anonymous and our much valued Gallery Club members

If you are interested in becoming a Patron of Pallant House Gallery, please contact Elaine Bentley on 01243 770844 or e.bentley@pallant.org.uk

Please find details of the public programme of Gallery events in the enclosed What's leaflet14:29 or online 3634 ad v1:3634 ad v1 On 23/2/10 Page 1 at www.pallant.org.uk Sponsors of the Friends of Pallant House Gallery Chichester’s only Chartered Financial Planning company

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47

MICHAEL BALL and IMELDA STAUNTON in

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL 2011 THEATRE

Music and lyrics by

STEPHEN SONDHEIM Book by

HUGH WHEELER

FESTIVAL THEATRE 24 September - 5 November Tickets from £10

01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Under 18s half price

What's On Booking Form Please print and check all details carefully.

Incomplete forms and incorrect details will delay the processing procedure.

Event

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All events are fundraising activities for Pallant House Gallery (Charity Number 1102435) or the Friends of Pallant House Gallery (Charity Number 278943) Postage (Please tick) I have enclosed a Stamped Addressed Envelope I will pick up my tickets from the Gallery Donation (Optional) I would like to give a donation to the Gallery to help preserve its Collections for current and future generations.

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Concessions Please note concessions are given to students and Friends with recognised proof of status.

Please indicate your concession if relevant.

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Please turn overleaf for Payment Details 49

Payment Details I enclose a cheque payable to 'Pallant House Gallery Services Ltd' Please debit my credit/charge card Visa Mastercard Other (We cannot accept American Express)

Please cut the completed form from the magazine and send, with a stamped addressed envelope and payment to: Tickets Office Pallant House Gallery 9 North Pallant Chichester PO19 1TJ

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All tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Friends receive an advance notice booking period for all events as part of their membership. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that they are on a waiting list.

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A refund on Gallery events is only available if the event is cancelled.

Refunds for Friends events may be possible if there is a waiting list and we are able to resell your ticket.

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50

Terms and Conditions Credit/charge card is the preferred method of payment. Cheques should be made payable to 'Pallant House Gallery Services Ltd'. Please leave the actual amount open in case we are not able to provide all the tickets you request.

For security 'Not above ÂŁ...' can be written at the bottom of your cheque and we will advise you of the cheque total.

We endeavour to accommodate any special requirements. Please ring 01243 774557 to discuss your needs.

Frida Kahlo's Wardrobe

www.pallantbookshop.com Telephone 01243 781293

All gifts are available to buy from the Gallery Bookshop.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibition Catalogue, £30

Frida Kahlo Recycled Plastic Bag, £18.50

Exclusive semi precious stones Necklace with Silver Clasp, £165

Antique Earrings with semi precious Serpentine Stone, £165

Tin Hand Made Ex Voto, £18.50 each

Diego Rivera Neckerchief, £13

Hand Embroidered Girls Dress, £38

Frida Kahlo Hand Woven Sisal Bag, £32

Hand Woven Basket, £24

Recycled Sweet Wrappers Handbag, £18.50

Jojoba Seed/Colorine and Shark Bone Necklace with Silver Clasp, £56 Jojoba Seed and Shark Bone Necklace with Silver Clasp, £47

Antique Silver Earrings with pair of Doves, £278

51

Gallery News

Leonora Carrington dies aged 94 We are sad to announce that the British Surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington has died aged 94 in Mexico City. Last year her work was shown at the Gallery as part of the season of major international exhibitions 'Surreal Friends', celebrating the place of women in the Surrealist movement.

Win a De'Longhi coffee machine worth £500 Pallant House Gallery Headline sponsors De'Longhi have offered two luxurious prizes including a De'Longhi PrimaDonna coffee machine (worth £1000) and a Kenwood Chef Titanium (worth £500) for a grand summer raffle to raise funds for the Community Programme. The raffle opens on Saturday 4 June and will be drawn on Saturday 3 September during the next Gallery Free Day. Tickets cost just £1 each (£5 per book) and are available to buy from reception.

Community Gallery shortlisted Congratulations to the team behind the new Outside In community gallery at Wellington House in Brighton which has been shortlisted for the Best Open House Award 2011. The Outside In Gallery was in the top three houses shortlisted from over 250 venues participating in Brighton Artist Open Houses 2011 for its inaugural exhibition 'Face' curated by Outside In 2009 award-winner David Jones. For more information about the gallery visit www.outsidein.org.uk/gallery 52

Festival of Joy Pallant House Gallery and the Chichester-based arts organisation 'I am Joy' are working together to produce a series of panels inspired by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Two Outside In artists will be commissioned to produce the works with the 'I am Joy' team and the resulting pieces will be displayed during the fifth annual I am Joy arts Festival at the Guildhall in Priory Park this summer. Artists are also invited to submit works for an open competition as part of the festival. For more information visit www.iamjoy.co.uk Coming soon: Edward Burra This autumn Pallant House Gallery will host a major exhibition of the work of Edward Burra (1905-1976).

Edward Burra was one of the most individual and talented British artists of the twentieth century. His reappraisal is long overdue and the exhibition will be the first museum retrospective of Edward Burra's work for over 25 years. It will bring together key works from across Burra's career, including new discoveries and rarely seen masterpieces from private and national collections. To coincide with the exhibition Lund Humphries will publish a new monograph on the artist written by the exhibition's curator Simon Martin, with contributions by Burra's biographer Jane Stevenson and the art critic Andrew Lambirth. The exhibition will run from 22 October 2011 to 19 February 2012 Edward Burra, Market Day, 1926, Watercolour on paper, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (on long-term loan, from a private collection) © Estate of the Artist, Courtesy of Lefevre Fine Art Ltd, London

BROTHER CARLO SAVING THE HEAD OF ULYSSES by ANDRÉ DURAND DIALOGUES WITH THE ANTIQUE Villa Adriana Via di Villa Adriana 204 Tivoli Tel: 0639967900 Open: 09.00 - 18.00 www.pierreci.it www.durand-gallery.com www.andredurandartgallerydigital.com/ulysses

The Southern Ceramic Group

Summer Exhibition 23rd July – 7th August 2011

Preview 24th July 2011 6.30pm – 8pm Open daily from 10am – 5pm Free admission

At the Bishop’s Kitchen, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester PO19 1PX Tel: 01403 258 201 Email: info@southernceramicgroup.co.uk

www.southernceramicgroup.co.uk

! ! "

The way we were

!

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Our ancestors’ homes and the way they built them, their animals and the way they raised them, their crops and flowers and the way they grew them... Explore the Museum’s village, working watermill and superb collection of rescued buildings set in glorious Sussex countryside. Children are free to run, play and learn. Come and discover six centuries of our rural heritage.

Opening of Robin and Lucienne Day and A Passion for Prints Spotted yourself on our photo pages? Photographs from all our Private Views are available to view and buy online at www.photoboxgallery.com/pallant.

The password is 'pallant'. All photographs by Jason Hedges

(Left to Right) Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, Designers; Deborah Curtis, artist, Mark Swift and Nigel Wainwright, DeLonghi and Gavin Turk, artist; Jyri Kermik, Catherine Moriarty and Richard Chamberlain, Target Gallery

(Left to Right) Pippa Blake and Gordon Roddick, Shanna Shelby, curator, Paula Day, daughter of Robin and Lucienne Day

(Left to Right) Chris Breward, Head of Reseach at the V&A, Mark Golder and Brian Thompson, collectors, Cherrill Scheer, collector, Richard Mason and Daughter

If you would like to hire the Gallery for a party, private dining event or a canapĂŠ reception please contact Helen Martin on 01243 770838 55

Artwork of the Month: Two Forms with White, 1969

by Barbara Hepworth Jock Johnston

Barbara Hepworth, Two Forms with White, 1969, Bronze © Estate of the Artist

If you are brave enough to take the ferry from Scrabster to Orkney across the demon Pentland Firth you will see on your starboard side the mighty pillar of rock that is the Old Man of Hoy. A few minutes later, rounding the north tip of Hoy Island and sailing into the comforting harbour of Stromness, if you cross to the port side your eye will suddenly be caught and enchanted by the even more startling sight of a small weathered bronze sculpture perched on the seaward edge of a rough stone jetty. Barbara Hepworth's Curved Form Travalgan stands sentinel to the Pier Gallery which holds the marvellous collection of St Ives art which Margaret Gardiner, patron and close friend of both Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, gave to the people of Orkney in 1979.

Coming into our Gallery the other day I felt a frisson of that Stromness excitement when I encountered the two painted bronze figures - startling in their black and white - that had been as it seemed spirited into the Garden Gallery.

Barbara Hepworth's sculptures in stone and wood are smooth as satin but these bronzes are robust and though cast they have the carver's marks upon them.

For years from the 1930s she had avoided working in bronze because it seemed to her that there was a secondhand-ness to the outcome; casting was indirect coming between the maker and the thing made. But she changed her mind and by the late 1950s bronzes began to dominate her output. And although she never stopped working in stone and wood - our Single Form 56

Nocturne was carved in Irish marble for Walter Hussey in 1968 - bronze had the virtue of creating editions and she never allowed the cast form to feel distanced from herself as maker. This pair of anthropomorphic figures has been lent to the Gallery by a private collector to enhance the permanent collection. They are intriguing reminders of other pairs that the sculptor produced in her time. I think of the great Festival of Britain Contrapuntal Forms- heroic in scale - announcing their presence and hers on a national stage. And another pair now in Minnesota of exquisitely figured and polished elm with characteristically hollowed out piercings painted pure white, so similar in scale and pose to the ones here but utterly contrasting in feeling. For these black and white figures are anything but serene; they are vigorous and lively - like two sprightly nuns!

And if I risk the assertion that their spirit is that of a younger Barbara's Rosewood Kneeling Figure of 1932 you can test it if you visit the new Hepworth Wakefield Gallery where both the carving for our two figures and the original Kneeling Figure can both be seen.

‘Two Forms with White’ is the subject of the Artwork of the Month talk on Wednesday 31 August at 11.30am and the workshop (1–3pm). Please see the What's On leaflet or visit www.pallant.org.uk for more details.

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AN355 Pallant House_240x170.indd 1

31/03/2010 15:31:27

The oak of Nansmellyn. 2011. Oil and collage on canvas 91.5 x 91.5 cm

Kurt Jackson TREE: GWEDHEM 9 September – 8 October Catalogue available on request

Lem on S t r e e t G a l l e r y 13 Lemon Street, Truro, Cornwall TR1 2LS · 01872 275757 info@lemonstreetgaller y.co.uk · www.lemonstreetgallery.co.uk