RA Magazine Winter 2015

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS MAGAZINE NUMBER 129 WINTER 2015 PAINTING THE MODERN GARDEN: MONET TO MATISSE

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS MAGAZINE NO. 129 / WINTER 2015 / £4.95

Painting the Modern Garden How nature nurtured avant-garde art

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MERETE RASMUSSEN

LYNN CHADWICK & GEOFFREY CLARKE

BRONZE & CERAMIC

23 October - 28 November 2015

4 December - 16 January 2015

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IMAGES: Lynn Chadwick, Maquette II Inner Eye, 1952, Artist’s Estate; Merete Rasmussen, Yellow Twisted Form, 2015, Ceramic

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23 January – 20 February

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The Passing Train, 2007-8 oil on canvas, 81 x 65 cms.

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Francisco de Goya, The Duchess of Alba (detail), 1797. © Courtesy of The Hispanic Society of America, New York

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Michael Eden, Voxel Vessel IV, 2014 Unique object made by Additive Layer Manufacturing. Private Collection, London

Nahoko Kojima Photograph courtesy of Solo Kojima London

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Tabby by a Marble Table 2002 Oil on canvas 36 x 50 in

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Royal Academy of Arts Magazine / No. 129 / Winter 2015

Contents 24

Faces from the past ‘Julia Margaret Cameron said that no woman should allow herself to be photographed between the ages of 18 and 80’ CHANTAL JOFFE RA

Features 44

Gardens of earthly delights Ann Dumas sets the scene for the RA’s show of garden painters, revealing how Monet’s passion for plants pushed the boundaries of his art

50

Natural affinity Tim Richardson introduces six experts in garden design, who each respond to one of the artists featured in ‘Painting the Modern Garden’

58

Up the garden path Sam Phillips meets the avant-gardeners of today

Regulars

50

Natural affinity ‘The young woman has walked into that natural world which envelops all your senses. It’s as if she feels that she is alone… enjoying this amazing world of textures, colours and smells’ KATHRYN GUSTAFSON

98

The Muscle Condition ‘His agitation blurred the poetry of his body, made it something ugly; but the next moment it was beautiful again, more striking for its extreme transformation’ LOUISE STERN

11 15 17

RA Diary Editorial Contributors and Competition 05

20

Preview UK including exhibitions on Vermeer and his peers, West Coast Minimalism, Julia Margaret Cameron and the art of the British Empire 29 Preview International Celebrating 500 years of Hieronymus Bosch 31 Preview Books Farshid Moussavi RA on architectural style; David Remfry RA’s top dogs; the best art books to buy this Christmas 34

Academy Artists Rose Wylie RA’s studio; How I made it: Ken Howard RA; Paul Huxley RA; Academicians’ round-up; meet the RA Schools second-year students as they prepare to show their work

64

Debate Should artists have the final say on how their work is conserved?; Middle East megamuseums; who made the best buildings: Hawksmoor or Wren?; public events at the RA; Friends events and excursions

76 86

Listings Readers’ Offers

89

Academy News The new-look Academicians’ Room; how the RA inherits its art treasures; a Royal Charter rediscovered; the pick of Ai Weiwei’s posts

98

Short Story ‘The Muscle Condition’ by Louise Stern

WINTER 2015 | RA MAGAZINE 9

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RA Diary

The Pond with Water Lilies, Harmony in Green, 1899, by Claude Monet

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse Main Galleries 30 January to 20 April 2016

Arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, Claude Monet was also an avid horticulturist. In addition to bringing together his key paintings of Giverny, this major exhibition examines the role of gardens in the development of Modernism from the early 1860s to the 1920s, and features Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and other avant-garde artists, including Manet, Morisot, Nolde, Kandinsky, Klimt and Van Gogh.

Sponsored by BNY Mellon, Partner of the Royal Academy of Arts Friends Preview Days Wed 27 Jan, 10am-6pm Thur 28 Jan, 10am-6pm Fri 29 Jan, 10am-6pm

Richard Pococke, 1740, by Jean-Etienne Liotard

Ai Weiwei

Jean-Etienne Liotard

Main Galleries until 13 December

The Sackler Wing until 31 January 2016

Celebrating the brave, provocative and visionary works of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei Hon RA, this wide-ranging retrospective is the must-see contemporary art exhibition of 2015.

Supported by David Morris – the London Jeweller Supported by Lisson Gallery

Doyen of European court circles in the 18th century, the Swiss artist Liotard was a highly innovative pastellist, painter and draughtsman.

2009-2016 Season supported by JTI Supported by The Pictet Group Supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts

Daniel Maclise: The Waterloo Cartoon

Premiums: Interim Projects

Weston Rooms until 3 January 2016

Made in preparation for Daniel Maclise’s waterglass wall painting in the Palace of Westminster, this newly restored, rarely seen treasure from the Royal Academy’s art collection is one of the largest cartoons in the United Kingdom.

The Sackler Wing 12 to 21 February 2016

Second-year students at the RA Schools exhibit at a point where their work is still developing.

RA Schools sponsored by Newton Investment Management Continued on page 12

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RA Diary Between the Land and the Sea

The Architecture Space until 13 December

The Keeper’s House until 24 April 2016

This exhibition focuses on nine buildings designed by Ai Weiwei in Caochangdi, a creative community on the outskirts of Beijing.

Co-ordinated by Barbara Rae RA, this selling exhibition focuses on the rich responses of contemporary painters and printmakers to the landscape, coastline and sea.

Thinking Through Drawing: Chris Wilkinson RA The John Madejski Fine Rooms until 14 February 2016

A show of sketches and watercolours that reveals the acclaimed architect’s creative process. The exhibition coincides with the publication of The Sketchbooks of Chris Wilkinson (RA Publications).

Diana Armfield RA and Bernard Dunstan RA The Keeper’s House until 24 April 2016

An exhibition exploring the figurative paintings of two Senior Academicians focusing on landscapes, still lifes and interior portraits.

Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture

Coming soon

The Architecture Space 26 January to 20 April 2016

The Sackler Wing 12 March to 5 June 2016

A new book Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture (RA Publications) accompanies this show on British architecture since the 16th century, seen through the work of 12 maverick architects.

One of the most important hubs of Renaissance painting, 16th-century Venice is explored through focusing on the work of Giorgione, and masters such as Titian and Dürer, as well as less familiar artists such as Giovani Cariani. Gathered together, these rich and sumptuous works reveal the revolution in style that placed the city on the cusp of a golden age.

2009-2016 Season supported by JTI

Ann Christopher RA: Drawing – The Lines of Time Tennant Gallery 25 February to 29 May 2016

A new series of drawings by the sculptor Ann Christopher RA continues the sculptor’s exploration of line – a theme that connects her non-figurative sculpture, drawings and prints.

In the Age of Giorgione

Friends Preview Days Wed 9 March, 10am-6pm Thur 10 March, 10am-6pm Fri 11 March, 10am-6pm

Friends benefits RA Friends enjoy free entry to exhibitions, with a family guest, and all-day access to the Keeper’s House. Friends also view shows before the public at Preview Days and receive RA Magazine. Call 020 7300 5664, visit royalacademy.org.uk/friends or follow @friendsofthera on Twitter

Visitor information Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD 020 7300 8000; www.royalacademy.org.uk Opening hours Royal Academy of Arts

Sat-Thur 10am-6pm (last entry 5.30pm), Fri 10am-10pm (last entry 9.30pm); all galleries closed 24-26 Dec; open 12-6pm 1 Jan 2016 John Madejski Fine Rooms Tue-Fri 10am4pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; closed Mon

Keeper’s House: Sir Hugh Casson Room and Belle Shenkman Room Friends and

Patrons have access from 10am, general public from 4pm. Mon-Thur 10am-6pm; Fri 10am10pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm Shenkman Bar Mon-Sat 10am-11.30pm; Sun 10am-6pm; closed 24 Dec-4 Jan 2016 Keeper’s House Restaurant Mon-Sat 12-11.30pm (to book call 020 7300 5881); closed 24 Dec-4 Jan 2016 RA Shop Closes Sat-Thur 6.15pm; Fri 10.15pm RA Grand Café Sat-Thur 10am-5.30pm; Fri 10am-9.30pm Access See pages 71-72. Visually impaired

visitors can access large-print labels in the galleries and on the RA website.

To buy art from the RA

Visit royalacademy.org.uk/artsales, call 0800 634 6341 or email artsales@royalacademy.org.uk

Special project white: a project by Edmund de Waal Library and Print Room until 3 January 2016

Fascinated since childhood by the colour white, the celebrated ceramicist Edmund de Waal’s site-specific project includes strategically placed classical statues, Meissen porcelain and contemporary art.

Project supported by The White Company This project has timed half-hour tickets Friends and visitor tickets £5 To book tickets call 020 7300 5635 or visit http://roy.ac/deWaal

J.M.W. Turner RA’s china watercolour palette

Thur, Sat & Sun, 10am–6pm (last entry 5.30pm); Fri 10am-10pm (last entry 9.30pm); 28 Dec–3 Jan 2016 open every day Portrait of a Young Man, c.1497, by Giorgione

© R OYA L ACA D EM Y O F A R TS , LO N D O N / P H OTO GR A P H ER: P RU D EN CE CU M I N G AS S O CI AT ES L I M I T ED. GEM Ä L D EG A L ER I E , S TA AT L I CH E M US EEN Z U B ER L I N , P R EUS S IS CH ER KU LT U R B ES I T Z / P H OTO: J Ö R G P. A N D ERS

Caochangdi: The Studio and the Community

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EST. 1870

ART WALLY FINDLAY

Introducing this issue

Editorial

Apple Tree in the Garden, 1932-42, by Edvard Munch

M U N CH M US EE T, OS LO, I N V. M M M 61/ P H OTO © M U N CH M US EU M

Gardeners’ worlds ‘A garden is a complex of aesthetic and plastic intentions,’ declared the 20th-century landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, adding that each plant was ‘a colour, a shape, a volume or an arabesque in itself.’

But what happened when painters became gardeners, bringing their own sense of colour and composition? The result was not only great gardens, in the case of artists such as Monet, and not only outstanding artworks, in the pictures he and his peers painted of them. As the RA’s exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ shows, a fantastic feedback loop was formed.

Imaginative arrangements of flowers were transformed on canvas, which spurred plans for new plantings, which in turn led to ever more imaginative works in oil, and so on, each discipline pushing the other forward. Monet’s late paintings – perhaps the highlight of this uplifting show – are a case in point. His ongoing experiments with hybrid species of water lily at Giverny urged ever more radical paintings, so that in ‘the great panoramas of his final decade

boundaries disappear completely in an enveloping continuum of light, air and water’, writes curator Ann Dumas (page 44).

While the French master is the star of this show, ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ examines a far wider array of artists than Monet and the Impressionists. Working in modes as various as Expressionism, Intimism and Symbolism, avantgarde artists across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries used gardens to play with colour, perspective, metaphor and emotion.

In Apple Tree in the Garden (1932-42; left and Cover), for example, Edvard Munch extended his study of human psychology by painting his garden with exceptionally intense colour and crude brushwork. And looking at these works teaches us about the nature of gardens as well as art. The garden historian Tim Richardson asked six of the world’s most celebrated garden-designers to comment on garden paintings: their responses are revelatory (page 50).

What about the garden in contemporary art? Are artists still influenced by horticulture?

When I put these questions to art enthusiasts, most of them mentioned two famous figures: Ian Hamilton Finlay and Derek Jarman, both of whom created gardens – Little Sparta in South Lanarkshire and Prospect Cottage in Dungeness respectively. But Hamilton Finlay and Jarman are no longer with us. Who is working with gardens in exceptional ways today?

My research revealed six highly sensitive artists working across a wide variety of disciplines, from installation art and performance to, like Hamilton Finlay and Jarman, the medium of the garden itself (page 58).

All of which raises one final question: should gardens be thought of as works of art?

‘The impression one has is that some people – especially those from fine art backgrounds – would like to keep gardens in their place,’ concludes Richardson. But to me, whether one thing or another is a ‘work of art’ is a boring topic, as art is no longer defined by particular materials, characteristics or values. Art is art when the art world wants it to be, and that’s often a question of commerce as much as anything. Let’s instead appreciate each work on its own terms, and ask whether a garden, or a painting of one, is of merit.

— SAM PHILLIPS, EDITOR

EDITORIAL Publisher Nick Tite Editor Sam Phillips Assistant Editor Anna Coatman Design and Art Direction Design by S-T Sub-Editor Gill Crabbe Editorial Intern Rose de Lara Editorial Advisers Richard Cork,

Anne Desmet RA, Tom Holland, Fiona Maddocks, Mali Morris RA, Eric Parry RA, Charles Saumarez Smith, Mark Seaman, Giles Waterfield and Sarah Whitfield Digital content Harriet Baker, Louise Cohen and Amy Macpherson To comment on RA Magazine

reply.ramagazine@royalacademy.org.uk Follow us online

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RA Magazine is published quarterly in March, May, September and November and mailed to Friends of the Royal Academy of Arts as part of their Friends membership.

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£107 Standard Friends (£97 Direct Debit) £150 Joint Friends (£140 Direct Debit) £50 Young Friends (aged between 16 & 25; £45 direct debit) Friends enquiries 020 7300 5664 friend.enquiries@royalacademy.org.uk www.royalacademy.org.uk/friends To subscribe to RA Magazine

£20 for one year in UK (£30 outside UK) Magazine subscriptions: 0800 634 6341 (UK only) 0044 20 7300 5841 (outside UK) mailorder@royalacademy.org.uk Colour reproduction by Wings Printed by Wyndeham Group Published 15 November 2015 © 2015 Royal Academy of Arts ISSN 0956-9332 The opinions in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the RA. All reasonable attempts have been made to clear copyright before publication

WINTER 2015 | RA MAGAZINE 15

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ARTIST & THEATRE DESIGNER

Bill Viola 10.10.15–10.04.16 Yorkshire Sculpture Park ysp.co.uk

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Who’s who in this issue

Contributors HARRY BORDEN is a photographer. He has won two World Press Awards for his work and has exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery.

ALISON BRACKER is an art historian and

co-editor of Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas and Uncomfortable Truths (Routledge).

ANNA HUIX is a photographer. Her work has featured in the New York Times and Monocle.

HANNAH JACKSON is an assistant curator at The Bowes Museum in County Durham.

ANTHONY DOWNEY is an academic, editor and

CHANTAL JOFFE RA is a painter. She has a solo show this winter at Victoria Miro gallery in Mayfair, London (21 Jan–19 March 2016).

writer. He is Programme Director of the MA in Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London, and Editor-in-Chief of Ibraaz.

President of the RA.

ANN DUMAS is the co-curator of the Academy’s exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’ (30 Jan–29 April 2016).

LAURA GASCOIGNE is a freelance art critic

who writes for the Tablet and the Spectator.

OWEN HOPKINS is the RA’s Architecture Programme Curator. He curates ‘Mavericks: Twelve Architects Who Broke the Mould of British Architecture’ in the Architecture Space at the Academy (26 Jan–20 April 2016).

NAME THE ARTIST COMPETITION 05

Painter JOCK MCFADYEN RA introduces one of his favourite artworks (below). Name the artist and you could win two RA exhibition catalogues

PHILLIP KING PPRA is a sculptor and previous

FIONA MADDOCKS is a journalist, broadcaster and Classical Music Critic for the Observer. Her books include Harrison Birtwistle: Wild Tracks (Faber & Faber).

JOCK MCFADYEN RA is a painter who lives and works in London. His work is included in Between the Land and the Sea at the RA’s Keeper’s House (until 24 April 2016).

MICHAEL PRODGER is a Senior Research Fellow in the History of Art at the University of Buckingham.

MARTIN OLDHAM is a freelance art historian and writer based in London.

TIM RICHARDSON is a garden historian and landscape critic, a columnist in the Daily Telegraph and the author of several books.

JOSEPH ROSA is Director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. AMY SHERLOCK is Reviews Editor of frieze.

LOUISE STERN is author of the collection of short stories Chattering and the novel Ismael and His Sisters (Granta).

GEORGE SZIRTES is a poet and translator. His collections include Bad Machine (Bloodaxe).

MARK POMEROY is the Archivist at the Royal

SIMON WILSON is an art historian and former

Academy of Arts.

Tate curator.

I first came across this image of a BSA Gold Star in an American art magazine in the early 1970s while I was a student at Chelsea School of Art. It struck me because it brought together my two obsessions, bikes and art; I am a lifelong biker and I still ride most days. I have nine motorcycles in the downstairs part of my studio and it is nearly half a century since my 16th birthday and my very first ride on a much more modest BSA than this beautiful Gold Star with its sublime geometry.

Not all bikes are beautiful, but from the side they look almost flat, and the best of them have almost pictorial form. The BSA is a study in minimalism and ergonomics, which brings it close to the human body – and then there are the inevitable links with horses and riders. The artist who made this work was part of a loose group of more celebrated West Coast painters in California in the 1960s, including Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud and Ed Ruscha Hon RA. Much of the imagery from this disparate group of artists references roads and that landscape which has been interfered with by the advent of the automobile.

An early photograph of Ben Nicholson’s studio shows a small motorcycle leaning on one

wall, and there are a few artist-bikers today at the Royal Academy. I remember riding to the Isle of Man TT races more than 20 years ago with Humphrey Ocean and Grayson Perry. Richard Wilson and I often take our dirt bikes to Kent or over to France to ride off-piste, and Bill Woodrow and I never talk about painting or sculpture, always about the renaissance master Valentino Rossi.

TO ENTER

Send the name of the artist to reply.ramagazine@royalacademy.org.uk or: RA Magazine, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD, by Friday 27 November 2015. Please include your contact details. Three correct entries chosen at random receive the books that accompany the RA’s ‘Ai Weiwei’ and ‘Jean-Etienne Liotard’ shows. For full terms and conditions, visit http://roy.ac/catcomp COMPETITION 04 ANSWER

For Competition 04, in the last issue, Rebecca Salter RA chose the painting Dyke at Night (1908) by Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert.

WINTER 2015 | RA MAGAZINE 17

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Brothers in Art Drawings by Watts & Leighton

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DAVID JONES

17 November - 19 February New exhibition

VISION AND MEMORY

24 OCT 2015 – 21 FEB 2016

David Jones, The Garden Enclosed, 1924, oil on board, © Estate of David Jones/TATE, London 2015

9 North Pallant Chichester PO19 1PW pallant.org.uk

Sponsors and Supporters

A Feast of Food in Art

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24 November 2015 - 6 January 2016

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Liz Balkwill “Olive oil, capers and tomatoes” Oil on board 9 x 12 ins 299 x 305 mm

Bruce Yardley “Venetian Cafe” Oil on canvas 10 x 15 ins 254 x 381 mm John Yardley “Sussex Jazz Kings in Brittany” Watercolour 14 x 20 ins 356 x 508 mm

Jenny Wheatley “Sea View” Acrylic on canvas 39 x 47 ins 990 x 1195 mm

LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER

124-126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN (opposite The Old Vic Theatre)

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Collectors of Contemporary American & British Art

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26/10/2015 18:41

What’s new this winter in London, the UK and abroad

R OYA L CO L L EC T I O N T RUS T/ © H ER M A J ES T Y Q U EEN EL IZ A B E T H I I 2015

Preview

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R OYA L CO L L EC T I O N T RUS T/ © H ER M A J ES T Y Q U EEN EL IZ A B E T H I I 2015

Preview UK

The pleasure principle The Royal Collection’s show of Dutch Golden Age genre painting is not only visually compelling but also delightfully seductive in subject matter, despite the moralising intent, says SIMON WILSON At the Queen’s Gallery in London is an exhibition called ‘Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer’, an unenticing, not to say boringly art-historical title, mitigated only by the lollipop of Vermeer cynically tagged on the end. Do not, however, be put off. There is nothing remotely everyday about either this show or the paintings in it.

This is a delightful, fascinating, intriguing, uplifting, enlightening, exhilarating, moving, instructive, erotic compilation, which reflects on the human condition in all its most crucial aspects – sex, love, death, food, drink, art, the transience of life and of its even more ephemeral pleasures, and the ultimate meaning of existence.

What’s more, it conveys these eternal themes through paintings that are never less than masterly in execution and in some cases – notably but not exclusively in the single Vermeer that justifies that title – are among the most beautiful paintings that have ever been made.

You may well be wondering how all this sexy stuff – some of it surprisingly candid, some subtly symbolic – got into the Royal Collection. The short answer is that it was mostly acquired by that naughtiest but also most cultured of postStuart royals, the Prince Regent, later George IV, and then survived the Victorian frost to resurface for our delectation today.

The show gets off to an arresting start with a timeless seduction scene by Gerard ter Borch, A Gentleman Pressing a Lady to Drink (c.165859; bottom right). The types of the heartlessly calculating seducer and the gullible young woman, clearly already slightly drunk, are brilliantly imagined, and the interaction between them is an acute psychological study. But, as we are told in the exhibition catalogue, subjects like this were understood at the time as a moral lesson – they were demonstrations of what you should not do.

The catalogue, by the way, is an exemplary publication. Unusually for these days, it provides a detailed account of every painting, richly illustrated. In the case of the Ter Borch it shows how it touches on a general social unease then about alcohol, as well as its particular danger to young women. Sound familiar? We learn too that once Ter Borch had invented this subject it

proved so compellingly relevant that even the normally restrained Vermeer painted a version.

I should emphasise that the cultural references and the symbolism in these paintings are largely unfamiliar to us now, so the catalogue is an essential companion.

Perhaps appropriately, one of the most explicit as well as one of the finest paintings in this show, the euphemistically titled A Woman at Her Toilet (1663; right) by the great Jan Steen, carries the sternest moral message. Indeed the unseen viewer, or voyeur, would literally trip over the moral were this a real scene and were they to rush forward to reach the temptation depicted: an attractive woman sitting on the edge of a dishevelled bed undressing. Placed on the threshold of the doorway to the bedroom is a trap in the form of an inverted lute with its stem sticking up. The lute already symbolises the vanity of earthly pleasures, but Steen has reinforced it with a skull – a blunt reminder both of mortality and of the Biblical warning (Romans 6:23) that ‘the wages of sin is death’.

By contrast the famous Vermeer, Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman (1662-65; opposite), is calm, cool, chaste, understated, profoundly enigmatic and extremely beautiful to look at.

I was intrigued to learn that in it Vermeer had not only used ultramarine blue, made from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, but had put it in the underpainting to achieve certain effects, an unheard of extravagance. There is no agreement on what the true subject here might be, but among the puzzling features is a cello lying on the floor. We are told in the catalogue that in Dutch painting of this period ‘the cello was the musical symbol par excellence of harmony and unity, especially of the marital variety’. So the man here may not be the music teacher he has often been said to be, but a lover, fiancé or husband, and the picture’s purpose is to illustrate their love. Go and decide for yourself.

Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer Queen’s Gallery, London, 020 7766 7300, www.royalcollection.org.uk, 13 Nov–14 Feb 2016, and Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, 0131 556 5100, www.royalcollection.org.uk, 4 Mar–24 July 2016

OPPOSITE PAGE Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman, or The Music Lesson,1662-65, by Johannes Vermeer THIS PAGE, TOP A Woman at her Toilet, 1663, by Jan Steen ABOVE A Gentleman Pressing a Lady to Drink, c.1658-59,

by Gerard ter Borch

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RA Autumn ad_RA 06/10/2015 11:45 Page 1

CHRIS BEETLES GALLERY www.chrisbeetles.com ANTHONY GREEN RA We are pleased to announce that Anthony Green RA is now exclusively represented by the Chris Beetles Gallery Poppies Will you marry me again and again? signed oil on board 28 x 60 inches

THE ILLUSTRATORS The British Art of Illustration 1837-2015 21 November 2015 – 9 January 2016

Our annual exhibition, the biggest event worldwide for cartoon and illustration collectors, features over 800 works from across three centuries.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, which is available from the gallery at £20 (+ £5 p&p UK).

Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) They were rowed to the sound of music on the waters of their host's private canal (Bluebeard)

Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) A Damosel with Peacocks in a Garden (Morte Darthur)

8 & 10 Ryder Street London SW1Y 6QB • 020 7839 7551 • gallery@chrisbeetles.com

Preview UK

Small wonder A London gallery has unveiled a cache of tiny figure drawings by a little-known Polish artist, whose work shows a mastery of gestural skill. GEORGE SZIRTES is smitten

P H OTO F R A N EK S T R Z ES Z E WS K I . CO U R T ESY A N N V ER O N I CA JA NS S ENS

Untitled, 1950-53, by Felicia Glowacka

At Natalia Zagorska-Thomas’s private gallery in Camden Town, Studio Ex Purgamento, in a small oblong room, among works by various contemporary women artists under the heading ‘Secrets and Lies’, there was a group of tiny drawings by a long-dead Polish artist called Felicia Glowacka. The drawings had been rescued from a shop in Warsaw where they formed part of a complete, if miscellaneous, portfolio, and now here were two or three of them, framed and displayed for the first time in what must have been a good many years. They were immediately intriguing, a small selection from some 60 works, half of which were in England with ZagorskaThomas, the other half with her father in Warsaw. I wanted to see more.

There were 30 drawings in all, on small scraps of paper cut from various sketchbooks, mostly in brown sanguine or sepia pastel, the colour you might see in sketches by Watteau, Rembrandt or Chardin. The drawings were essentially gestural marks that constituted figures, compact homunculi, some single, some in pairs, drawn with a nervous, minimalist sureness of touch. The calligraphies of the drawings curled about themselves, the marks now broad now very narrow, the whole establishing a dramatic ground or space that defined its own world.

The figures were rarely more than an inch or two high but felt much larger.

There was something satirical about them too, the torsos and limbs appearing cramped but engaged in movement, as if animated by some internal drama. Although the figures were unlocated there was an implication of setting – street corners, main thoroughfares, possibly a park – as though they were in a half-physical, half-psychic ghetto. Nothing was fully described: they were all wiry lines spreading into a brown cocoon.

They were masterful and spellbinding.

Who was Glowacka? What survives of catalogue notes tells us that she was born in 1896 into a family of some intellectual standing, that she trained as a dentist and that, having survived the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, she started painting very late in 1948 without any formal training, but became seriously ill soon after and died in 1953. She wasn’t altogether unknown in her time. Her work, of which there must be considerably more than we can see, apparently included paintings, and she had exhibited at two national museums in Poland. There is even a photograph of her with Picasso. There was also a posthumous exhibition in 1957: the rest is, so far, a mystery. Glowacka is an intriguing, neglected figure. A forthcoming solo show of drawings at Studio Ex Purgamento could lead to a larger gathering of her work.

It is interesting to know Glowacka had been a dentist. There is something tooth-sized, delicate, yet tough about the work that might in fact fit into a mouth. They are, in effect, cave paintings in miniature. The calligraphic style, reminiscent of Rembrandt’s sketches and full of allusions, might remind us of the drawings of Bruno Schulz or even of Käthe Kollwitz, but it has a more substantial context in Polish art, in the work of artists such as Stansislaw Witkiewicz and Witold Wojtkiewicz of the Mloda Polska (Young Poland) school at the turn of the 20th century.

Take this dancing figure (Untitled, 1950-53; above left) which seems to be wearing clogs. The woman’s face is hardly described. She seems to tip backwards before righting herself. Maybe it is her very lack of definition that enables her to emerge from a space on the far side of both the visual and the narrative imagination.

Lost & Found: Drawings by Felicia Glowacka Studio Ex Purgamento, London, 07799 495549, www.zagorska-thomas.com, 9–31 Jan 2016

In the light of experience SAM PHILLIPS rediscovers West Coast Minimalism and its legacy

RR Lyrae, 2007-14, by Ann Veronica Janssens

Visit London’s Euston Road this winter and you may find yourself in a fog, and not just from the car fumes. At the Wellcome Collection, you can wander around a gallery filled with brightly coloured mist, the walls, floor, ceiling and people around you concealed in haze of yellows and reds.

The latest in a series of mesmeric mist installations by the Brussels-based artist Ann Veronica Janssens (until 3 Jan 2016; 020 7611 2222), this highly immersive work seems something that could only be conceived in today’s world of art, when the participation of the viewer is prized. But an exhibition at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery reveals the influence on Janssens (above) and contemporaries, such as Olafur Eliasson and Tacita Dean RA, of an earlier avant-garde – West Coast Minimalism (until 21 Feb 2016; 0131 225 2383).

While post-war Minimalist art is often associated with New York – Carl Andre’s arrangements of tiles, or the pared-down industrial objects of Donald Judd – a generation of Californian artists, such as Larry Bell and Robert Irwin, reduced works even further. Art became immaterial, ranging from fluorescent light that altered perceptions of colour, to darkened rooms that would play with viewers’ sensations of space, and West Coast Minimalism became known as the ‘Light and Space’ movement. The Fruitmarket show argues that our experiential art of today has this experimental movement as its ancestor.

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Preview UK

Sir John Herschel with Cap, April 1867; Group from Browning’s Sordello, July 1867; My Favourite Picture, My Niece Julia, April 1867, all by Julia Margaret Cameron

Faces from the past Painter CHANTAL JOFFE RA delights in the photographs of Julia Margaret Cameron, whose 200th anniversary is celebrated in two new shows The thing that really strikes me when I look at photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815– 79) is the excitement, her delight in using this new medium. It is as if you are seeing the photographs as she first did, feeling as she must have felt when the face of her friend and mentor, the scientist John Herschel, emerged from the chemicals, looming out of the darkness (above left).

I like to think of Cameron in her converted henhouse in her garden on the Isle of Wight, her studio where people she had spotted on the beach would come and sit for her (above). Her photographs still have all the newness of those encounters contained in them.

Cameron said that no woman should allow herself to be photographed between the ages of 18 and 80, and clearly she loved to make photographs of young, beautiful women. There is one of Alice Liddell in a white open-neck dress and the same fierce black eyes look back at you as from Lewis Caroll’s photograph of her as a child, dressed as a beggar maid.

I am especially interested in the pictures of Julia Jackson (above right). Cameron photographed her young niece many times; in the hooded eyes and bony, beautiful features you can see the daughters she will have, who

will grow up to be Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. In Cameron’s ‘Herschel Album’ (1864–67), there are pictures of Jackson in profile, and with her hair long and loose – she looks beautiful and free. And then abruptly there is one of her captioned Mrs Herbert Duckworth. Here Jackson is sombre, with her hair neatly tucked under a white cap and she wears a severe black dress. It is hard not to read into this an unhappy marriage that has ended her bohemian youth.

Julia Margaret Cameron: Influence and Intimacy Science Museum, London, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk, 020 7942 4000, until 28 March 2016 Julia Margaret Cameron V&A, London, www.vam.ac.uk, 020 7942 2000, 28 Nov–21 Feb 2016 To see more images of Cameron’s work, visit http://roy.ac/cameronphotos

Spoils of Empire

A Cheetah and a Stag with Two Indian Attendants, 1765, by George Stubbs

A painting by George Stubbs is among the highlights of the exhibition ‘Artist and Empire’ at London’s Tate Britain (25 Nov–10 Apr 2016). An Associate of the Royal Academy and renowned for his paintings of horses, Stubbs was also tasked with recording the exotic birds and beasts brought to Britain from the colonies. Read metaphorically, A Cheetah and a Stag with Two Indians (1765; left) is about the transfer of the spoils of Empire to Britain. Little is known about the two Indian handlers Stubbs depicts. It is said that the cheetah was presented to George III by the Governor General of Madras (Chennai) in 1764 before being handed over to the Duke of Cumberland, finally ending up in the menagerie at the Tower of London. Though the painting is beautiful, it tells an ugly tale.

— ANNA COATMAN

© N AT I O N A L M ED I A M US EU M , B R A D F O R D/S CI EN CE & S O CI E T Y P I CT U R E L I B R A RY. M A N CH ES T ER CI T Y G A L L ER I ES

FROM FAR LEFT

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Snow effect, Hyde Park. Signed; titled on the reverse Oil on board: 10 × 12 in / 25.4 × 30.5 cm. Price: £4,500

Morning light, The Grand Canal, 2015. Signed; titled on the reverse Oil on canvas: 20 × 24 in / 50.8 × 61 cm. Price: £15,000

K E N H O WA R D FROM LONDON TO VENICE

Exhibition opens Wednesday 13th January 2016 and will include 50 recent paintings A fully illustrated catalogue will be available RICHARD GREEN IS THE SOLE WORLDWIDE

www.richardgreen.com

147 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON W1S 2TS

AGENT FOR KEN HOWARD

Email: paintings@richardgreen.com

TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7493 3939

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Preview UK

How do you get from a celebrated 17th-century storyteller to modernist sculpture? SAM PHILLIPS joins the dots

3. BIG BANG DATA

Growth in social media, mobile technology and online transactions has led to vast amounts of digital data, known as ‘big data’. ‘Big Bang Data’ at Somerset House reveals how such data is material for art, such as Black Shoals (2001– ongoing; below), Autogena and Portway’s realtime representation of stockmarket activity as a night sky (3 Dec–28 Feb 2016; 020 7845 4600).

1. SAMUEL PEPYS

2. ELECTRONIC SUPERHIGHWAY

Confidant of Charles II, MP, naval strategist, socialite and, most famously, diarist, Samuel Pepys (above) captured the tumultuous 1660s with wit and candour. The National Maritime Museum examines his life and times, from the execution of Charles I to the Great Fire, through his pages and letters, everyday objects and works of art (20 Nov–28 March 2016; 020 8312 6565).

Today’s diarists use social media rather than parchment. In Excellences & Perfections (2014; above), Amalia Ulman performed via Instagram and Facebook, recreating herself in various guises to create a consumerist fantasy. Ulman is included in the Whitechapel Gallery’s show of computerorientated art, ‘Electronic Superhighway’ (29 Jan–15 May 2016; 020 7522 7888).

4. PETER LANYON

5. ALEXANDER CALDER

6. GERTRUDE HERMES RA

The sky was a central subject for painter Peter Lanyon, one of the most significant St Ives artists. In 1959 he took up gliding and, as a show at the Courtauld Gallery reveals, his thrilling experiences of flying pushed the boundaries of landscape painting and fed his near-abstract art (Soaring Flight, 1960; above). Tragically, gliding was also to lead to his death, aged only 46, after an accident (until 17 Jan 2016: 020 7848 2526).

Flying was also an obsession for Alexander Calder; in his final years he even painted designs to cover the exteriors of aircraft, with two Caldercovered Braniff Airways planes launching before his death in 1976. The American artist’s aerial sculptures – the mobiles for which he is famed, such as Antennae with Red and Blue Dots (1953; above) – are the focus of a Tate Modern survey (until 3 April 2016; 020 7887 8888).

The majesty and mystery of animal flight is evoked in Gertrude Hermes RA’s sculpture Butterfly (1937; above), beautifully carved in walnut. Hermes is widely recognised as a printmaker, but an exhibition at Hepworth Wakefield also spotlights her sculptures, exploring how her inventive organic forms evolved from two dimensions into three (until 24 Jan 2016; 01924 247360).

N AT I O N A L P O R T R A I T G A L L ERY, LO N D O N . © A M A L I A U L M A N /CO U R T ESY T H E A R T IS T A N D A R CA D I A M IS S A , LO N D O N . © J OS H UA P O R T WAY A N D L IS E AU TO GEN A . © T H E ES TAT E O F P E T ER L A N YO N / A R TS CO U N CI L CO L L ECT I O N . © A RS , N Y A N D DAC S , LO N D O N 2015/ P H OTO GR A P H Y BY A L E X R A MS E Y. I M AGE © H ER M ES ES TAT E A N D CO U R T ESY P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N , S T EP H EN M A R KS , B AT H .

Six degrees of separation

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MODERN BRITISH AND IRISH ART

Wednesday 18 November, at 3pm New Bond Street, London

LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY R.A. (1887-1976) Factory gate (detail) signed and dated ‘L.S. Lowry 1953’ (lower left) pencil 25.6 x 35.6 cm. (10 1/8 x 14 in.) £40,000-60,000

Entries now invited for auctions in June and November 2016

bonhams.com/modernbritish

ENQUIRIES +44 (0) 20 7468 8297 britart@bonhams.com

m a rt i n r a n d a l l t r av e l

Grand designs, circa 1598.

Country houses are places of freedom and self-expression – escape the urban environment and join a Martin Randall tour.

Special arrangements are a feature of all our tours. They range from a private visit of the state apartments of Windsor Castle, to an evening concert in the Chapelle Royale of Versailles, to a stay in an 18th-century Scottish country house which remains a private home.

All this in the company of our expert lecturers who inform, enlighten and fire the imagination.

2016 departures include Great Houses of the South West, Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes, Royal Residences, Yorkshire Houses, Great French Gardens, Versailles, and Gardens & Palaces of Berlin & Potsdam.

“The itinerary was wonderfully crafted to provide a wide variety of houses and art.”

Find out more at martinrandall.com or call +44 (0)20 8742 3355

Image: Montacute House, Somerset, lithograph 1842.

ABTA No.Y6050

5085

Preview International The central panel from The Haywain, c.1515,

by Hieronymus Bosch

Odd man out

M US EO N ACI O N A L D EL P R A D O, M A D R I D

Hieronymus Bosch’s home town celebrates the artist’s 500th anniversary with a spectacular retrospective, says MARTIN OLDHAM A phantasmagorical world teeming with bizarre animals, cavorting devils and macabre creations: this is the realm of Hieronymus Bosch, the Netherlandish artist who within his own lifetime became famous for his depictions of the supernatural, the grotesque and the absurd.

His paintings were so unlike anything that had gone before that it has been tempting to see them as the output of a deviant mind. Indeed, insanity or drug-use have at various times been proposed as explanations for his over-fertile imagination, and political dissidence, religious heresy or the occult detected in his cryptic imagery.

The little we know about Bosch’s life, however, is enough to show he was far from being an eccentric outsider. Quite the opposite: the evidence indicates he was a respected member of the civic community in ’s-Hertogenbosch, colloquially known as Den Bosch – the town where he was born (probably around 1450), lived and worked, and from where he took his name. He also appears to have been

remarkably well connected, selling his paintings to princely and international patrons, which partly accounts for why his works are now widely distributed in major collections mostly outside the Netherlands.

In 2016, Bosch’s art is coming back to Den Bosch, to form the largest retrospective of his work ever mounted. ‘Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of a Genius’ at the Noordbrabants Museum is the centrepiece of a year-long festival of Boschthemed events in the city marking the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death in 1516. The exhibition will bring together 20 of his paintings and 19 drawings, representing around 80 per cent of the works reliably attributed to his hand. These are shown alongside 70 or so contextual pieces of fine and decorative art that place the artist in the urban milieu of late-medieval Den Bosch.

Negotiating the loans of so many rare and fragile objects is an extraordinary achievement for the Noordbrabants Museum and its Director, Charles de Mooij. He freely acknowledges that

the museum is not in the same league as most of the lending institutions and has no comparable works with which to reciprocate.

Highlights include Bosch’s masterpiece triptych The Haywain from the Prado (detail left), which has not left Madrid in over 400 years, and The Hermit Saints from the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. The Pedlar (Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam), Allegory of Gluttony and Lust (Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven), Death and the Miser (National Gallery of Art, Washington) and The Ship of Fools (Musée du Louvre, Paris) – all formerly side panels of another triptych, the central panel of which is now lost – are reunited in the exhibition.

The exhibition is the culmination of six years of intensive investigation into the artist’s oeuvre: the Bosch Research and Conservation Project.

Many important discoveries are being revealed in 2016; for example, new light is shed on the notoriously difficult dating of Bosch’s work, and the meaning behind some of his most puzzling symbolism is unlocked. Twelve of the paintings on show have been newly conserved and are being unveiled in their restored state, including The Last Judgement (Groeningemuseum, Bruges) and The Ship of Fools, in its near original condition.

By bringing Bosch back to his home town, the exhibition aims to strip away some of the more fanciful interpretations that have attached to the artist over the years, showing him instead to be a man of his place and time. De Mooij emphasises that Den Bosch was a pious city, and Bosch’s art was deeply rooted in religious life and medieval morality. But Bosch’s mischievous eye looked to the periphery of this culture, to the comic designs inhabiting the margins of illuminated manuscripts, for example. His innovation was to introduce this unorthodox imagery into prestigious panel painting.

‘Bosch’s art caused a sensation,’ explains De Mooij. Widely acclaimed during and after the artist’s lifetime, it inspired a generation of copyists and imitators, notably Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who was known as ‘the second Bosch’.

Cryptic meanings and visual puzzles in Bosch’s work appealed to the sophisticated intellectual tastes of his elite clients, and it is thought he was influenced by new humanist ideas circulating at the time. He painted traditional sacred subjects, but he approached them with an independence of vision and a disregard for artistic conventions that was novel. An artist working on the brink of the profound cultural transformations of the Renaissance and the Reformation, his use of irony and ambiguity in his art can be seen as a response to the uncertainties of his age.

De Mooij does not expect this exhibition to be the last word on Bosch: ‘Each new discovery raises new questions,’ he says. He promises to bring us closer to ‘the real Bosch’, but recognises that mysteries will always remain about this visionary and enigmatic artist.

Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of a Genius Noordbrabants Museum, Den Bosch, The Netherlands, www.hnbm.nl, 13 Feb–8 May 2016

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The first book to celebrate the beautiful and provocative ways artists have represented, scrutinized and utilized the body over centuries

‘Body of Art is a fascinating study of the myriad ways in which artists have represented the human body, making often surprising and always illuminating connections between centuries, imaginations and media.’

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‘Without reflection, it is difficult to understand the integrity of our corporeality, and the way that our mind is intimately interconnected, body and soul.’

Order your copy now at phaidon.com/BodyOfArt

- Jennifer Higgie, Writer and co-editor of frieze

‘Phaidon invented the art book.’

- The Spectator

- Jennifer Blessing, Body of Art

Featuring c. 450 colour images

Preview Books

A spread analysing the Gherkin skyscraper, from The Function of Style by Farshid Moussavi RA

Style counsel Farshid Moussavi RA’s new book charts the evolution of architectural style and includes fresh insights on buildings since the 1990s, writes JOSEPH ROSA Farshid Moussavi RA is one of the world’s leading woman architects. As an author on architecture, she is equally impressive; her writing articulates the critical, analytical sensibility behind her pioneering hybrid buildings.

These structures range from the recent works of her London-based studio Farshid Moussavi Architecture – such as Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art – to her earlier projects as a principal of Foreign Office Architects.

Moussavi’s new book The Function of Style – the third in her series co-published by Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where she is a

professor – is a seamless blend of her intelligence both as a maker and as a thinker. In the opening essay, Moussavi maps the evolution of the notion of style in architecture from Plato to the present.

She concisely charts this vast terrain, taking in the Neoclassicism of Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand and Gottfried Semper and the modernist ideas of Sigfried Giedion and Henry-Russell Hitchcock.

While many other scholars or theorists would have stopped in the middle of the 20th century, Moussavi continues the trajectory, exploring Postmodernism (1970s), Deconstructivism (1980s) and today’s digitally literate architecture.

It is at this point that the book morphs from critical history into a typological study of contemporary architecture since the 1990s, showcasing 219 global projects. Moussavi undertakes an exemplary analysis of recent architecture, explaining how it is more informed by the internet, collective enterprise and everyday life than past historical models or theoretical approaches. The advent of the internet, for example, has meant that more architects are being influenced by the production of their peers in other countries than in previous decades.

Moussavi takes a fresh look at the categories of types of buildings, classifying them according to everyday functions – ‘residing’, ‘working’, ‘learning’, ‘viewing sports’ to name a few – and illustrating these with some iconic 20th-century examples alongside buildings designed since the 1990s. She examines how elements from these iconic buildings have been appropriated and/or reconfigured into later designs in response to the particularities of contemporary culture. She refers to these elements as ‘affects of architecture’, and clusters them under further categories, such as ‘extrusion’, ‘curvilinearity’ and ‘smoothness’.

A prime example is Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, a model for recent progressive thinking in museum design. ‘Many museums have a parallel enfilade of exhibition rooms which is similar to those of the Kimbell Art Museum,’ writes Moussavi, ‘although some [more recent designs] shear the enfilade, while others bend and bifurcate them, or bend and stack them.’ With such insights, this book persuasively argues that contemporary architectural style has a place in the historical canon, and shows that this recent past is finally being understood.

The Function of Style by Farshid Moussavi, Actar/ Function Lab/Harvard Graduate School of Design, softback, £32 Farshid Moussavi RA gives a lecture as part of the RA’s Architecture Programme on 30 November. See Events and Lectures page 71

P H OTO: L I T T L E R ED PA N DA . © DAV I D R EM F RY

It’s a dog’s life There’s a personal story behind every relationship between a dog and its owner. These stories have long fascinated David Remfry RA, who has been painting his friends and New York neighbours with their pets for the past ten years. We Think the World of You: People and Dogs Drawn Together (RA Publications, £16.99) brings these graphiteand-watercolour portraits together, along with touching tales the sitters told about their canine friends. Here we find Alan Cumming and his rescue dog Honey, Susan Sarandon and her Pomeranians, and Ethan Hawke with his dog Nina (pictured left). An exhibition of paintings from the book is at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester (until 13 Dec; 01243 774557).

To watch a video about this project, visit http://roy.ac/remfrydogs

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Preview Books Buy these books from the RA’s Burlington Gardens shop and online at http:// shop.roy.ac/ reviewed

Christmas crackers Make it a cultural festive season with the best art books for friends and family. MICHAEL PRODGER selects

Sunlight on the River: Poems About Paintings, Paintings About Poems Scott Gutterman (ed.), Prestel, £24.99

This handsome volume examines the ways painters and poets have inspired one another, using nearly 60 examples – the poem on one page, the painting opposite. In some, the painting gave birth to the poem (Anne Sexton’s The Starry Night from Van Gogh’s picture), in others the parentage was reversed (Rauschenberg’s Canto I after Dante’s Inferno). It is a simple but effective conceit.

The Green Fingers of Monsieur Monet Giancarlo Ascari & Pia Valentinis RA Publications, £10.95

Inspired by the RA’s ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’, this illustrated book sets the scene for children. It describes, briefly and in simple pictures (Valentinis) and words (Ascari), how Monet made his garden at Giverny and what his little demesne meant to him and his painting. This is an entirely unpretentious book and a perfect primer for art-inquisitive nine-year-olds plus.

32 RA MAGAZINE | WINTER 2015

Body of Art Rebecca Morrill et al (eds.)

Phaidon, £39.95

Weatherland: Writers and Artists Under English Skies Alexandra Harris, Thames & Hudson, £24.95

The People’s Galleries Giles Waterfield Yale University Press, £45

A sumptuous and continually surprising survey of how, for 35 millennia, artists have represented their primary motif – the human body. More than 400 artists are represented in themed chapters on the body in religion, power, sex, gender and so on. The editors have grouped their pictures in thoughtprovoking ways – for example, an Otto Dix bordello nods at a George Condo orgy. Short interpretive texts make the correspondences even more resonant.

If the English national topic is the weather, then our writers and artists are true patriots. Clever Alexandra Harris (author of award-winning Romantic Moderns) looks at what they have made of what confronted them when they drew back the morning curtains. Whistler’s Nocturnes, Lowry’s leaden skies, Millais’s Autumn Leaves, Lear’s blasted heath… Harris brilliantly shows how the weather has seeped into our art like damp, winter fog.

Giles Waterfield’s impressive scholarly history of the birth of the public gallery spans the period 1800 to 1914. He looks not just at the big London institutions but also at the popularity of galleries in Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and so on. Intended to educate the workers, and using new ideas such as temporary exhibitions, their success was phenomenal: in 1857 the Manchester ‘Art Treasures’ show drew 1.25 million visitors. This is the ancestry of today’s gallery culture.

Dawn Ades: Writings on Art and Anti-Art, Doro Globus (ed.)

Ridinghouse, £20

Francis Bacon in Your Blood Michael Peppiatt Bloomsbury Circus, £25

Sybil Andrews Linocuts Hana Leaper Lund Humphries, £35

In this meaty compendium Ades ranges across the 20th century, with essays on individuals (Moore, Duchamp, Dalí), movements (Dada, Surrealism) and various mediums such as photomontage. From this thoughtful broad sweep emerge her signature topics: how art is used; the female body; the variety of abstraction. She avoids the theoretical and overtly biographical, and while her writing can be knotty it is also rewarding.

For almost 30 years the art writer Michael Peppiatt was Francis Bacon’s boozy Boswell, recording epic sessions of eating, drinking and talking. While he has often written about Bacon the artist, this memoir is about Bacon the friend who also played a role in Peppiatt’s own emotional maturation. Full of anecdotes, characters (Freud, the Krays, David Sylvester) and bad behaviour, it is an entertaining, touching look at art’s lord of misrule.

The linocut seems a strange medium in which to find what Sybil Andrews called the ‘spiritual reality’ of form; that, though, is where she sought it.

Andrews (1898-1992) discovered unsuspected possibilities in this most mundane of print techniques, using it to carve her subjects – farming, sport and the Bible – with precision and rhythm, and compose with arcs and a rich but limited palette. This catalogue raisonné reveals a graphic artist of real daring.

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The RA’s painters, printmakers, sculptors, architects and art students

Academy Artists

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In the Studio

Wild at art In Rose Wylie RA’s Kent studio paint spatters are everywhere. FIONA MADDOCKS meets the artist whose star is shining late in life. Photograph by ANNA HUIX Rose Wylie’s front door looks as if it may not have been opened for years. A hand-painted sign above the lintel, just legible, instructs tradesmen to use the side entrance. Concluding that journalists might fall into that category, I turn to find the appropriate access when Wylie opens the door and welcomes me in. She is slight and striking, with chopped steel-grey hair. Her woolly clothes somehow manage to be stylish, and she trails a scent of vanilla.

Inside the 17th-century brick house, the space teems with purpose, each room running into the next, fluid and untrammelled. Books spill from shelves; papers, postcards, bottles, jars cover surfaces. Jasmine has found its way through the skylights in the dining-room, tumbling down in abundance. The long, rampant woodland garden is more dell than parterre, foliage almost enclosing the house.

‘When the grass gets long I flatten it by treading on it,’ says Wylie, picking her way along a brick path which featured in a painting My Son, My Son, What have you Done, from 2011, a homage to the Werner Herzog film. Her eclectic inspirations include Almodóvar and Tarantino, as well as Egyptian art, Pompeii, fashion, jewels, regalia, uniforms. She has also painted, less typically since pastoral is not her usual mode, the field with sheep beyond the garden in a work called Willow Tree (2015). ‘I paint what I can see.

This is what I see. It takes me a long time to do it, though people think it looks easy. This willow tree for example took weeks to get right.’

Wylie has lived in this corner of rural Kent, surrounded by orchards, for nearly half a century.

She and her husband, the artist Roy Oxlade, raised their three children here, having met as students at Goldsmiths. He died in 2014. Wylie, 81, now lives alone. She works prodigiously: ‘It’s always difficult, but the compelling demands of painting keep you at it.’ Today her star is in the ascendant. She won the 2014 John Moores Painting Prize, and was awarded the Charles Wollaston Prize for ‘most distinguished work’ in this year’s Summer Exhibition, following her election as an RA earlier this year. Recently she showed at Frieze and is now showing in Berlin, and next year exhibits at Chapter in Cardiff and Margate’s Turner Contemporary.

Born in Hythe, Kent, in 1934, the youngest

of seven children, Wylie knew that she wanted to draw but had little sense of a wider artistic context. Her upbringing was traditional with ‘the usual slightly Victorian moral standards’ and no expectation of her making a career, except, she says, ‘as a get-out clause’. Her father was Director of Ordnance for India, her mother a fine pianist who ‘never did any work’. ‘She used to tell Roy that girls should look pretty and please their husbands, which of course he rather liked!’

After 20 years of putting her energies into family life, Wylie resumed her career in the early 1980s. ‘I don’t feel there is any time I “stopped” – I just put my energies into making food or curtains or clothes instead of paintings. As the children left home, I had space for a studio.’ The upstairs room has windows facing north and south, which she likes because the smell of turps disappears quickly. Except for a paint-spattered chair and work table, there is no furniture.

‘I use the dining table for drawing. This studio is for painting, only.’ Encrusted paint tins, brushes and her invaluable tools – staplegun, pincers, screwdriver – are all she needs. Copies of the Observer (I find myself trampling on one of my own articles) cover the floor. After use each sheet will join the oil-spattered newspaper balls in the corner. All of Wylie’s canvases are huge, bold, unfettered. Two of her new ‘chocolate’ paintings are stapled to the wall, one displaying a bat, another a gravestone, a third a ghost. ‘The idea came from a box of Hallowe’en chocolates I was given.’ She has a dry, incisive sense of fun.

In a corner her studio shoes, claggy with old paint, await their owner who is currently wearing her ‘best trainers’ with pink tights given to her by a friend ‘who probably thought I needed a change from black’, denim skirt and maroon cardigan repaired with big white stitches. ‘Just as I use strips of canvas as collage on work that has gone wrong, so I think if you repair something you should see the mend, give respect for the work done.’ This is her dress for weddings, funerals, private views. ‘I like to recycle, make everything part of something else.’

Rose Wylie Veneklasen/Werner, Berlin, www.vwberlin. com, until 16 Jan 2016 Rose Wylie Turner Contemporary, Margate, 01843 233000, www.turnercontemporary.org, Jan–April 2016 Rose Wylie Chapter, Cardiff, 029 2030 4400, www.chapter.org, 6 Feb–24 April 2016

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Academy Artists way of working is through tone: the sky against the tones of the church and the trees, and the figures on the bench against the buildings on the right – these were the relationships that excited me. I covered the canvas in a halftone mix of ultramarine, burnt sienna oils and an oil-based Dulux white undercoat, so that the foreground marks of the grass, for example, could be made in relation to that halftone. I am always looking at tone, so it’s a process of continuous adjustment.

Were there any major challenges?

To catch the light and its changing effects, you’ve got to paint quickly. Practice makes you fast. At the same time it is a constant struggle – you are constantly questioning, sometimes questioning your own ability. This picture was completed in a couple of two-hour sessions. I did the entire painting on the spot.

At what point did you feel the painting was going to work?

How I made it TITLE Redcliffe Square ARTIST Ken Howard RA COMPLETED 2015 ON SHOW AT Richard Green, London INTERVIEW BY Gill Crabbe Why did you make this painting?

P H OTO CO U R T ESY O F R I CH A R D GR EEN , LO N D O N . © H UX L E Y S T U D I O

In the past year I have become hooked on the squares in Chelsea. I went out walking near my home with an artist friend, Peter Brown, who was already painting squares, and I started to really notice them. This subject – Redcliffe Square – is three minutes from my studio. I knew I had to paint it in winter – summer is green and fat, you can’t see the structure of things. In winter you can see everything – the sequences of contrasts, from the figures sitting on the bench to the path

to the church, for example. I painted this picture in the afternoon when everything was set against the winter light.

When I realised I couldn’t do what I was trying to do! We paint our best things when we paint completely intuitively – you can’t shed what you’ve already learned but somehow you’ve got to, to let go of all that experience, to lose control.

What was the starting point?

How did you know when it was finished?

One of the first key decisions was where that main tree would be. I established it about a third of the way across the canvas. Then I thought, ‘I want to get this foreground where the grass is wearing out, as it’s wintertime.’ I also wanted a certain amount of sky because it was a warm afternoon. These were aesthetic decisions but the starting point is also always an intuitive thing.

I moved my viewpoint until the relationship between all these elements gave me that sensation of being touched – as art is about being touched.

It’s done when it gives you back the sensation that made you first think, ‘Oh I’ve got to paint that.’ The last marks were the figures on the bench because they finally gave the contrast I needed with the church and the little group of bare trees behind the bench in the background.

What techniques did you use?

I was interested in the contre-jour effect, when one paints facing into the light. My natural

How do you feel about the painting now?

The sensation of light is there, and the sensation of Redcliffe Square on this day. I want to paint the square again. It has so many contrasts – between tones, colours, between nature and city.

Ken Howard RA: From London to Venice Richard Green, London, 020 7499 3748, www.richardgreen.com, 13 Jan–6 Feb 2016

Wall to wall

Where do we come from? Where are we going?, 2015, by Paul Huxley RA

A room of wall drawings by Paul Huxley RA is among the highlights of Vita Vitale, the Azerbaijan International Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale (until 22 November), which also features works by other Royal Academicians, including Tony Cragg, Bill Woodrow and Rose Wiley.

The proportions of Huxley’s Where do we come from? Where are we going? (2015; pictured left) are based on measurements taken from scientific data on subjects such as rising sea levels. Rendered in acrylics, the work displays the artist’s distinctive geometric style on a larger scale than has been seen before. In the new year, Huxley has a solo exhibition at the David Richard Gallery in Santa Fé, New Mexico (12 Jan–12 March 2016).

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Academy Artists

Now showing Our guide to the current art and architecture of the Royal Academicians

● Norman Ackroyd shows new

Rock ‘n’ Roll 70 (2015), a new work by Gillian Wearing, is on show in her solo exhibition in Spain at IVAM, Valencia, until 24 Jan 2016

Sculptors ● Phyllida Barlow is among the 16

Academicians contributing to ‘Making It: Sculpture in Britain 1977-86’ at Mead Gallery, Warwick (until 29 Nov).

Barlow also has work in a group show at Fondazione Prada, Milan (5 Feb–21 Jun 2016) ● Richard Deacon contributes to ‘The Daily Adventure of Sculpture’ at Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France (12 Dec-13 March 2016). He has a solo show at Heydar Aliyev Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan (20 Dec–June 2016). ● Antony Gormley’s public art project Event Horizon is travelling to Hong Kong (19 Nov–18 May 2016) ● New sculpture by Allen Jones goes on show at Marlborough Fine Art, London (25 Nov–23 Jan 2016) ● Anish Kapoor has

a solo show at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre, Moscow (until 17 Jan 2016). ‘Anish Kapoor and Rembrandt’ is at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (27 Nov–6 Mar 2016) ● Richard Long has a solo show at Konrad Fischer, Düsseldorf (until 9 Jan 2016), and also at Galerie Tschudi, Zuoz, Switzerland (19 Dec–19 Mar 2016) ● ‘Sculptors’ Prints’ at Alan Cristea, London, includes prints by David Nash, Richard Deacon and Richard Long (19 Nov–23 Dec) ● Tim Shaw contributes to 'Homo Sapiens' at Beaux Arts, London (until 23 Jan 2016) ● Yinka Shonibare’s installation Space Walk is featured in ‘A Brief History of the Future’ at Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels (until 24 Jan 2016) ● William Tucker shows bronze sculptures at Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland (30 Jan–22 May 2016).

etchings and watercolours at Zillah Bell Gallery, London (28 Nov–2 Jan 2016) ● Fred Cuming takes part in a group show at Stafford Gallery, London (22 Nov–6 Dec) ● Anne Desmet has been shortlisted for the New Light Prize 2015, at The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co Durham (until 7 Feb 2016) ● Anthony Eyton is to be artist in residence at Stowe School, Buckingham ● David Hockney’s solo show ‘The Arrival of Spring’ is at Fondation Vincent van Gogh, Arles (until 10 Jan 2016). He shows early drawings at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York (until 1 Dec) ● Sonia Lawson’s solo show ‘Paintings, Passions and Alarms’ is at Mercer

Mother, The Air is Blue (2014), based on Tim Shaw’s experience of a bomb exploding outside a Belfast restaurant, is at F.E. McWilliam Gallery, in Co Down, until 30 Jan 2016

Architects

The Norman Foster Foundation has unveiled plans for a pilot project in Rwanda for a network of droneports, which will enable cargo drones to deliver supplies to remote areas

Gallery, Harrogate (until 7 Feb 2016) ● Christopher Le Brun has an exhibition of new paintings at ARNDT, Singapore (22 Jan–28 Feb 2016) ● Ian McKeever has a solo show, ‘Against Architecture’, at Matt’s Gallery, London (20 Jan–6 Mar 2016) and contributes to ‘Qwaypurlake’ at Hauser & Wirth, Bruton, Somerset (until 31 Jan 2016) ● Grayson Perry has been elected an Honorary Fellow of RIBA. His solo show, ‘The Vanity of Small Differences’, is at Victoria Art Gallery, Bath (9 Jan–10 April 2016) ● Barbara Rae has a solo show at Richmond Hill Gallery, Richmond (until 24 Jan 2016) ● Bob and Roberta Smith’s show ‘Art for All’ is at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (until 3 Jan 2016), while ‘Art is Your Human Right’ is at William Morris Gallery, London (until 31 Jan 2016) ● Wolfgang Tillmans shows at Gothenberg Art Museum, Sweden (1 Dec–14 Feb 2016).

● David Chipperfield’s retrospective ‘Essentials: David Chipperfield Architects 1985-2015’ is at Museo ICO, Madrid (until 24 Jan 2016) ● Ron Arad’s redesign of the interior of the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC is due to reopen at the end of 2015. The hotel was originally designed by Luigi Moretti in 1962 ● A retrospective exhibition of designs by Norman Foster’s firm Foster + Partners is at the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (1 Jan–14 Feb 2016) ● An energyfrom-waste facility in Blakenham Suffolk designed by Nicholas Grimshaw ’s firm has opened. They are working on a water filtration plant project in New York

City. The firm has also designed the Koç Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul, due to open in 2016 ● Zaha Hadid has been awarded the RIBA 2016 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture. Hadid is the first woman to be solely awarded the honour. Hadid’s work is explored in the ‘Childhood Recollections: Memory in Design’ group exhibition at the Roca London Gallery (until 23 Jan 2016) ● The first Y:Cube housing development in Mitcham, London, has opened, designed by Richard Rogers’ firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Y:Cube housing provides self-contained, affordable accommodation for young or homeless people who are unable to buy a house or pay the high costs of private rent.

© GI L L I A N W E A R I N G , CO U R T ESY M AU R EEN PA L E Y, © T I M S H AW. LO N D O N . © F OS T ER + PA R T N ERS .

Painters and Printmakers

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F A M I LY A D V E N T U R E S

Academy Artists

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At the RA Schools, students have three years to develop their ideas and work.

Here second-year students reveal how the course is changing their art, as they prepare their first group show at the RA, ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’. Interviews

by AMY SHERLOCK and portraits by HARRY BORDEN

1. SEBASTIAN JEFFORD

2. MARTIN GROSS

Since being at the RA Schools I have been rediscovering drawing.

I am interested in archaeology as a form of world-making, and how historical reconstructions are often a projection of the archaeologist’s desires and fantasies. I like the idea of history as a malleable narrative, and the materials I have been using include Plasticine – a literal take on that idea, because they can be endlessly reworked.

I would like to make my recent works into wall hangings, or something structural – to have a sense of them as building materials.

I came to the RA to find new rules and new tools. In Germany, I was making very detailed pencil drawings and people seemed to be fixated on their technical precision.

I’m more interested in the idea of error and correction: at the RA I have been using woodcuts to make prints in which the image is crossed out or over-written to the extent that it can no longer be seen, and any sense of scale or orientation is lost.

animations influenced by the work of Oskar Fischinger and Len Lye. I make objects, which I move and light in a particular way: the results look like animations but everything is actually filmed in real time.

I came to the RA to develop the sculptural element of my work and get feedback on the making process. For ‘Premiums’, I’d like to create some kind of installation or sculptural environment in which films could be screened.

either from online sources or my own photographs. Since starting at the RA, I’ve not felt a sudden shift in my work, more a daily, subtle curve taking me in a new direction.

Recently, I have begun working with large-format photographic prints of the interiors or exteriors of buildings, on which I superimpose a small painting on board. These works aim to communicate a sense of space more directly.

3. SAM AUSTEN

4. LEWIS HAMMOND

I have been making 16mm films, mostly in the style of 1930s abstract

I paint mostly oil-on-canvas based on collages of pre-existing images,

I used to make video pieces that were a kind of pastiche of selfpromotional material, which you

5. RICHIE MOMENT

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might find online or on social media. They came out of feeling forced to have an online presence: I thought that if I was going to have to be on social media, I would do it in the most extreme way possible.

It’s interesting how easy it is to make yourself seem great. I was trying to recreate something that, on one level, I have a problem with, so as to be able have more of an understanding of it. I am currently working on the best artwork in the art world.

6. JESSY JETPACKS

So much about my work has

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changed since being at the RA – and it’s been great. I’ve started making film, which I’ve never done before, and animation.

I’ve been working a lot with new technologies: particularly video game software and machinima, or in-game filming. The Schools’ 3D printer produces certain structural and surface anomalies.

I’m trying to figure out how to work with those imperfections.

Technology can remind us of our limitations as individuals: we have the whole world at our fingertips, but it’s good to be reminded of how much fingertips can actually do.

7. GABRIELLA BOYD

I have always made figurative paintings but, since starting at the RA, I have been working with a kind of figuration that comes through abstraction – following a line or a form and seeing how a narrative develops from that.

I’ve moved away from painting existing spaces and am focusing on environments that seem like a mesh between two different kinds of spaces: for example, one recent work shows simplified green objects that could either be sunloungers or hospital beds. Usually, it is an element from one painting that

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leads me into the next – I try to take certain things further, or become interested by unexpected details.

8. ADAM SHIELD

Until I started here, I was making paintings based on other artists’ reference photographs: the selfportraits that Edvard Munch took while he was in an asylum, for example. But, when I moved to London, I started working with paper, particularly tracing paper, which lets you catch fleeting images, afterimages almost. I have made installations by layering the paintings, or cutting into them and

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Academy Artists like nuclear blasts. I was thinking about destruction and how to build something from nothing – stripping elements away and then building them back up.

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11. JONATHAN KELLY

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Last year, I was working with quasi-religious imagery, creating my own idols, or deities. The paintings are highly symbolic and carefully mapped out: I knew exactly what I would be painting from the start, and the result is works that have a very flat structure, almost like mandalas, which suggests a devotional function. A couple of years ago I was experimenting with a form of contemporary cavepainting, using my hands. Now I am trying to tread more of a line between expressionistic gestures – painting as a kind of primal urge – and mannered, geometric forms.

12. ANIKÓ KUIKKA

I think I would call my work ‘moving-image installation’. For ‘Premiums’ I am trying to use two cameras to make a stereoscopic 3D moving image, which is viewed through some kind of object – increasingly, I am interested in the experience of viewing and the bodily position of the viewer. The last work I made was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. It was shot in one take; there was room for mistakes and for unplanned things to happen. I feel like I can take more risks at the RA and test new things; that freedom is liberating.

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13. KATYA LEWIS

reconfiguring the fragments. Being here for three years means I have time to try these things out.

Performance projects can be hard to ‘exhibit’ so I’m trying to work out how to deal with that.

9. DMITRI GALITZINE

10. INDIA MACKIE

I’m working on a couple of longterm projects – one is a performance with a group of Elvis tribute artists, and I’m also writing a Western film. I’ve been doing Old West historical re-enactments for about a year, living every other weekend in a cabin in Kent without electricity or water. It’s about trying to understand escapism, and what these subcultures suggest about the problems of the ‘real’ world.

When I came to the RA, I was working across different media and I wanted to question how the various strands of my art sit together. Recently, I made a series of works that started out as abstract paintings. They look slightly like grids, or blueprints – perhaps because I used to be an architect.

But I couldn’t leave them as images.

I turned them into boxes and put in speakers. The sounds were

I would call myself a painter; I make paintings but also photographs that feed the paintings. Before I came to the RA I made monochrome works that were totally imageless, about surface and materiality. Recently, I’ve felt that images are emerging, but they are very fleeting, more like traces. I’ve also been making books.

I paint over photographs and then re-photograph them to produce very textured, almost sculptural, prints.

14. JOSEPHINE BAKER-HEASLIP

I was in the Alps in June. Something happened, surrounded by that consistent frontier of mountains.

Back in the studio, I started making woodcut prints of sunsets.

Previously, I had been dedicated to the possibilities of abstraction, a reasoning that rejects the

reliability of symbolism in favour of a different form of the experience of knowledge – or better, ignorance.

But what about that sunset, that overwhelming cliché? How can that fast moment, when the sky is full of red, correspond to a relationship between individual and collective experience, to a tenderness, or a tentative idea of commonality?

15. FANI PARALI

For several years I was a scenic artist in the theatre, making backdrops and props. I am letting some of those processes feed into my practice, while dealing with the problems that occur when challenging the ways the audience encounters the coexistence of live and static work. For ‘Premiums’ there will be sculptures and maybe large-scale wall drawings, as well as performers who will be within or engaging with the objects. I’m interested in storytelling and how stories are constructed – for this work I’m using Greek myth relating to death and the underworld.

16. JACK BURTON

A turning point since starting at the RA has been my decision to focus on photography. For three years I had a studio in Paris where I mostly made sculpture. When I left, I had to throw most of the works away, so I documented them photographically. Now I manipulate the images either physically or digitally. When working in Photoshop, there’s a point before you finish properly where the image looks like it is falling apart – you get a sense of its surface. I try to push my photographs towards something that reads more like painting.

17. ZSOFIA MARGIT

My work is mainly about everyday objects. I make paintings, but since starting at the RA I have been trying to integrate other objects and consider the painting as just one part of a larger work, which also takes in the surroundings and other 3D elements. Last year, I had a tutorial with the sculptor Cathie Pilkington RA, who pushed me to think of my paintings as objects and made me feel free to experiment with them.

Premiums: Interim Projects The Sackler Wing, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 020 7300 8000, 12–21 Feb 2016. Students give guided tours of the exhibition; see Public Events page 72.

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TH E E Y E XH I BITI O N

The World Goes Pop

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Alexander Calder Antennae with Red and Blue Dots c1953 Tate © 2015 Calder Foundation, New York / DACS London

Ushio Shinohara Doll Festival (detail) 1966 Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Yamamura Collection) © Ushio and Noriko Shinohara

17 September – 24 January

Alexander Calder

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Monet is the star of the Academy’s dazzling ‘Painting the Modern Garden’, which reveals how gardens sowed the seeds of avant-garde art and reunites a key series of the French master’s great late paintings. Curator Ann Dumas explains how Monet’s obsession with horticulture resulted in an eternal flowering of his art

Gardens of

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earthly delights

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in the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, where they can be seen today. Three of the most beautiful panels from the original scheme, the so-called Agapanthus triptych, including Water Lilies (1916-26; pages 44-45), did not, however, appear in the Orangerie display and were eventually sold separately to three American museums – the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. Exceptionally, these institutions have allowed these great works to be reunited at the Academy as the grand finale of ‘Painting the Modern Garden’.

‘Aside from painting and gardening I’m good for nothing.’ Claude Monet, 1904 Painting and gardening were the twin passions that shaped Monet’s life. In one of his earliest paintings, Spring Flowers (1864; opposite), over ten species of sumptuously painted flowers, fresh from the garden, reveal not only a brilliant painter at the start of his career but also a precocious botanist. Lady in the Garden (1867; see page 71),

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to safety but Monet stayed behind: ‘…if those savages must kill me, it will be in the middle of my canvases, in front of all of my life’s work.’

Painting was what he did and he saw it, in a way, as his patriotic contribution. A group of paintings of the weeping willow, a traditional symbol of mourning, was Monet’s most immediate response to the war, the tree’s long, sweeping branches hanging over the water, an eloquent expression of grief and loss (Water Lilies with Weeping Willows, 1916-19; above).

On 12 November 1918, a day after the armistice, Monet wrote to his close friend, the French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, proposing to give two works from his ‘Grandes Décorations’ to the nation ‘to honour the victory and peace’. Plans were then drawn up to house 12 large panels in a specially constructed pavilion in the grounds of the Hôtel Biron in Paris that was to become the Musée Rodin. In 1921, however, the scheme was abandoned for financial reasons, and it was not until May 1927, a few months after Monet’s death, that the great water lily cycle opened to the public in two large oval rooms

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onet’s monumental canvases of his water garden painted in the last decade of his life – the ‘Grandes Décorations’ (1914–26) – are the ultimate expression of the symbiosis between his garden and his art. They would seem to offer a retreat into a world of tranquil beauty, an aesthetic immersion in the garden that obsessed him for the last 30 or so years of his life. Yet for Monet these works carried another layer of meaning, beyond the garden.

They were his very personal response to the mass tragedy of the First World War. ‘Yesterday I resumed work,’ he wrote on 1 December 1914.

‘It’s the best way to avoid thinking of these sad times. All the same, I feel ashamed to think about my little researches into form and colour while so many people are suffering and dying for us.’

Monet was acutely aware of the war. The peace of his garden was sometimes shattered by the sound of gunfire from the battlefields only 50 kilometres away. His stepson was fighting at the front and his own son Michel was called up in 1915. Many of the inhabitants of Giverny fled

Lilies, 1916-26

Water

OPPOSITE PAGE Water Lilies with Weeping Willows, 1916-19 THIS PAGE Spring Flowers, 1864, all by Claude Monet

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T H IS PAGE: LYCÉE CL AU D E M O N E T, PA R IS/ P H OTO © LYCÉE CL AU D E M O N E T, PA R IS/ P H OTO GR A P H Y: J E A N - CH A R L ES LO U IS E T

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‘More than ten species of sumptuously painted flowers reveal not only a brilliant painter at the start of his career but also a precocious botanist’ a view of his aunt’s garden at Sainte-Adresse on the Normandy coast, had strong personal associations for Monet because it was here that he learned about gardening in his youth. Its corbeille, or raised bed planted in a single, vivid colour, is typical of the formal planting that was popular in French gardens in the mid-19th century.

At this time, gardening was emerging as the widespread popular pastime that it remains today. Plant nurseries, catalogues, floral displays in department stores, fairs and exhibitions provided the burgeoning bourgeoisie with the opportunity to create their own private Eden in an increasingly industrial age. Scientific crossbreeding or hybridisation, as well as plant-gathering expeditions to exotic places, greatly enlarged the range of plants available to the modern garden. New bigger and brighter species, of dahlias and chrysanthemums for example, provided artist-gardeners with new ‘palettes’ for their gardens – and their paintings.

Renoir captured his friend Monet painting the dazzling display of dahlias in his first garden in the house he rented at Argenteuil near Paris.

This included both the giant Dahlia Imperialis that had been introduced into Europe in 1863, as well as the brilliant red Dahlia Juarezi, imported from Mexico. As a pioneer member of the avant-garde Impressionist group, Monet found the garden an ideal setting to explore the informal modern-life subjects and new notions of composition and colour that were central to the Impressionist agenda. In his next garden, further from Paris at Vétheuil on the River Seine, Monet grew a forest of sunflowers in a terraced garden adorned with the blue-and-white pots that travelled with him from one garden to the next (The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, 1881; page 49).

In 1883, Monet had the chance to pursue his passion for gardening to the full when, with his companion Alice Hoschedé, her six children and his two sons from his first marriage, he rented Le Pressoir, a long pink house with green shutters and extensive grounds, in the village of Giverny about 50 miles from Paris. Although Monet made his garden with the express intention of providing motifs to paint, for the first 15 years that he lived there, with few exceptions, he did not paint the

garden but put all his energies into creating it, doing the digging, weeding and planting himself while the children did the watering. In 1890, he bought the property and, as he grew famous and wealthy, he spent a fortune on plants, employing more and more gardeners.

Gardening for Monet was no amateur pursuit.

His paintings of the Giverny garden are, of course, world famous, but less well known is the artist’s vast horticultural knowledge. His library was filled with numerous gardening books and entire runs of horticultural journals. Instructions sent to his chief gardener Félix Brueil in February 1900 give us an insight into his practical knowhow and the meticulous attention he devoted to every detail of the garden: ‘From the 15th to the 25th, lay the dahlias down to root, plant out those with shoots before I get back… In March sow the grass seeds, plant out the little nasturtiums, keep a close eye on the gloxinia, orchids etc., in the greenhouse, as well as the plants under frames.’

Monet designed his garden with the eye of a painter. Parallel beds were densely planted in blocks of colour, like paint boxes. Several visitors

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Water Lilies, Harmony in Green, 1899; page 11) certainly owed something to prints by Hiroshige (Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, 1856; right).

In 1893, Monet acquired an extra plot of land and applied for planning permission to divert water from the small river Ru to create a water garden. Overcoming the objections of local farmers, who feared his aquatic plants would poison the water and kill their cattle, Monet planted irises along the water’s edge, covered the Japanese bridge in wisteria and filled the pond with the new hybrid pink and red water lilies, cultivated by the specialist grower Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac. The pond was extended in 1901, greatly enlarging its original size.

For the last 20 years of his life, the water garden was Monet’s obsession and his exclusive subject. At first he concentrated on the Japanese bridge spanning the dense carpet of lilies below, but then his gaze shifted to the surface of the water alone, excluding the banks and surrounding

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‘These water landscapes have become an obsession’ Claude Monet, 1908

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to the garden, among them the critic Arsène Alexandre, noted the carefully orchestrated sequence of brilliant colours like ‘a flower palette before him to look at all year round, always present, but always changing.’ Although the scheme followed an overall geometric structure, within the sections Monet planted loose drifts of colour that almost certainly reflect the ideas of the English garden designers William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll, who both promoted a new informal approach to gardening that found its truest expression in the English cottage garden. Robinson’s influential book The Wild Garden had first been published in 1870 and Monet read Jekyll’s articles in Country Life.

A sea of the purple Iris germanica, one of Monet’s favourite flowers, fills The Artist’s Garden at Giverny (1900, from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris).

Like other flowers Monet loved – tree peonies and chrysanthemums, for example – the iris originated in Japan. Monet embraced the vogue for japonisme, as did many of his contemporaries, and was an enthusiastic collector of Japanese prints. The arched shape of the bridge that he designed for his new water garden (The Pond with

Wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, 1856, by Utagawa Hiroshige BOTTOM Monet in his garden at Giverny, 1921 (photographer unknown) THIS PAGE, BELOW The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil, 1881, by Claude Monet

vegetation. He would rise at four to observe the play of dawn light on the water and then, as the day progressed, capture the subtlest shifts of light on water, lilies and reflections of clouds. From 1902 to 1908, he developed a series of paintings of the pond, working on several canvases at once to establish relationships between them, a process that caused him much anguish. Finally, the series was exhibited at the Durand-Ruel gallery in Paris in 1909 under the title ‘Paysages d’eau’ (Water Landscapes) to great acclaim. Critics were struck by the radical nature of these compositions that seemed to float free of conventional notions of perspective – in the words of the critic Roger Marx: ‘No more earth, no more sky, no limits now’.

In the great panoramas of his final decade boundaries disappear completely in an enveloping continuum of light, air and water. Although nature was always his starting point, Monet now G A B R I EL E M Ü N T ER- U N D J O H A N N ES EI CH N ER-S T I F T U N G , M U N I CH , I N V. 224 8/ © G A B R I EL E M Ü N T ER- U N D J O H A N N ES EI CH N ER-S T I F T U N G , M U N I CH . P H OTO GR A P H Y: G A B R I EL E M Ü N T ER / © DAC S 2015 . P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N , CA L I F O R N I A / P H OTO P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N , CA L I F O R N I A / P H OTO GR A P H Y: F R ED R I K N I LS EN

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no longer painted directly from the motif but worked in his studio, relying on memory and his profound visual knowledge of his garden. Trails and dabs of paint, and dragged and scumbled surfaces imbue these canvases with a lyrical expressiveness that looks forward to the great abstract artists of the 20th century and remind us how misguided it is to pigeonhole Monet as exclusively an artist of the 19th century. Freed from the need to depict individual plants, his art in his final years acquired an immense painterly freedom and is, in a way, about art itself. Yet, at the same time, Monet’s passion for gardening was undiminished to the end. We learn from a journalist visiting him in the last year of his life that he had just received water lily bulbs from Japan and was waiting for a delivery of expensive seeds that would produce brilliantly coloured flowers. After all, as Monet claimed: ‘My garden is my most beautiful work of art.’

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse Main Galleries, Royal Academy of Arts, 30 Jan–20 April 2016. Exhibition co-organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Sponsored by BMY Mellon, Partner of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Wassily Kandinsky gardening at Murnau, 1910-11, photographed by Gabriele Münter

MORE THAN MONET

From Kandinsky to Bonnard, great artists had green fingers While no artist was as knowledgeable a gardener as Monet, many other modern painters included in this exhibition became preoccupied with plants, their horticulture a catalyst for their canvases. For example, some of Pierre Bonnard’s most lyrical works depicted what he called his jardin sauvage (‘wild garden’) in Vernonnet, which was designed in a far looser style than Monet’s garden at nearby Giverny.

Pioneering painters Wassily Kandinsky (above) and Gabriele Münter were ardent gardeners. The plants outside the home the couple shared in Murnau, Germany, were conventional in species and arrangement, but the pair’s nurturing of nature had deep meaning for their art, with Kandinsky’s garden paintings becoming steppingstones towards abstraction.

German Expressionist Emil Nolde gardened even more obsessively, producing magnificent landscapes of colour that led to rhapsodic floral paintings. ‘They are such calm and beautiful hours when one sits and moves about between the fragrant and blossoming flowers,’ he declared. ‘I really wish to give my pictures something of this beauty.’ His compatriot Max Liebermann completed nearly 200 paintings of his grand Berlin garden, which overlooks the city’s Lake Wannsee. The impressionistic brushwork in the canvases was a complete contrast to the garden’s geometric layout.

To watch video tours of artists’ gardens with curator Ann Dumas, visit http://roy.ac/normandygardens

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Garden historian Tim Richardson explores the relationship between artists and garden-makers, and selects six of the world’s most celebrated garden designers to shed new light on the artists in ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ The relationship between gardens and the art world has become somewhat fraught in recent years, chiefly because gardens mean wildly different things to different people. The garden is caught somewhere between two extremes. It can be the weekend and evening hobby promoted on television by Alan Titchmarsh, where the garden is seen as a place for growing flowers, fruit and vegetables, perhaps with the idea of the garden as a ‘leisure space’ tacked on to that, with decks, barbecues and so on. At the other extreme there is the garden as a place for meaningful expression: the symbolic temples, vistas and glades of the 18th century, or in our own time the poetically nuanced creation of Ian Hamilton Finlay at Little Sparta in Scotland, Derek Jarman’s mystical seaside garden in Dungeness, or the drama of Charles Jencks’s cosmological landscapes.

The impression one has is that some people – especially those from fine art backgrounds – would like to keep gardens in their place, in the first category, as an amateur’s hobby. As a result, those who seek a deeper intellectual and artistic engagement with gardens can be frustrated by the condescension they experience – imagined or not – coming from an ‘artistic establishment’ that mistrusts a genre in which mutability is key, and where the artist can only exert a certain amount

of control over the finished product. Gardenmakers revel in this lack of control, while artists might look on aghast.

When treating the garden as subject matter, some contemporary artists plump for a satirical take on the notion of the garden as a kind of 1950s suburban, middle-class throwback: pipe-chomping males mowing the lawn while wives in pinafores bake indoors. As satire, this amounts to dull cliché, so it is always refreshing to come across artists who engage with the idea of the garden on a deeper level (see page 58). To gardeners, it is obvious when an artist demonstrates an affinity with plants. There will be a vibrant, unpredicatable and palpably living aspect to the depiction, which is clearly the result of a sympathy with the subject – plants and gardens are portrayed as dynamic living entities that affect the world.

There are many and various examples of just this kind of affinity in the Academy’s ‘Painting the Modern Garden’. Monet was pre-eminent as the painter who understood the ways of plants – not surprising, as he was a keen horticulturist (see page 44) – while Sargent and Matisse were intimate with them in different ways. Artists such as Pissarro, Sorolla and Bonnard were drawn more to a sense of place in gardens.

Cézanne painted space itself, while for Kandinsky and Dufy (The Little Palm Tree, 1905; opposite) it was the excitement of shape, form and texture that was the stimulus. Munch and Vuillard used the garden as a metaphorical visual cipher. Klee deconstructed it to create mythic analogies.

Van Gogh, as ever, was painting something else altogether.

For garden designers and landscape architects, paintings of gardens and landscapes can be curious and compelling, as demonstrated by the accounts on these pages, in which six designers revel in the mystery and ambiguity of garden art. For those working creatively in the world of gardens, it is not botanical accuracy that is of prime interest but the way in which an artist can capture an intriguing or mysterious moment in a garden setting. It seems that a painting can draw in the viewer just as a garden does. Perhaps we might think of ourselves as ‘visitors’ to garden paintings, as opposed to mere ‘viewers’ – it is as if we become absorbed, in some way, in the depiction of garden space.

Tim Richardson leads a panel discussion at the Academy on 4 March 2016 with Tom Stuart-Smith, Sarah Price, Dan Pearson and Stephen Farthing RA; see Events & Lectures page 71

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Natural affinity

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BELOW The Little Palm Tree, 1905, by Raoul Dufy

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Tom Stuart-Smith on Pissarro Multiple winner of ‘Best Show Garden’ at Chelsea Flower Show, Stuart-Smith creates naturalistic gardens, including the garden at the RA’s Keeper’s House Camille Pissarro Kitchen Gardens at L’Hermitage, Pontoise, 1874

bourgeoisie, whereas perhaps if we keep Pissarro’s dirt under our fingernails there is still hope that we can connect with the natural world.

I can’t say that I have ever taken a painting as a direct springboard for a creative idea. The effect is more diffuse than that, and a sculptural work or some music might also creep into the thought process. The translation is never direct or literal, however. I prefer to keep references and metaphors quite well buried in my work.

I always make drawings of the gardens that I am designing. There is a fascination for me about drawing something that doesn’t yet exist, like making a short fiction about a place, trying to say more about how it might feel and be experienced, as opposed to how it will look.

To watch a video of Tom Stuart-Smith introducing his garden at the Academy’s Keeper’s House, visit http://roy.ac/tomstuartsmith

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It is the blinding white light of early spring that is initially so arresting about this painting by Camille Pissarro of a vegetable garden in what is now virtually a suburb of Paris. It is one of those savagely bright March days before budburst, when the ice-blue foliage of leeks seems almost made of steel.

What draws one in further is the direct and unaffected depiction of menial and practical

domestic cultivation. The spindly trees on the left of the picture have been shredded in the traditional French manner that can still be seen in Brittany, where the young wood is cut for kindling or even animal feed. Nothing is here for show; it is all entirely practical and productive.

The scene has an honest beauty for us and presumably for Pissarro, too. We know from the date of the picture that the railway that connects Pontoise to the city had just been built and that this self-sufficient peasant life was soon to be swallowed up by a greater commercial imperative.

It was a way of life that was about to disappear.

The painting presents an interesting counterpart to Monet’s Lady in the Garden (1867; see page 71), where an elegant young woman with a parasol stands non-plussed in front of an absurd mass of scarlet geraniums plonked onto an immaculate lawn. It seems that alienation from nature is the inevitable fate of the elegant

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Joaquín Sorolla Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1911

a meaningful creativity burning inside them.

This is expressed only when they are at home, and comfortable, in their gardens, with flowers representing their voice and imagination.

My own thoughts are expressed through flower combinations and the experiments conducted with plants, and all the time my character is exposed by the idiosyncrasies within the garden. Every moment when I am within its borders I feel as if I am inside a painting, in a scene such as Tiffany’s garden in Long Island perhaps. It feels larger than life, bigger and more meaningful than simply the individual flowers with which I am working.

For some of us, gardens are as thoughtprovoking as paintings, where a gardener’s eye can be as acute as the artist’s. I am not suggesting that this is what Sorolla is trying to express in this painting, but this image certainly stirred those emotions in me.

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This portrait, with the subject sitting in his Long Island garden by an easel with brush in hand, surrounded by lavish blooms, struck a particular chord with me. It has an other-worldly opulence, the backdrop to the sitter dripping with flowers in whites, yellows and blues, the bright blue sea in the distance, visible through naked tree-trunks and the tops of conifers.

The artist is immaculately dressed in a white suit and is posing, rather nonchalantly, with his dog by his side, as if he has just been surprised by the artist. The sumptuousness of the flowers contrasts with the casual pose of an indifferentlooking Tiffany. Sorolla has captured an air of confidence in the sitter, with a kind of electricity coming from the large flowers that surround him.

I can see a similar effect at Dixter, where the personalities of our gardeners often seem to be complemented by the vegetation around them.

There are no inhibitions in this painting, no holding back, except perhaps when it comes to the figure that sits in the centre. He appears on one hand confident and relaxed, but at the same time he is also reserved, bashful and reticent – a familiar contradiction in so many of us.

For me gardens are about people, and the most intriguing gardeners are those quiet, sometimes withdrawn characters who have

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Fergus Garrett on Sorolla As Chief Executive and Head Gardener at Great Dixter in Sussex, Garrett presides over a garden which connoisseurs of horticulture consider to be a benchmark internationally

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Arabella Lennox-Boyd on Macke One of the most respected garden designers working in Britain today, Lennox-Boyd counts the Duke of Westminster and the Rothschild family among her many clients August Macke Garden Path, 1912

I was first drawn to this picture because of the path that leads us forward mysteriously to an area that cannot be seen. Such an atmosphere is essential in any garden, for it must always contain a series of surprises, as well as extravagance, with visual and sensual experiences. A garden is like a dream and should combine the excitement of the unexpected with vivid sensations.

As I look further into the painting, I am enchanted by its dramatic use of colour. The pink path looks perfectly normal, though I have never in my life seen one of such a colour. The pink contrasts so dramatically with the pale green, which itself emphasises the darker greens in the border. The lawn to the right also leads the eye forward into the unknown. Clearly the border is richly planted, with exotic leaves and dashes of colour creating an exuberant mélange of shapes.

The composition is dominated by the curve of the path, which is balanced by the forms of upright flowers, twisted foliage and five dramatic blobs of colour belonging to flowers whose names are unknown. There is a mixture of secrecy, formality and looseness here – something that I always try to introduce in my own work.

This is a beautiful painting in its own right, but I believe that walking down the path in the actual garden would provide a multitude of experiences of sight and smell which one cannot appreciate from the painting alone, nor indeed from any painting of any garden.

Piet Oudolf on Vuillard One of the world’s most celebrated plantsmen, Oudolf works on international commissions – such as the High Line in New York – from his base in the Netherlands.

He recently created a garden for the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Bruton, Somerset Edouard Vuillard Woman Seated in an Armchair, 1898

It was really the colours that first attracted me to this painting. The quality of light works so well; it is not dreary or too soft.

I was also drawn in by the composition,

all these people in a landscape. It looked chaotic. I couldn’t really work out what kind of gathering it was.

This place doesn’t look like a park, so why were there so many people there? Or was it set at a country house? I thought it could be the day after a big party. The figure on the right behind the woman in the armchair – I wasn’t even sure if it was a statue or a person. The figure in the middle appears to be reading a newspaper. Were they all waiting for something? It is a strange scene. In fact, this scene looked to me like something that never happened.

It was later that I learned that Vuillard painted this scene in the garden of his friends, Thadée and Misia Natanson. Misia, muse to the Nabis painters, is the woman in white who

sits in the chair. The artist Pierre Bonnard is the man reading the newspaper.

In the exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden’, all of the paintings seem to be inward-looking; they show nothing outside the garden. This is usually the case with paintings of gardens – they are a metaphor for beauty or paradise.

When I look at a painting it brings up a feeling in me, and sometimes when I am subsequently working on a design, everything that was good about that feeling bubbles up inside me. I always trust myself at this point – it’s as if I have recognised something that I hadn’t noticed before. The memory of the painting can define or help to clarify ideas. This energy can go from a painting to a garden and vice versa.

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This painting is one of three Matisse made of a garden in Tangier in Morocco. It is on view in Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, while a later Matisse, The Rose Marble Table (1917), is coming to the RA. Violets and purples are unusual colours to see in a garden painting, but where I live in South Wales you do see these colours at sunset. At that time of day you can look at a garden and see it in a purely visual, sensual way. You can step back.

It feels as if this painting is caught in a strange twilight moment. You can just enjoy being propelled into that moment. It is one moment and it’s joyful – and that is why I make gardens.

There is ambiguity here. It’s like a garden creeping into a landscape – we’re not sure. The composition appears spontaneous and chaotic, but it’s not. It is tightly conceived, with a delicate balance of forms. It feels harmonious and alive, full of spirit. I love the way my eye bounces away from the void in the middle and moves around the painting. By using a strong magenta for the tree trunk Matisse is exaggerating the plant forms, like the whippy, multi-stemmed tree in front. In this picture it is as if each plant and tree has its own spirit, its own personality.

I like the sense of the yellow being scraped out and the dappled light coming in. And the peachy colour in the top right against the lilac and the acid yellow. It picks up on some autumn colours.

I can almost sense the heat coming off the bush.

What initially drew me to the picture were the colours, and then the use of negative space.

I thought, ‘This is what I am aiming at when I am composing my garden spaces.’ There is so much negative space around the plant forms.

They really hold their own.

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P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N / P H OTO © P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N C/O S OT H EBY ’ S

Henri Matisse Acanthus (Moroccan Landscape), 1912

M O D ER N A M US EE T, S TO CK H O L M . GI F T O F WA LT ER H A LVO RS EN , 1917/ P H OTO © M O D ER N A M US EE T, S TO CK H O L M /© S U CCES S I O N H . M AT IS S E / DAC S 2015

Sarah Price on Matisse Trained as an artist, Price built her reputation in garden design through the 2000s, creating delicately detailed private spaces, as well as large-scale public works, such as her plantings for London’s Olympic Park

Edouard Manet Young Woman Among the Flowers, 1879

What is it about Edouard Manet’s paintings that always draws me in? His work might be hung in a room together with paintings by

other renowned artists, but it always jumps out at me with singular clarity. Often I do not know the painting, but when I see the title and the artist’s name, I just smile. ‘Yes, of course it is Manet.’ I would have loved to have known the artist, and to have heard his words about perception and about light.

Manet paints a world that always seems to be slightly set apart. It is from the culture of the time, yes, but there is also a sense of the singularity of each moment that he depicts. I feel that he paints a heightened attentiveness. Manet’s work makes me think of being outdoors, where the fresh air makes me feel alert, aware and alive.

In this painting (below) I feel that the moment he has captured is in late May or

early June, when nature is at the height of its exuberance. The young woman has walked into that natural world which envelops all your senses. It’s as if she feels that she is alone and is experiencing a movement of discovery, enjoying this amazing world of living textures, colours and smells.

This painting makes me wonder whether the feelings it inspires occur in any particular order. What comes first? The feeling, the place, the emotion, the painting or the garden?

I know not. I just hope to make a garden or a landscape that has the same kind of power to envelop those who come into it. I think I will always look to Manet for guidance.

P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N / P H OTO © P R I VAT E CO L L ECT I O N C/O S OT H EBY ’ S

M O D ER N A M US EE T, S TO CK H O L M . GI F T O F WA LT ER H A LVO RS EN , 1917/ P H OTO © M O D ER N A M US EE T, S TO CK H O L M /© S U CCES S I O N H . M AT IS S E / DAC S 2015

Kathryn Gustafson on Manet With offices in London and Seattle, Gustafson pursues a high-profile international career, which has included the redesign of the Mall in Washington DC and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Kensington Gardens

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Today’s artists share their avant-garde ancestors’ passion for plants.

But instead of paint, they are using unusual materials and media – including gardens themselves – to break creative boundaries. Sam Phillips meets six figures at the forefront of new thinking about flora

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© J Y L L B R A D L E Y/ P H OTO T H I ER RY B A L / F O R L I L L E CH RU, AS PA R T O F T H E F O N DAT I O N D E F R A N CE’ S N E W PAT R O NS P R O GR A M M E /CU R AT ED A N D P R O D U CED BY A R TCO N N E X I O N , L I L L E

Up the garden path

Portrait by Thierry Bal A corridor at a hospital in Lille has morphed into a metaphorical journey through greenhouses filled with botanical plants

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THE HOSPITAL GARDEN Jyll Bradley

It is an unlikely place to have a transcendental experience of art. But visitors to Hôpital Roger Salengro in Lille can expect just that, as they walk between the building’s two wings. What was once an oppressive corridor has been transformed this year into an immersive artwork

by Jyll Bradley. Entitled Le Jardin hospitalier (2015), it brings sensations and ideas associated with gardens into the architecture of the hospital.

‘The garden is a perfect metaphor for what happens in a hospital,’ explains the Folkestoneborn artist (left), as we wander down the 100m-long passageway. ‘In particular, plants in greenhouses are like humans in hospitals – both rely on others to bring them the essentials for life. Both gardens and hospitals are ecologies of care.’ Along the corridor one encounters several different elements in this artwork. There are floor-to-ceiling back-lit photographs of Lille’s botanical greenhouses, which have long grown medicinal plants; wide panels of Douglas Fir, a wood with a warm, beautiful grain that was often used by one of Bradley’s artistic heroes, American Minimalist Donald Judd; abstract planes of fluorescent yellow Plexiglas; reproduced texts

by Shakespeare and Proust; and sections of partly corrugated white metal, which Bradley describes as ‘breaths’ to balance the other sensory elements.

As the Academy’s exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ reveals, Monet and other European painters of his time revolutionised art through their images of gardens. Today’s conceptual artists, however, focus less on the visual representation of gardens and more on how ideas about horticulture – social and spiritual, cultural and commercial – can be communicated with clarity, and how gardens themselves might act as a material or medium.

Bradley’s composition for the corridor, for example, drew on the ethics of Ikebana, a Japanese form of flower arranging. ‘The idea in Ikebana is to create a flower arrangement that has enough space for a butterfly to fly through, so it can experience the arrangement from all angles,’ she says. ‘A thoroughfare like this is a really challenging site for art because we’re conditioned to look at artworks face on – my task was to create something that people would experience from the side as they walked. So I had Ikebana in mind, to make sure I allowed enough space and time for

patients and doctors to relate to the work, giving them something different in their daily lives, such as a contemplative moment.’

Passers-by slow down and, thanks to the brightness of the large back-lit photographs, sense they are outside instead of in. These behind-the-scenes images of Lille’s greenhouses do not feature people, but include as much apparatus as they do flora: the pipes, hoses, thermometers and other gauges parallel the technology used by doctors and nurses across the hospital. The photographs also show dying plants, as well as those that are thriving. ‘An important element of Ikebana is that you don’t just include flowers in perfect bloom,’ Bradley continues. ‘You include one that’s about to bloom, one in perfect bloom, and one that’s dying away. I have kept that in mind with the choreography of the images, to be true to the passage of time and the cycle of life.’

But in an astonishing recent work by artist Maria Thereza Alves, plants have cheated the passage of time. On a concrete barge in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, the Brazilian artist and a team of specialists have cultivated a garden entirely from ballast seeds – seeds that many decades ago graced the hulls of ships as ballast.

Between the 17th and early 20th centuries it was common for merchant sailors across the world to load earth into the holds of their vessels, to keep them stable in the water. This earth would contain all kinds of organic matter, including seeds. In the late 1990s the botanist Heli Jutila found that the non-native flora of Reposaari island near Pori in her native Finland were a product of such seeds. Arriving in port ships had unloaded their earthy ballast, and its seeds – from across the globe – would germinate into plants.

Alves met Jutila at a conference over 15 years ago, and the Finn’s science soon became the substance of the Brazilian’s art, after a major revelation. ‘Jutila said that these seeds can lie dormant for hundreds of years, and that it was possible to germinate them today,’ says Alves.

‘It can be difficult and you might need laboratory conditions, but they can be grown, as long as you take some care.’ The artist then embarked on her ongoing research project ‘Seeds of Change’, to discover sites of unloaded ballast around port cities such as Marseilles. In Bristol, commissioned by the city’s Arnolfini gallery, she went several

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THE FLYING GARDEN Tomás Saraceno

Portrait by Ben G.J. Thomas Centuries-old seeds that found their way to Bristol as ballast on slave ships are given new life in a floating community garden

Portrait by Wilfried Meyer At Dusseldorf’s art museum the sky’s the limit, as visitors roam through ‘In Orbit’, Saraceno’s floating spheres surrounded by plants

stages further, by digging up soil samples from the sites, extracting the seeds, and germinating them into plants. In 2012, in collaboration with partners including the University of Bristol Botanic Garden, she arranged the resulting flora into a wonderfully varied garden in the harbour (above). One hears an echo of Alves’ project in Abraham Cruzvillegas’s current installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, in which soil from London’s parks sits in wooden planters, some with stowaway seeds ready to germinate.

Alves’ garden is not a science project, but rather a rich conceptual artwork in which a garden becomes a living metaphor for histories of trade, migration and colonialism. ‘I’ve come to see these seeds as witnesses to complicated stories between us as people,’ says Alves.

Bristol was a key port in the Atlantic triangular trade route, which involved goods from England being shipped to Africa in exchange for enslaved Africans, who in turn would be traded in the Americas for other goods. ‘Ships from Bristol would take slaves from Sierra Leone to Jamaica, where they would replace the indigenous

Arawaks, and then on to the Carolinas, where they would replace the Cherokees. Flora in the garden, such as Salsola kali from Africa and Amaranthus albus from North America, are tied to the histories of these indigenous people.’

The garden gives these complex ideas an accessible form. ‘A garden is a public place. It’s easily accessible, it provides refuge, and it’s a place to sit down and think or read. And a garden allows the possibility for local people to interact on these issues with botanists and historians outside the context of an academic institution.’

Alves also gave the local community a central role in the growth of the garden. She had around 200 pots of soil samples with seeds, and it was important for the seeds to start growing within three days, or otherwise they would lie dormant.

‘I was able to find community groups in Bristol to look after the pots, and many of them had links with the regions where the seeds were from – there was a black women’s theatre group, where some of the women or their families were from Africa. That became a far more rewarding experience than placing the pots in a greenhouse,

and it has become a blueprint for how I can work in the future, inviting the community to participate from very early on.’

Community gardening, as a way of improving neighbourhoods and strengthening bonds between people, has never been more popular both in the UK and abroad, and an increasing number of artists are becoming involved, most commonly bringing their skills to bear on design and construction. But in the community gardening projects of Californian artist Fritz Haeg, art is at the core of the whole process, rather than an add-on.

Haeg’s series ‘Edible Estates’ (2005-13) comprised 15 gardens planted in different cities across the world, from Baltimore to Budapest (see page 62). Each garden saw Haeg work in collaboration with a local family or community group to produce an edible garden – a patch where every plant produces an element that can be eaten. In Brookwood House estate in Southwark, London, for example, plum, apple and bay trees came together with berry bushes, beds of herbs and vegetables, and calendula, marigolds

M A R I A T H ER E Z A A LV ES , S EEDS O F CH A N GE: A B A L L AS T S EED G A R D EN / P H OTO B EN G . J T H O M AS . P H OTO W I L F R I ED M E Y ER / KU NS TS A M M LU N G N R W. P H OTO A L AS TA I R L E V Y

THE TIME-TRAVELLING GARDEN Maria Thereza Alves

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THE GREENWASHING GARDEN Rachel Pimm

M A R I A T H ER E Z A A LV ES , S EEDS O F CH A N GE: A B A L L AS T S EED G A R D EN / P H OTO B EN G . J T H O M AS . P H OTO W I L F R I ED M E Y ER / KU NS TS A M M LU N G N R W. P H OTO A L AS TA I R L E V Y

Portrait by Alastair Levy The cynical use of nature and environmentalism is spotlighted in Pimm’s ‘Garden City’, which mimics a temporary retail display

and nasturtiums, all with edible flowers.

‘The art, for me, was in everything,’ says Haeg. ‘It wasn’t just in the aesthetics of how a garden looked or in the relationships between people that were performed, and it wasn’t just in the abstract concept of an edible garden. It was all those things together – the entire task of creating the garden. People will see the project through a particular lens, depending if they are, say, a serious gardener or a conceptual artist. But I was looking at both ends of the spectrum and taking them equally seriously.’

The palatable nature of the plants was essential. ‘I wanted to take on the fundamental principles of how we’re living and how we’re engaging with the natural environment, life cycles, our immediate neighbours and our community,’ continues Haeg. ‘And what made the most direct and most physical impact was that, as well as watching the garden grow, you could put the garden in your mouth. You could consume it, and there’s something very intimate about that, and very provocative, as it is ingesting our environment. Our consumption has become

abstract, disconnected from the environment, but this project made a complete shift in people’s minds so that they realised that we do actually ingest our environment every day whenever we eat food. That captured the imagination of everyone, especially children.’

A similar shift is attempted by Nicole Dextras, a Vancouver-based artist whose work merges the disciplines of art, gardening and fashion. Instead of reminding us that we ingest our environment, Dextras reminds us that we wear it. She fabricates elaborate clothes from flowers, fruits, weeds and leaves, dressing models in her creations and then choreographing performances to engage the public.

Her Mobile Garden Dress – adorned with pots, formed from coconut husks, housing herbs and flowers (see page 62) – was taken to a shopping centre, for example. ‘The fact that the dress itself was so fantastic meant people were casually drawn in, and that way we were able to get people into genuine conversations,’ recalls Dextras. ‘The model would then ask passers-by about their clothes, asking where they came from, and then we’d look at the clothes tag

and discuss the material and whether it was made in Guatemala, Honduras, Canada or wherever. I found that was a beautiful way to raise the subject of sustainable fashion and to remind people about the content of fabric, that it comes from a plant.’

All of her works are biodegradable, meaning that, when exhibited as objects in exhibitions, they decompose dramatically in front of viewers’ eyes. A highly accomplished photographer as well as designer, Dextras also produces stylish photographs of models wearing her clothes – images, she says, that walk ‘a tightrope between glamour and critique’.

The way that nature is appropriated in fashion, interior design, public relations and other areas of commerce is a theme of Rachel Pimm’s work. Before undertaking her Masters in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, the British artist (above) worked creating show homes at London’s Ideal Home Show. ‘I was asked to design these ecofriendly homes, with glass counter tops recycled from smashed car windows, or furniture recycled from rags,’ she explains. ‘This environmentalism was being added on afterwards, as a PR exercise,

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as well as my own range of products. I created cube-shaped soap, which was made out of natural ingredients like charcoal and smelt like soil, as well as towels and cushions printed with grass and hedgerows. It was the fetishizing of natural stuff.’

The title of the project, Garden City (2013), alluded to the early 20th-century garden city movement, the brainchild of British urban planner Ebenezer Howard. The artist made the display appear architectural by arranging furniture like buildings in a city, and by including other structural elements such as raised lawn-coloured platforms and beds of gravel, which she saw as

THE WEARABLE GARDEN Nicole Dextras

THE EDIBLE GARDEN Fritz Haeg

Flora becomes fashion shoot, as Dextras photographs her organic wearable works such as ‘Mobile Garden Dress’

Portrait by Andras Kare From Baltimore to Budapest, Haeg’s community gardens feed their creators

‘rows of houses’. Pimm sees environmentalism used as cynically in city planning as it is in retail, in particular by London planners and property developers, who cover the hoardings of building sites with images of gardens and greenery, ‘often to disguise something uglier, like social cleansing’.

She calls this process ‘greenwashing’.

One city planner for whom nature takes a visionary role is Tomás Saraceno. The Argentine, who trained as an architect, now works as an artist, and the cities he has designed are great speculative projects: cities that fly in the sky, or ‘Cloud Cities’. They take the form of clusters of spheres or more complex cellular shapes. These structures mimic cloud formations, tree branches, molecule networks and bubbles. Saraceno even studied different species of spider over many years, to work out what nature’s master-builders could teach him about architecture.

‘You can zoom in and zoom out of nature,’ he tells me, ‘as a way of understanding scale to create a new three-dimensional architecture.’ Saraceno’s cities are utopian socially as well as structurally.

Floating clusters will constantly migrate and merge with one another in the sky, allowing freedom of movement.

While his cities seem the stuff of science fiction, Saraceno is hoping they can become science fact, and he creates drawings, models, sculptures and large-scale installations in order to excite the world about his ideas. Visitors to his most ambitious installation, In Orbit (201315) at Düsseldorf’s Kunstsammlung NordrheinWestfalen museum, can move between huge transparent PVC spheres suspended 25m up by a safety net from the building’s glass cupola (see page 60-61).

This work includes what has become a Saraceno speciality – a flying garden. Often he fills plastic structures with air plants, which can thrive without soil. ‘We have many of these plants in Argentina,’ he says. ‘They live often on electric cables in the streets, or they hang on trees, as the humid air gives them all the water and nutrients they need.’

Saraceno’s biospheres are inspired by greenhouses, botanical gardens and, in particular, the geodesic domes of the Eden Project in Cornwall, and he has been working with biologists to devise ways that plants can survive once his cities take off. ‘When we go up to the clouds, it might be very cold for plants. So we will need a closed envelope in which we can generate a different temperature to host gardens.’

‘In Berlin where I live, we are entering winter and it is grey and dark,’ he continues, his voice becoming more enthusiastic. ‘Imagine if we could go 3km upwards at this time of year! You could have a flying garden above the level of the clouds, which would be a completely sunny day. The planet is running out of space on the ground, so above highly densely populated areas, you could create three-dimensional architecture that had all the infrastructure for a garden.’

Anyone wanting to look into the future – of both gardens and art – will be taking note of the work of Saraceno and other green-fingered artists of today.

© N I CO L E D E X T R AS . B LO O D M O U N TA I N FO U N DAT I O N , B U DA P ES T/ P H OTO A N D R AS K A R E

and I wanted to examine in my work this “green” methodology.’

Her project for her 2013 degree show duly took the form of a temporary commercial display, incorporating materials that, in a similar way to the show homes, wore their ‘green’ credentials on their sleeves. Some of her display furniture was covered with textured spray paint designed to give the appearance of natural stone, while other structures were formed from wall tiles in ‘Utopia Kiwi’. ‘These veneers are marketed not only as ecological but utopian,’ Pimm remarks. ‘On top of this furniture, I displayed fruit and veg,

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Critical issues in art and architecture

Debate

I L LUS T R AT I O N BY P I N G ZH U

The Question Should artists have the final say about how their work is conserved?

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I L LUS T R AT I O N BY P I N G ZH U

Yes…

‘I encouraged new owners to repaint the work on a regular basis, and I countered negative attitudes towards repainting by asserting my rights as an artist’

Conservation is a matter of taste and so the artist should be the arbiter, says sculptor PHILLIP KING PPRA Art, by its very nature, is prone to change, although we now find it bizarre that certain ancient works, such as Greek sculpture, would once have been painted, and until recently it was felt necessary to keep the dark tones of old paintings, even though their discoloration was due to light-sensitive varnish.

Change is also built into the whole process of appreciating art. Our unconscious likes and dislikes, formed since childhood, continue to evolve and shape our attitudes to art, forming what is usually called our ‘taste’.

Our attitude to conservation is equally subject to our taste. The artist Marcel Duchamp was one of art’s most influential taste-makers, and by laying emphasis on the concept rather than the object, he made it possible to accept change due to deterioration or misuse. For instance, he welcomed the fact that his work In Advance of the Broken Arm (1915), a shovel he purchased and signed, was used by a museum caretaker to clear snow in Minnesota, and even saw the work thereby improved.

I began making sculpture with little concern for its permanence, concentrating on the

No… The artist’s intention remains in flux, complicating matters of conservation, argues art historian ALISON BRACKER At the heart of conservation lies unqualified respect for artists. Honouring their intent and choice of materials plays a key role in the ethical care and documentation of their artworks. Upon acquiring a work by a living artist, museums, collectors, curators and conservators think about how best to record the artist’s views on the look of the object and the significance of its materials.

However, there are other considerations, for once a museum or collector acquires the artwork, it enters a domain that invites interpretation by viewers and allows for the vested interests of those who purchased the object, as well as those on whose behalf it was purchased. Conservation must therefore serve not only the artist’s wishes, but also those of collectors, museums, viewers and, crucially, the work of art itself.

To serve all of these stakeholders, conservators gather as much primary, historical and scientific interpretive material as possible about the object.

‘Conservation must serve not only the artist’s wishes but also those of viewers and the work of art itself’

making and thereby achieving a kind of facility with the medium that gave me the freedom to make decisions on the hoof according to the requirements of the work in hand. I would always question how I could speed up a given textbook technique or find an alternative process. One of my least successful tryouts was using steel mesh instead of fibreglass to improve the strength of plastic resin – a total disaster, as the resin and the steel had different expansion rates, which meant the steel would forever be cracking the resin.

It was only later, in the late 1960s, when I began working solely in steel that I was forced to give serious thought to the permanence of the work in progress. For a start, steel rusts and is heavy. This means certain things have to be done to preserve its state as shown on exhibition, and there is pressure on the artist to ensure the work does not age in a manner that completely alters the look of the work.

The answer for me was to use paints that could be reproduced. In the cases when I mixed colours, I would keep an account of the mixes for the potential owners of the work. Steel can easily be scratched unless handled in a particular

way, so I encouraged new owners to repaint the work on a regular basis, especially after transport, and I countered negative attitudes towards the repainting of a work by asserting my rights as an artist. For me, the artist’s opinion about any changes done to his or her work, by wear and tear or even by alteration by an owner, remains paramount, and a key factor when considering the artistic merit of any work of art.

I have been very impressed, even astonished, with the work of institutional conservators, especially at Tate, which has a policy of preserving the state of a work as it joins the collection, even to the extent of discarding the artist’s opinion if it is contrary to gallery policy. They are able to use far more resources than I am to preserve or bring back my work to a certain state, and I am reticient as an artist to contest that policy. There are no doubt many artists who, on seeing one of their works in a public place years after it was made, would wish to make some alteration, and I can see why there is a need for public institutions to create such rules.

Nevertheless to my mind the artist remains the last arbiter in deciding how his work should be preserved for posterity.

What is the ‘original’ object or, phrased another way, when is the artwork completed? Do we accept Sigmar Polke’s contention that the artwork is finished when it has been sold? How do we define, make visible and recover artistic intention when it remains in flux, may not always be conscious at the time of making, or may be misremembered by the artist later? What elements define the artwork? If it is a conceptual piece, does fidelity to the concept or the work’s materiality take precedence? As Damien Hirst once said, ‘Are you looking for the original object, is that what you want to preserve, or do you want to communicate the idea that was originally intended?’

The experience of conservator Rachel Barker in conserving Hans Haacke’s Condensation Cube (1963-65) illustrates both the complexities arising from Hirst’s question and the issues at stake when artists determine conservation decisions.

Haacke’s work comprises a void within a Perspex enclosure. As the ambient temperature around the cube rises, a small amount of water saturates the air inside the cube’s cool interior, causing condensation, which in turn creates beautiful rivulets. Yet over time, the Perspex cube became scratched, discoloured and invaded by mould, and thus ineffective at communicating Haacke’s original concept of physical exchange between the viewer, the gallery environment and what was transpiring inside the cube.

As a work of conceptual art, Condensation Cube’s underlying idea should, in theory, carry greater significance than its materials, shape

or colour – the concept’s vehicle. The curators therefore wanted the Perspex cube replaced. But Barker decided to contact the artist to discuss the original artwork. Surprisingly, Haacke’s original intentions for the work had become subservient to his sentimental attachment to it. The artist had made Condensation Cube in Germany prior to migrating to America, and it represented to him his thought processes at the time. He declared his wish to preserve and display the original enclosure, so Barker eliminated the mould and reduced the scratches through polishing.

Accordingly, should an artist’s original intentions or their current feelings prevail in conservation decisions? And if that decision contradicts the original artwork’s concepts or materiality, have the object and its viewers, both contemporaneous and future, been best served?

There is no doubt that discussions between artists and conservators forge kinships that empower conservation. Strategic planning, documentation and successful reinstallation of artworks depend upon conservators engaging practically and conceptually with artists. Yet this collaborative process demands continued re-evaluation by conservators, curators, art historians and viewers, to ensure the artist’s voice does not dominate the voices of others.

Should artists have the final say? Visit http://roy.ac/debateconservation to vote in our online poll. Last issue we asked: is it essential to see a painting in the flesh? 94 per cent in our poll said ‘Yes’, 6 per cent ‘No’

WINTER 2015 | RA MAGAZINE 65

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Illustrationcupboard Gallery

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Debate

No museum is an island The rapid growth of new mega-museums in the Middle East brings ethical challenges on several fronts, argues ANTHONY DOWNEY

CO U R T ESY O F T D I C

Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District will be home to the new Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National museums

In the past decade, the United Arab Emirates has witnessed an unprecedented level of investment into cultural institutions. Many of them are to be located in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island (Arabic for ‘Happiness Island’; above), now under construction and set to become the location of the world’s largest cultural district.

When complete, it will feature among its many projects the latest iteration of the Guggenheim Museum, an outpost of the Louvre, a Zaha Hadid RA-designed performing arts centre, and a New York University campus.

Meanwhile, in Qatar’s capital Doha, the Qatar Museums Authority, under the guidance of Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has already overseen the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art in 2008 and Mathaf, the Arab Museum of Modern Art, in 2010. Mathaf has showcased artists as diverse as the Egyptian artist known for his use of puppets Wael Shawky, the Palestinian-born video artist Mona Hatoum, Algerian-born conceptual artist Adel Abdessemed and Iranian-born Shirin Neshat, known for her lens-based work.

Nearby, the Dubai Art Fair attracts galleries and collectors every spring, while in Sharjah, a 25-minute drive from Dubai, a series of buildings in the historic centre has been redeveloped for the region’s increasingly respected art biennial.

The motivations and costs involved in these

projects are subject to ongoing speculation and criticism. In some quarters, these initiatives are viewed as a strategic shift away from a longterm dependency on oil revenues across the Gulf and towards an economic model based on the global tourist industry. In other quarters, accusations of hubris and direct condemnation of the treatment meted out to the millions of workers hired to construct these buildings continue.

The one element that does remain relatively uncontested, however, is that despite significant realignments in world markets and oil prices, the United Arab Emirates – a federation of the seven emirates Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain – is fast becoming a major cultural and tourist destination.

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has already released some details of its acquisitions, which includes works from Iranian artists Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian and Y.Z. Kami, the Californian installation artist Robert Irwin, and the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. There

‘Culture, along with institutions, has always been an instrument of politically motivated goals’

is a notable trend of apolitical abstraction in the choice of works that speaks to the imminent need to be sensitive to local sensibilities – on issues concerning politics and representations of the body, for example. The internationalist inclinations of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi are mirrored, to some degree, in the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s ambition to look at both so-called Western culture and local cultures in the Middle East.

Nevertheless, such institutions remain caught between the competing demands placed upon them in an age of globalization – the need to attract an international audience, for example – and restrictions in terms of what can and cannot be shown in public spaces within the UAE. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai each have long, rich histories of cultural production, across multiple forms and media, but museums of contemporary art are relatively new to them.

While such concerns are, for now at least, partially speculative, the one criticism that has steadfastly refused to go away involves the use of migrant labour to build these projects and accusations of widespread abuse. In 2011, Gulf Labor, a coalition of international artists, was set up to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are protected during the construction and maintenance of museums in Abu Dhabi.

In March 2012, despite noting improvements since the beginning of their involvement, they observed continued failings in relation to the building of Saadiyat Island. More recently, individual members of Gulf Labor, including the artist Walid Raad, have been refused entry into the UAE. All of which gives rise to a decidedly caustic conundrum: the Guggenheim, an institution that owns work by Raad, will most likely show his work in their new museum. This contradiction can only erode faith in the long-term sustainability of a project that proposes, according to its own publicity, to be concerned with forms of ‘dynamic cultural exchange’.

If we consider the rapid investment in cultural institutions across the Gulf States as a none-too-subtle instrument of a political will to diversify the economic basis of a country, then we must pose a further question: in what way is this different from, say, processes of gentrification in Bilbao, Berlin, Birmingham and Barcelona? Culture, along with its institutions, has always been an instrument of politically motivated goals, be they to whitewash otherwise questionable records on human rights or to develop former industrialised sites and gentrify cityscapes. There is nothing new here; nor, alas, is it a problem unique to the UAE.

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Debate

Grand masters From a contemporary perspective, does Nicholas Hawksmoor outshine his master, Christopher Wren? OWEN HOPKINS reassesses two geniuses of British Baroque architecture

Ah, Christopher Wren. Mathematical genius.

President of the Royal Society. The ear of several monarchs. Not to mention architect extraordinaire. Designer of St Paul’s Cathedral, 50 of London’s City churches, Greenwich Hospital (aka the Old Royal Naval College), Hampton Court, the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.

And much else besides, both built and unbuilt.

Inspiration of Lutyens and the Edwardian Baroque. Immortalised, of all places, on the old £50 note. Surely unrivalled as Britain’s greatest architect? And especially not by his own pupil, the mysterious figure of Nicholas Hawksmoor?

Certainly, Hawksmoor poses no threat to Wren in terms of the scale of his achievement.

He is best known for the mausoleum at Castle Howard, work at All Souls College, Oxford, and six idiosyncratic London churches. While the prominence of Wren’s works ensured that they could not be ignored even when out of fashion, Hawksmoor lay largely forgotten for nearly 200 years after his death. Yet, if we’re talking about the capacity of buildings to enchant and enrapture, to provoke and perplex, there is surely no greater master than Hawksmoor.

We know comparatively little about Hawksmoor the man. His early life is more or less a blank slate and he only really appears in historical records when he enters Wren’s office in around 1680. This was Hawksmoor’s big break.

The interior of St Mary’s Church Woolnoth, London, by Nicholas Hawksmoor

Perhaps unusually for someone for whom the word genius is no exaggeration, Wren was a brilliant teacher, who instructed, guided and nurtured the young Hawksmoor. Within a few years his charge had been given several key responsibilities, and rapidly emerged as the most talented and trusted draughtsman of Wren’s office.

Wren’s drawing style was shaped by a scientific training that emphasised accuracy and precision as guiding principles. His drawings are all about the tightly defined line, which he used to arrange the elements of classical architecture. By contrast, as Hawksmoor’s technique developed, and especially after working with the master carver Grinling Gibbons, the young architect adopted a far more allusive approach, using pen, ink and wash to create the suggestion of form.

Accuracy would come later. What mattered most to Hawksmoor was to convey the impression of how a building might appear in reality.

From our 21st-century perspective, it is hard to comprehend quite how revolutionary Hawksmoor’s approach was. No other British architect had yet conceived architecture in this way: as an almost sculptural entity of mass and volume onto which ornament was applied, often in exaggerated form. We see this most spectacularly in his London churches: huge expanses of white stone, incised as if by a scalpel; stacks of layered masonry rising up into the sky;

and the signature oversized keystones that teeter above the windows and doors.

A Wren church is invariably a more controlled affair. A neat comparison is between Wren’s St Stephen Walbrook (above left), near Bank, and Hawksmoor’s nearby St Mary Woolnoth (above right). St Stephen’s has arguably Wren’s greatest church interior: a beautifully composed domed space marked by overriding unity and an even light. St Mary’s interior, in contrast, operates on a different register: a relatively dark perimeter around a central space powerfully lit from above by huge lunette windows invisible from outside.

It is a building of stunning drama that offers something new every time you enter.

While Wren’s buildings are beautiful and elegant, they are, I would argue, ultimately fixed in the meanings and interpretations they invite.

Hawksmoor’s are far more enigmatic, and still after all these years influencing artists, writers and architects of all persuasions – surely the most important test of great architecture.

From the Shadows: The Architecture and Afterlife of Nicholas Hawksmoor by Owen Hopkins is published

by Reaktion Books, £25 hardback, in November. Hopkins gives a talk Nicholas Hawksmoor: The Man and the Myth at the Royal Academy on 30 Nov; see page 71.

To watch a video of writer Philip Pullman discussing Nicholas Hawksmoor, visit http://roy.ac/hawksmoorvideo

P H OTO GR A P H BY J O H N H . M AW W W W. J H M AW.CO M . P H OTO GR A P H BY G A R E T H E VA NS

The interior of St Stephen’s Church Walbrook, London, by Christopher Wren

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Practical Courses & Classes The Royal Academy has been home to artists and their craft since 1768... be inspired, learn from experts, meet new friends and enjoy our historic settings.

Wood Engraving with Anne Desmet RA Japanese Woodblock Printing with Rebecca Salter RA

Life Drawing with Robin-Lee Hall, President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Painting and Collage with Sean Steadman, RA Schools graduate Plus a special Valentine’s Day experience, Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day celebrations set in the Academy’s historic Life Room

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roy.ac/courses The Cast Corridor in the Royal Academy Schools, 1953. Photograph by Russell Westwood. © Royal Academy of Arts

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Debate

Public Events Further information and a complete listing of all our events can be found at www.royalacademy.org.uk/events.

The full programme and new events will be released to RA Friends via email

AI WEIWEI: ROUNDTABLE

AFTERNOON TALK

Ben Vickers: Virtual Resistance

Art and Religion in the 21st Century

Sat 28 Nov Ben Vickers, activist and curator of Digital at the Serpentine Gallery, explores the potential of emergent digital platforms as channels for decentralisation and resistance.

The Saloon; 3–4.15pm; £5

Sat 5 Dec Author Dr Aaron Rosen reveals how contemporary artists are reshaping how we think about the role of religion in everyday life, from debates about gender and sexuality to environmental ethics.

Reynolds Room; 3–4pm; £5

INMOTION AT THE R A Jean-Etienne Liotard Exhibition Tour for Mobility Impaired Visitors

Mon 30 Nov An introductory tour of ‘Jean-Etienne Liotard’ for wheelchair users, followed by coffee and conversation.

Burlington House; 9–11am; £3 ARCHITECTURE FREE TALK Nicholas Hawksmoor: The Man and The Myth

AFTERNOON TALK Francis Bacon in Your Blood

Sat 12 Dec Art historian and author Michael Peppiatt discusses his new book Francis Bacon in Your Blood with art critic and curator Richard Cork (see page 32).

Reynolds Room; 3–4pm; £12/£6 reductions

January

Mon 30 Nov Author and RA curator Owen Hopkins discusses the career of British architect Nicholas Hawksmoor (1662– 1736) and shows how over their history Hawksmoor’s buildings have been ignored, abused and celebrated.

Reynolds Room; 1–2pm; free

INTOUCH AT THE R A

ARCHITECTURE TALK

Access and Community Programmes Artistic Presentations

Audio Described Tour and Handling Session: Liotard

Mon 11 Jan An audio described tour of the ‘JeanEtienne Liotard’ exhibition.

Burlington House; 9–11am; £3 INPR ACTICE AT THE R A

T H E S TAT E H ER M I TAGE M US EU M , S T P E T ERS B U R G / P H OTO © T H E S TAT E H ER M I TAGE M US EU M / P H OTO GR A P H Y: V L A D I M I R T ER EB EN I N

Farshid Moussavi RA

Lady in the Garden, 1867, by Claude Monet

November

INMIND AT THE R A

INSTUDIO AT THE R A

Art in Conversation for People Living with Dementia

Creative Workshops for Access and Community Groups

Tue 17 Nov and 12 Jan In these workshops individuals are supported to explore artworks in the galleries and create their own responses.

Burlington House; 2.30–5.30pm; free; volunteers support these events

Mondays: 23 Nov, 14 Dec, 18 Jan, 22 Feb Artist and gallery educators facilitate these sessions for individuals living with early to mid-stages of dementia and their carers, friends and family members.

Fine Rooms; 11am–12.30pm; £3 ARCHITECTURE TALK Reinier de Graaf

EVENING TALK The Evolution and Conservation of Pastel Painting

Fri 20 Nov Find out about the development of the medium of pastel and pastel techniques in the 18th century and the challenges that conservators face today, with Tate conservator Rosie Freemantle and conservation curator Jo Crook.

Reynolds Room; 6.30–7.30pm; £16/£7 reductions (incl. exh entry), £12 (event only)

Mon 23 Nov Architect, academic and writer Reiner de Graaf is a partner of OMA and Director of AMO, the practice’s think tank and research studio based in Rotterdam.

His work extends beyond architecture to encompass media, politics, renewable energy and graphic design. In this lecture, De Graaf considers the role of architecture in today’s globalised world.

Geological Society; 6.30–7.45pm; £12/£6 reductions

AI WEIWEI: ROUNDTABLE

SYMPOSIUM

Maurizio Marinelli: Rewritten Histories

Freedom and Creativity

Sat 21 Nov Join Professor Maurizio Marinelli, Senior Lecturer in East Asian History at the University of Sussex, for a roundtable discussion exploring Ai Weiwei’s contribution to the rewriting of China’s urban history, his questioning of meta-narratives and his role as a social commentator.

General Assembly Room; 3–4.15pm; £5

Sat 28 Nov This multidisciplinary symposium examines the interfaces between political, philosophical and creative concepts of freedom, as manifested through culture.

Speakers including academics and practitioners consider these interactions, connections, overlaps and implications for culture and beyond.

RA Schools; 11am–6pm; £24/£12 reductions

Mon 30 Nov For architect and newly elected Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, architecture ‘produces platforms for the way people engage with uses of buildings’ – an idea which she has explored through practice, education and research. Moussavi discusses her influential research into ‘function’ and the role of architecture as an active agent in shaping the culture of everyday life.

Geological Society; 6.30–7.45pm; £12/£6 reductions

December

Fri 22 Jan At this event, we invite disabled artists and creative people at risk of exclusion from the art world to share their practice.

If you are interested in presenting at this event, please contact access@royalacademy. org.uk or 020 7300 5732 R A LATES Masquerade

Sat 23 Jan The RA hosts an evening of 18thcentury courtly decadence, inspired by artist Jean-Etienne Liotard and his exotic adventures.

Burlington House; 6.30–10pm; £22

INTER ACT AT THE R A BSL Lecture: Jean-Etienne Liotard

Fri 4 Dec John Wilson gives this lecture about the ‘Jean-Etienne Liotard’ exhibition in BSL. Burlington House; 6.30–7.30pm; £3 R A BOOK CLUB Elif Shafak: ‘The Architect’s Apprentice’

Fri 4 Dec Acclaimed author Elif Shafak leads a discussion of her sumptuous historical novel The Architect’s Apprentice, set during the height of the Ottoman Empire.

This Book Club coincides with the RA’s exhibition of work by Jean-Etienne Liotard, who was known as ‘the Turk’ in London for his adoption of Oriental costume – a relic of his time spent in the Near East. Please read the book prior to attending this event.

General Assembly Room; 6.30–8pm; £19 (incl. exh entry on the day), £15 (event only)

How to book ● Visit royalacademy.org.uk/

events, or call 020 7300 5839 (option 3). You can also visit the RA Ticket Office, or complete the booking form overleaf and post to ‘Events and Lectures’ or fax 020 7300 8023. ● Booking is strongly advised for free talks. Please arrive promptly as unclaimed seats will be released at the start of the talk. ● Reductions are available for students, jobseekers and people with disabilities with recognised proof of status. ● RA Friends and carers go free to Access events; pre-booking is advised. Disabled parking spaces and wheelchairs can be reserved on 020 7300 8028.

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Debate FREE TALK Revolutionising the Garden, Revolutionising Art: An International Perspective

Mon 22 Feb Claude Monet’s artistic and horticultural achievement at Giverny was not unique; other contemporary artists sought similar fusions between garden design and art.

Curator MaryAnne Stevens discusses other relevant artists’ gardens in Spain, Germany and Denmark, and the role they played in the search for new modes of artistic expression.

Reynolds Room; 1–2pm; free EVENING TALK An Evening of Short Stories

A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry RA in collaboration with FAT Architecture

EVENING TALK

ARCHITECTURE TALK

Arts, Society and Medicine: Tony Cragg RA

Back to the Future of Housing

February FREE TALK An Introduction to ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’

Mon 1 Feb Curator Ann Dumas examines the different ways that artists ranging from Monet to Matisse painted the garden in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Reynolds Room; 1–2pm; free, booking required ARCHITECTURE TALK Does Architecture need Mavericks?

Thur 4 Feb In an event for the exhibition ‘Mavericks’ (see page 12), RA curator Owen Hopkins leads a panel debating the role of mavericks in architecture today. Is there still a place for unorthodox approaches and original thinking?

Geological Society; 6.30–8pm; £12/£6 reductions INMOTION AT THE R A Painting the Modern Garden Exhibition Tour for Mobility Impaired Visitors

Mon 8 Feb An introductory tour of ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ for wheelchair users, followed by coffee and conversation in the Fine Rooms.

Burlington House; 9–11am; £3

Wed 10 Feb In the lead up to last year’s general election, the RA organised a season of events which looked at the various possible futures for housing in the UK. One year on, our panel surveys the changed political landscape, and a housing crisis that, if anything, has only intensified.

Geological Society; 6.30–8pm; £12/£6 reductions INTER ACT AT THE R A STAGETEXT Supported Talk with BSL Translation: Painting the Modern Garden

Fri 12 Feb A slide-assisted talk about the overarching themes and individual artists in ‘Painting the Modern Garden’. There will be speech to text transcription and BSL interpretation throughout the event.

Reynolds Room; 6.30–7.30pm; £3 ARCHITECTURE TALK

March EVENING TALK A Work of Art: Colour and the Garden

Fri 4 March Garden designers Dan Pearson, Tom Stuart-Smith and Sarah Price, and artist Stephen Farthing RA explore how the application of colour and composition are used in modern garden design, in a panel discussion led by critic and historian Tim Richardson.

Reynolds Room; 6.30–7.45pm; £16/£7 reductions (incl. exh entry), £12 (event only) INTOUCH AT THE R A

AFTERNOON TALK Provocations in Art: Contemporary Urban Gardening

Sat 27 Feb Join us for a panel event exploring the current state and future potential of

Audio Described Tour: Painting the Modern Garden

Mon 7 March An audio described tour of the ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ exhibition.

Burlington House; 9–11am; £3

Family Fun

Tours

FAMILY STUDIOS These drop-in workshops are supported

by Jeanne and William Callanan.

R A TOURS Discover the art, architecture and history of the Royal Academy during these free one-hour tours.

12 noon Tue to Sun; meet in the Front Hall. Please note these may be subject to change at short notice.

Fancy Dress Spectacular

Sun 6 Dec Fresh Prints

Sun 17 Jan Playful Pets and Curious Creatures

Sundays: 7 and 28 Feb 11am–3pm; free; no booking required

What’s the Future of Public Art?

OPEN SATURDAYS Discover the RA’s architectural heritage while exploring our historic John Madejski Fine Rooms. Delve into our boxes of artist materials and tools and find out how the RA’s masterpieces were created.

Saturdays, drop in between 1 and 4pm

Mon 15 Feb In conjunction with an exhibition organised by Historic England at Somerset House that explores the connections between public art and architecture in the post-war decades, a panel of speakers look at the landscape of public art today and discuss what the future might hold.

Geological Society; 6.30–8pm; £12/£6 reductions

CREATIVE FAMILY WORKSHOPS Tue 16 and Thur 18 Feb During half term, be inspired by the gardens of Claude Monet and his fellow artist-gardeners in a workshop that combines an interactive exhibition tour with a creative handson session.

Learning Studio; 10.15am–1pm; £15/£5 children 6+ yrs; pre-booking essential/ priority booking for Friends

PREMIUMS EXHIBITION TOUR

Art Making Workshop for Families with Children with Special Educational Needs

2.30pm Wed, 7pm Fri (until 4 Dec)

Sundays: 13 Dec and 14 Feb Experienced gallery educators lead these creative sessions for children with SEN and their families. Places are limited and spaces must be reserved on access@royalacademy. org.uk or 020 7300 5995 Burlington House; 11am–1pm; free; pre-booking essential

Painting the Modern Garden

Curator’s Collection Talks on collection displays are at 3pm on the first Tuesday of every month.

EXHIBITION TOURS Ai Weiwei

Premiums: Interim Projects Exhibition Tour

Wed 17 and Sat 20 Feb Join the RA Schools students for a guided tour of ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’, offering you a unique way of exploring this annual contemporary art show held in the heart of the RA. The exhibition marks the mid-point of their three-year postgraduate course at the RA Schools, Britain’s first art school (see page 40).

Meet on the Sackler Landing; 3–3.45pm; free

Jean-Etienne Liotard

2.30pm Tue, 7pm Fri (until 22 Jan) 2.30pm Wed, 7pm Fri (3 Feb–15 April) ONE-TO-ONE ACCESS TOURS Tours for wheelchair users and audio-descriptive talks about the Royal Academy’s exhibitions and permanent collection.

Call 020 7300 5732 for details

FAT/ L I V I N G A R CH I T ECT U R E

Wed 27 Jan Distinguished sculptor Tony Cragg RA discusses his work, notable for the variety of materials involved – including found objects – and his understanding of sculpture as a study of how materials and forms affect and shape our ideas and emotions. Cragg’s passionate interests are a fascinating convergence of art and science.

Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, W1; 6pm registration, lecture at 6.30pm; free, pre-booking at rsm.ac.uk/royalacademylecture2016

Fri 26 Feb The RA and Pin Drop invite you for an exceptional evening of short fiction and storytelling. Please check the RA website for more details.

Reynolds Room; 6.30–7.30pm; £16/£7 reductions (incl. exh entry), £12 (event only)

contemporary urban gardening. Chaired by journalist and horticulturist Alys Fowler, this event explores the subversive and exciting work of guerrilla gardener and author Richard Reynolds, forager John Rensten and artist Wendy Shillam.

Reynolds Room; 3–4.15pm; £16/£7 reductions (incl. exh entry), £10 (event only)

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Art Tours Worldwide Art | Archaeology | Architecture

Cox & Kings is the travel partner for the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) and our programme of smallgroup tours has been specially created with the Friends of the RA in mind, although they are open to everyone.

The 2016 collection focuses on the art, architecture and archaeology of many of the world’s most culturally-rich destinations. The tours are accompanied by expert lecturers who help to design the itineraries, give talks along the way and, in some cases, open doors that would normally be closed to the general public.

2016 HIGHLIGHTS LAOS & CAMBODIA: Temples & Treasures with Denise Heywood 30 January - 10 nights from £3,695 ST PETERSBURG: Pictures & Palaces with Dr Colin Bailey 21 February - 5 nights from £1,195 MOROCCO: Kasbahs, Palaces & the Sahara with Diana Driscoll 11 March - 11 nights from £1,995 BAY OF NAPLES: Pompeii & Herculaneum with Dr Nigel Spivey 12 March - 6 nights from £1,545 BRUGES & GHENT: Flemish Art & Architecture with Dr Sophie Oosterwijk 19 March - 4 nights from £1,145 INDIA: Treasures of the Punjab & ‘Little Tibet’ with Jasleen Kandhari 27 March - 12 nights from £3,145 Cleansing fountains, Rabat, Morocco

For reservations, please call 020 3773 1419 For detailed itineraries and prices, please request a copy of the 2016 RA Art Tours Worldwide brochure by calling 0844 576 5518 or visit www.coxandkings.co.uk/ra ATOL 2815 ABTA V2999

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These events are generally very popular. We recommend you post the booking form in as soon as you receive the magazine. Remaining tickets will be sold online and over the phone from 7 December

Watts Gallery

Thur 28 Jan The Watts Gallery and Artists’ Village celebrates the work of George Frederic Watts RA, as well as other Symbolist painters and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The gallery is now home to ceramics and paintings from the De Morgan Collection, which were dispersed following the closure of the De Morgan gallery in Wandsworth.

Friends enjoy a talk from the De Morgan Collection’s curator Claire Longworth and tour Limnerslease, Watts’ Arts and Crafts-style winter residence. We also explore Watts’ studios and chapel, as well as the De Morgan Collection, permanent collection and a temporary exhibition.

11.30am–6.45pm; £55 (incl. coach, tea and cake); this trip involves some walking.

St Bride Foundation Library

The Drawing Room at Drapers’ Hall, which Friends visit on 14 January Christmas Carols

Lord’s

Wed 16 Dec Please join us for an evening of Christmas carols at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, with festive readings by special guests including the journalist and TV and radio presenter Mariella Frostrup, favourite carols for us all to sing and additional choral splendour from the chamber choir, Vivamus.

7.45–9pm; £20 (doors open at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, at 7.15pm)

Tue 19 Jan and Thur 10 March We begin our visit to Lord’s cricket ground with curator Adam Chadwick, who introduces the club’s fascinating collection of paintings, including those in the famous Long Room, where we discover portraits of some of the game’s best-known figures. Our tour also includes a behind-the-scenes visit to the players’ dressing rooms, the museum and an exterior view of the media centre.

10.30am–12.30pm; £32 (incl. coffee and biscuits); meet at Lord’s Tavern, St John’s Wood Rd, NW8

Little Holland House

Wed 13 Jan and 3 Feb Little Holland House in Carshalton Beeches was the home of artist and designer Frank Dickinson (1874–1961).

Dickinson built his modest house, with its Arts and Crafts-style interior, between 1902 and 1904, achieving a unique blend of traditional styles and Art Nouveau.

The house’s Grade II-listed interior contains many of his artworks, as well as handmade furniture, paintings, interior decoration and metalwork.

11.30am–12.45pm or 2–3.15pm (both days); £19; meet at 40 Beeches Avenue, Carshalton

Marlborough House

Wed 20 Jan and 17 Feb Marlborough House was designed by Christopher Wren and his son in 1711, and is now used by the Commonwealth Secretariat after hundreds of years as a royal residence. Our tour includes the Fine Rooms, with portraits by Allan Ramsay and Luke Fildes, ceiling paintings by Orazio Gentileschi and works by Louis Laguerre.

11am–12.30pm; £21; meet at house entrance, Pall Mall, SW1

Drapers’ Hall

Thur 14 Jan and Mon 22 Feb Archivist Penny Fussell leads our special tour of Drapers’, possibly the most sumptuous of all the Livery Halls.

Friends view the Company’s collection of royal portraits in the Hall, plus the Drawing Room and the Court Room, which features two magnificent Gobelin silk woven tapestries. We also see the Court Dining Room with its ceiling painting by Felix-Joseph Barrias and a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Sergei Pavlenko.

10.45am–1pm; £27 (incl. coffee); meet by Drapers’ Hall, Throgmorton St, EC2

The Harold Samuel Collection at Mansion House

Fri 22 Jan Mansion House is one of the grandest surviving Georgian town palaces in London, the residence and office of the Lord Mayor of the City of London and home to the magnificent Harold Samuel Collection. Friends tour this collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, which was bequeathed to the City of London in 1987 and includes works by Hals, Maes and Van Ruisdael.

11am–12.30pm; £27; meet outside Walbrook entrance, Bank, EC4

Wed 10 Feb and Tue 1 March St Bride Library opened in 1895 as a social, cultural and recreational centre for London’s Fleet Street and its burgeoning print and publishing trade. It houses an unparalleled library of print and design, including items of great historical interest such as ancient Egyptian papyrus, William Morris’s 1896 Kelmscott Chaucer and original type designs by Eric Gill.

The library is currently closed to the public, so we are pleased to be able to offer this special private tour. Friends learn about the Foundation’s history and see highlights from the library’s unique collection, as well as a demonstration of an original 19th-century hand press.

2–4pm; £23; meet at St Bride Foundation, Bride Lane, Fleet St, EC4 Supreme Court

Fri 12 and 19 Feb Designed by Scottish architect James Gibson (1864–1951), the Supreme Court started life as the Middlesex Guildhall in 1913 and is a skilful blend of contemporary construction techniques and unusual Gothic style. We tour three beautiful courtrooms, the Lawyers’ Suite and the magnificent Law Library, which is not usually open to the public. Friends will learn about the role of the court as well as the history of the building and see portraits by Reynolds and Gainsborough.

2pm or 3pm (both days); £19; meet at Supreme Court, Parliament Square, Little George St, SW1 Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Tue 16 Feb The Bodleian is the vast main research library of the University of Oxford, home to over 11 million items. Friends tour this magnificent building, including the Divinity School, Chancellor’s Court, Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link.

After lunch, we visit the Ashmolean Museum, which holds the University’s art collection. By special arrangement, Friends also view a selection of the Ashmolean’s most precious artworks,

including drawings by Michelangelo and Rembrandt and prints by Dürer.

11.15am–4pm; £77 (incl. two-course lunch with wine and coffee); meet at Great Gate entrance, Bodleian Library, Catte St, Oxford. There are numerous stairs on this visit and Friends are asked to make their own travel arrangements to Oxford.

Morley College Art Collection

Thur 18 Feb and 17 March Established in the late 1800s by British social reformer Emma Cons, this adult education centre was founded as a coffee house and music hall, and originally set up to offer morally decent entertainment at affordable prices. Hosting ‘penny lectures’ on the site that is now the Old Vic Theatre, Morley College moved to its present location in 1924 and was rebuilt in 1958 following extensive bomb damage. A main feature of this new building is its artwork, including murals

by John Piper and Edward Bawden RA, and works by Bridget Riley, Maggi Hambling, Ruskin Spear and many others. Vice Principal Nick Rampley leads our tour.

2.30–4pm; £23; meet at Morley College, 61 Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1 John Lewis Heritage Centre and Stanley Spencer Gallery

Wed 24 Feb Our visit to the John Lewis Heritage Centre begins with a presentation by the archivist about the history of the business, from its origins as a simple haberdasher’s shop in 1864, through its foundation in 1928 as an employeeowned business, and on to its post-war expansion. Friends can browse the archive, which features over 30,000 textiles dating from the 1790s. We also How to book ● Postal bookings open now. Post

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the booking form opposite to ‘Events & Lectures’, or fax 020 7300 8023.

Friends may purchase a guest ticket to Friends Events.

Friends Events booking forms are balloted. Please list your choices in preference order.

When an event is running on more than one day and/or time and you forget to choose a time, we will select one for you.

Excursion coach leaves from outside the RA on Piccadilly and return times are approximate.

There is no discount if you choose to drive instead of travelling by coach.

For Friends membership enquiries, call 020 7300 5664 or visit royalacademy.org.uk/ friends For queries about these events, please call 020 7300 5839.

S O U T H G AT E O F A N GKO R T H O M , S I EM R E A P, CA M B O D I A

Friends Events and Excursions

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Debate Friends Worldwide Art Tours Laos and Cambodia: Temples and Treasures

30 Jan–11 Feb 2016 Accompanied by expert lecturer Denise Heywood, begin your tour in serene Luang Prabang in Laos.

Cruise on the Mekong River to sacred caves, before flying to Vientiane. End the tour with a stay in Siem Reap and marvel at the mystical 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world.

Title of event

to sumptuously decorated palaces and cathedrals, churches and monasteries.

It also features numerous museums, including one of the world’s largest and finest – the Hermitage.

For more information on Friends Worldwide Art Tours, call 020 7873 5013 or visit coxandkings.co.uk/ra

Events booking form

Day X Month Xxxxxx

For Friends Events & Excursions, please list your event choices in preference order.

Event

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Cost

Total Cost £ Reductions are available for students, jobseekers and people with disabilities with recognised proof of status. Please indicate your status if relevant

St Petersburg: Pictures and Palaces

21–26 Feb 2016 Experience St Petersburg, one of the most majestic and compelling cities in the world, with expert art historian Dr Colin Bailey. The city, less crowded at this time of year, is home

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Disabled

Please note that reductions are not available for Friends Events & Excursions Please indicate any dietary requirements where relevant

visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery for a private view of the exhibition ‘The Creative Genius of Stanley Spencer’, and take a walking tour around Stanley Spencer’s home town of Cookham.

9am–7pm; £87 (incl. coach, coffee, lunch, gls wine, tea and cake) Uniquely Euston – A Walking Tour

S O U T H G AT E O F A N GKO R T H O M , S I EM R E A P, CA M B O D I A

Thur 3 March Somers Town, once one of London’s worst slums, underwent a radical transformation in the 1930s and, before new plans are implemented to transform it again, Friends enjoy a walking tour of this historic area. This includes the fine exterior of the Carreras Tobacco Company with its restored Art Deco black cat statues; Oakley Square, where we learn about its connection with Walter Sickert and his paintings Girl at the Window and Little Rachel; and a mural illustrating the history and local personalities of the area. Our tour finishes at Euston station where we hear about plans for future development.

2–4pm; £23; meet outside Mornington Crescent tube, NW1 ‘Albertopolis’: South Kensington Walking Tour

Tue 8, 15 and 22 March This guided walk tells the story of Prince Albert’s vision for a cultural and educational enclave, financed by the profits of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Friends learn how the plans were developed by a team of eminent Victorians who transformed an area of South Kensington into London’s most famous concentration of museums, colleges and cultural venues. The walk also includes the site of the Exhibition in Hyde Park and the Albert Memorial.

11am–1pm; £23; meet outside South Kensington tube, SW7

Olympic Park Tour

Wed 9 March The Queen Elizabeth Park was the first Olympic Park to integrate artworks into its landscape, with artists working closely with architects and construction teams to develop and install their works. Our tour takes in a selection of artworks, including the UK’s tallest sculpture, Anish Kapoor RA’s Orbit, and the 9 metre-high steel and glass instillation RUN by Monica Bonvincini. We view the exteriors of all the major sporting venues and hear how architecture and design are part of the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games.

1.30–7pm; £60 (incl. coach, tea and cake) Salters’ Hall

Mon 14 March First licensed in 1394, The Salters’ Company started life as a salt trader in medieval London. Friends explore the current Hall, designed by Basil Spence RA in the 1970s, which has recently undergone a multi-million pound restoration. We also tour the archives and view the Salters’ beautiful silver collection.

11am–12.30pm; £27 (incl. coffee); meet at Salters’ Hall, 4 Fore St, EC2

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The Royal Academy reserves the right to refuse admission to any event

Holland Park and Kyoto Garden

Tue 15 and 22 March Holland Park is one of London’s most fascinating yet underexplored parks.

Join guide Yannick Pucci on our tour, which will focus on Holland Park’s Kyoto Garden and the concepts behind Japanese garden design. Friends can meander amongst the resident peacocks and view the garden as it bursts into spring. This walk is presented in celebration of the RA’s exhibition ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’ (see page 44).

2.30–4.15pm; £23; meet outside Holland Park tube, W11

● Some of the venues we visit occasionally offer tours to the general public. By purchasing a ticket through the RA, you are supporting the Friends Events programme and other Learning initiatives and we are grateful for your patronage. ● There is a handling charge of £5 for all refunds. We regret that refunds cannot be made less than 14 days before an event.

● All events are correct at time of publication but are subject to change without notice. ● Send or fax your completed form to the booking address: Events & Lectures Visitor & Friends Experience Team Royal Academy of Arts Piccadilly London W1J 0BD Fax booking line: 020 7300 8023

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Exhibitions in London and the rest of the UK

Stories about society, history and nature are woven through several shows around the country, says HANNAH JACKSON As major fashion exhibitions such as ‘Alexander McQueen’ at the V&A and ‘Yves Saint Laurent’ at The Bowes Museum close their doors, textiles take centre stage in their place, with a rich range of shows that expand the role of fabric beyond the realm of clothes.

‘Art_Textiles’ at Manchester’s Whitworth brings together artists who challenge the boundaries between fine art and textile craft, examining the value of the handmade in our digital age as well as complex social and political themes. The exhibition includes feminist artist Faith Wilding’s

seminal Crocheted Environment (1972; above centre), a spectral structure that subverts the medium’s associations with the domestic world (until 31 Jan 2016).

‘Losing the Compass’ at White Cube in Mason’s Yard, London, similarly interweaves the conceptual with the functional, bringing to the fore the symbolic possibilities of textiles. Much like a canvas by a painter, carpets are used by Mona Hatoum as a ground for political expression; those on view feature skeletons, referencing both the deaths in the horrific 1997 massacre in Luxor, Egypt, and

me of blue sky.’ The natural world is also prominent at London’s British Museum in the show ‘Shifting Patterns: Pacific Barkcloth Clothing’, which explores barkcloth’s cultural and ceremonial significance for Pacific islands through 70 objects (until 6 Dec).

Pattern and colour vividly unite in ‘Liberty in Fashion’ at the capital’s Fashion and Textile Museum, an exhibition which celebrates 140 years since the London store Liberty opened in 1875. Curated chronologically, the exhibition features over 150 exuberant fabric designs (such as the peacock-inspired Hera, dating to 1887, above left) and a section that explains founder Arthur Liberty’s fascination with Asian ornaments and artefacts (until 28 Feb 2016).

Textiles from Japan feature in the newly refurbished Toshiba

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Spinning yarns

the ancient skeletons excavated at the same site. They are contrasted with practical quilts from the Gee’s Bend and Amish communities of Pennsylvania, reminding us that textile-making has been a creative outlet for generations of women (until 9 Jan 2016).

One of Britain’s most celebrated textile artists, Pauline Burbidge creates quilts that draw inspiration from the surrounding nature of the Scottish Borders where she is based. An exhibition of her recent work comes to County Durham at The Bowes Museum (28 Nov–10 Apr 2016), and includes quilts that experiment with the Cyanotype print process, which produces ‘a wonderful blue colour print’ in Burbidge’s words (detail of Starscape, 2015; above right). ‘I’ve deliberately put these prints towards the top of my landscapes, as they remind

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London Public BARBICAN CENTRE

Silk Street EC2, 020 7638 4141, www.barbican.org.uk

The World of Charles and Ray Eames

Main art gallery, until 14 Feb 2016.

Eddie Peake: The Forever Loop The Curve, until 10 Jan 2016.

DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY

Gallery Road SE21, 020 8693 5254, www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

The Amazing World of M.C. Esher

The first major UK show of work by the great Dutch master draughtsman, including woodcuts, lithographs, drawings, watercolours and mezzotints, until 17 Jan 2016.

ESTORICK COLLECTION OF MODERN ITALIAN ART

Canonbury Square N1, 020 7704 9522, www.estorickcollection.com

More than Meets the Eye: New Research on the Estorick Collection

Artists include Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Amedeo Modigliani, Ardengo Soffici and Gino Severini, until 20 Dec. Piero Pizzi Cannella will be juxtaposing a series of works against the permanent collection, until 20 Dec. THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Liberty’s Hera fabric at the Fashion and Textile Museum CENTRE Crocheted Environment,1972, by Faith Wilding at the Whitworth ABOVE detail of Starscape, 2015, by Pauline Burbidge at The Bowes Museum FAR LEFT

Trafalgar Square WC2, 020 7747 2885, www.nationalgallery.org.uk Goya: The Portraits This exhibition is the first to focus solely on Goya’s portraits including some never before seen in public, until 10 Jan 2016. Visions of Paradise: Botticini’s Palmieri Altarpiece Francesco Botticini’s

Assumption of the Virgin (c.1475-6) has bewildered scholars for centuries.

This free exhibition showcases new research on this monumental painting, until 14 Feb 2016.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

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Gallery of Japanese Art at the V&A. The updated and reconfigured space explores the country’s craftsmanship from the sixth century to the present day, with contemporary objects including a dynamic dress by Issey Miyake, formed from a single sheet of fabric, which has been folded into shape like origami. ‘The Fabric of India’, the first major exhibition to explore the country’s rich history of handmade textiles, continues in the museum’s temporary exhibition galleries (until 10 Jan 2016).

St Martin’s Place WC2, 020 7306 0055, www.npg.org.uk Giacometti: Pure Presence The first exhibition to focus on Giacometti’s portraits, including paintings, sculptures and drawings, until 10 Jan 2016. Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015 Until 21 Feb 2016. Vogue 100: A Century of Style Celebrating 100

years of cutting-edge fashion, beauty and portrait photography by British Vogue, 11 Feb-22 May 2016.

TATE BRITAIN

Millbank SW1, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk Frank Auerbach The resonant paintings and drawings of Frank Auerbach, depicting the people and urban landscapes near his London studio, until 13 March 2016. Artist and Empire Art associated with the British Empire from the 16th century to the present day, 25 Nov-10 Apr 2016. BP Spotlight: Hockney’s Double Portraits Brings together three of David Hockney RA’s celebrated double portraits from the Tate collection, until Autumn 2016.

TATE MODERN

Bankside SE1, 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org.uk

The EY Exhibition: The World Goes Pop Explores art produced around

the world during the 1960s and 1970s, showing how different cultures and countries responded to the Pop art movement, until 24 Jan 2016. Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture

Major works by Alexander Calder, revealing how motion, performance and theatricality underpinned his practice, until 3 Apr 2016. Performing for the Camera Examining the ways in which the photographic image has both documented and developed our understanding of performance, 18 Feb12 June 2016.

V&A

Cromwell Road SW7, 020 7942 2000, www.vam.ac.uk The Fabric of India This landmark exhibition explores the dynamic and multifaceted world of Indian handmade textiles from the third to the 21st century, until 10 Jan 2016.

London Commercial ABBOTT AND HOLDER

30 Museum Street WC, 020 7637 3981, www.abbottandholder.co.uk Brian Stonehouse MBE (1918-1998) WWII SOE secret agent and fashion illustrator. Part II: New York 1970-1978 48 original fashion illustrations, until 19 Dec. Raymond Booth (1929-2015) Paintings from the Estates of Nancy and Jill Anne Bowden, 19-28 Nov. Philip Dark RN and P.O.W. Camp Marlag ‘O’

Watercolours and drawings recording the 1942 raid on St Nazaire and the artist’s subsequent imprisonment as a P.O.W. until 1945, 23 Jan-27 Feb 2016.

ADAM GALLERY

13 John Street, Bath, 01225 480 406, www.adamgallery.com Calder Prints Signed and numbered graphic works exploring themes of colour, movement and space, 14-30 Nov. Richard Cartwright: Some Kind of Enchantment 20 Feb-10 March 2016.

London preview at Gallery 8, 9 Duke Street, SW1, 11-13 Feb 2016.

ALAN CRISTEA

31 & 34 Cork Street W1, 020 7439 1866, www.alancristea.com Sculptor’s Prints Some of the most exciting prints of modern times have been created by sculptors. The exhibition features works which explore the interplay between the two- and the threedimensional by sculptors such as Eduardo Chillida, Richard Deacon RA, Richard Long RA, David Nash RA, Mimmo Paladino and Richard Serra, 19 Nov-23 Dec. Naum Gabo 3 Feb-12 March 2016.

Paul Winstanley: Prints and Panel Paintings 16 March-30 Apr 2016.

Bejewelled Treasures: The Al Thani Collection Discover the evolution

and enduring influence of Indian jewellery from the Mughal Empire to the modern day through over 100 spectacular items, 21 Nov-28 March 2016. Shoes: Pleasure and Pain Explores extremes of footwear from around the globe from ancient Egypt to the most elaborate designs by contemporary makers, until 31 Jan 2016. Julia Margaret Cameron This retrospective showcases over 100 of Cameron’s works from the museum’s collection and marks the bicentenary of one of the most important and innovative photographers of the 19th century.

Admission free, 28 Nov-21 Feb 2016.

Dawn in Redland, 2015, by Richard Cartwright at Adam Gallery

HOW TO BOOK For inclusion in RA Magazine’s paid Listings section for public and commercial galleries in the UK call 020 7300 5657 or email charlotte.burgess@royalacademy.org.uk. Readers should contact galleries directly for opening times and ticketing queries

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BANKSIDE GALLERY

EAMES FINE ART GALLERY

LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER

48 Hopton Street SE1, 020 7928 7521, www.banksidegallery.com

58 Bermondsey Street SE1, 020 7407 1025, www.eamesfineart.com

124–126 The Cut SE1, 020 7620 1322/1324, www.llewellynalexander.com A Feast of Food in Art 24 Nov 2015-6 Jan 2016. Jenny Wheatley RWS NEAC 16 Feb-9 March 2016.

Fifty Years of Artists Prints: Printmakers Council 18-29 Nov. The Mini Picture Show RWS and RE

Christmas Exhibition, 4 Dec-24 Jan 2016. Society of Wood Engravers 78th Annual Exhibition 3-21 Feb 2016.

BEAUX ARTS LONDON

The Fairies are Exquisite Dancers, 1906,

by Arthur Rackham shown at the Works on Paper Art Fair

48 Maddox Street W1, 020 7493 1155, www.beauxartslondon.co.uk Homo Sapiens Elisabeth Frink RA, Lynn Chadwick RA, Tim Shaw RA, Nicola Hicks, Michael Ayrton, Kenneth Armitage RA, Mariléne Oliver, Anna Gillespie, Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi RA, 12 Nov-23 Jan 2016.

CHRIS BEETLES GALLERY

8-10 Ryder Street SW1, 020 7839 7551, www.chrisbeetles.com

The British Art of Illustration 18372015 An annual exhibition featuring over

800 works from across three centuries.

21 Nov-9 Jan 2016.

CONNAUGHT BROWN Supermodel III, 2015, by Isabelle van Zeijl at The Cynthia Corbett Gallery

2 Albemarle Street W1, 020 7408 0362, www.connaughtbrown.co.uk The Salon: Art + Design The Armory, New York, 12-16 Nov. Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary Art Works

by Marc Chagall, Raol Dufy, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso regularly on display.

CURWEN & NEW ACADEMY GALLERY

Detail of Matterhorn from Gandegg Hut, 2015, by James Hart Dyke at John Mitchell Fine Paintings

34 Windmill Street W1, 020 7323 4700, www.curwengallery.co.uk The Miniature Show Group show of work by gallery artists, 3-23 Dec. Cat Paintings by Martin Leman In the upper gallery, 3-23 Dec. Still Lifes Works by Glynn Boyd Harte, Jane Corsellis, Jill Leman & Mark Ward, 12-28 Jan 2016. Chloe Fremantle In the upper gallery, 12-28 Jan 2016. Mark Godwin Paintings, 3-27 Feb 2016. Ken Blackburn In the upper gallery, 3-27 Feb 2016.

THE CYNTHIA CORBETT GALLERY

15 Claremont Lodge, 15 The Downs, Wimbledon SW20, 020 8947 6782, www.thecynthiacorbettgallery.com

Westminster Cathedral, 2015, by Alice Hall at Mall Galleries

Christmas Silent Bid Auction Party

9 Dec. With an additional showcase of new work by Edward Twohig opening on 12 Dec. Harvey Daniels 1936-2013 A major retrospective for one of Britain’s greatest colourists and Pop artists, 24 Feb-20 March 2016.

FASHION AND TEXTILE MUSEUM

83 Bermondsey Street SE1, 020 7407 8664 www.ftmlondon.org Liberty in Fashion Over 150 garments, textiles and objects celebrating 140 years of Liberty prints and Liberty’s strong relationships with designers since 1875, including Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood, 9 Oct-28 Feb 2016.

GREENWICH PRINTMAKERS GALLERY

1a Greenwich Market SE10, 020 8858 1569 www.greenwich-printmakers.org.uk Prints for Presents Until 3 Jan 2016.

Peter Luty 5-24 Jan 2016. Michael Reid 26 Jan-14 Feb 2016. Stephen Robson 16 Feb-6 March 2016. Sue Rowling 8-27 March 2016.

IAP FINE ART & GALLERY DIFFERENT

14 Percy Street, W1, 0844 561 1833 www.iapfineart.com Winter Collective Group exhibition of gallery artists including: Chris Gollon, Peter Randall-Page RA, Guy Portelli, Denis Bowen, 3 Dec-Jan 16 2016. Naked Music New paintings by Chris Gollon as part of an artistic collaboration with singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy, 25 Jan-11 Feb 2016. The Kiss The fifth consecutive exhibition in celebration of St Valentine’s Day on the ancient theme of ‘the kiss’, with invited artists including Chris Gollon, 13 Feb-5 March 2016.

JOHN MARTIN GALLERY 38 Albemarle Street W1, 020 7499 1314, www.jmlondon.com Fred Yates: His Last Paintings 23 Jan20 Feb 2016.

JOHN MITCHELL FINE PAINTINGS 44 Old Bond Street W1, 020 7493 7567, www.johnmitchell.net

Lluis Barba: Travellers in Time Young

James Hart Dyke: Whymper’s Alps 150 Years On Narrative landscapist

Masters, focus on New York. Site 109, Norfolk Street, LES, NY 10002, 4-22 Nov. Art Miami Miami, FL 33137, 1-6 Dec. London Art Fair Islington, London N1, 2024 Jan 2016. Palm Springs Fine Art Fair Palm Springs, CA 92262, 11-14 Feb 2016.

James Hart Dyke will exhibit 30 oil paintings and sketches made on his own ‘season’ in the Alps this summer, during which he retraced where possible Whymper’s footsteps of 150 years ago, 12-25 Nov.

LONG & RYLE GALLERY

4 John Islip Street SW1, 020 7834 1434, www.longandryle.com

Mark Entwisle: The Things We Forget

Private view 18 Nov 6-8pm. Exhibition dates 19 Nov-18 Dec. MALL GALLERIES: FEDERATION OF BRITISH ARTISTS

The Mall SW1, 020 7930 6844, www.mallgalleries.org.uk The Painted Parish New and recent paintings of Britain’s churches, chapels and cathedrals by members of the FBA. Admission free, 15-20 Dec 10am-5pm. Open until 7pm on 15, 16 and 17 Dec. FBA Futures The pick of recent art graduates from across the UK. Selected by members of the FBA. Free admission, 19-30 Jan 2016, 10am-5pm (closes 1pm on final day) The Columbia Threadneedle Prize: Figurative Art Today Showcasing the

best figurative and representational painting and sculpture. Admission free, 3-20 Feb 2016, 10am-5pm (closes 1pm on final day) MARLBOROUGH FINE ART

6 Albemarle Street W1, 020 7629 5161, www.marlboroughlondon.com Frank Auerbach Until 21 Nov. Allen Jones: New Sculpture 25 Nov-22 Jan 2016. Yige Song Selected by Zeng Fanzhi, Feb 2016.

OSBORNE SAMUEL

23a Bruton Street W1, 020 7493 7939, www.osbornesamuel.com The Photographers 2015

Masterpieces of modern and contemporary photography including Erwin Blumenfeld, Bill Brandt, William Klein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Irving Penn and Willy Ronis, 25 Nov-23 Dec. Art Miami 1-6 Dec. London Art Fair Business Design Centre in Islington, 20-24 Jan 2016.

PANGOLIN LONDON

90 York Way N1, 020 7520 1480, www.pangolinlondon.com

Conjunction: Lynn Chadwick & Geoffrey Clarke This is the first

exhibition to focus exclusively on the prolific careers of two of the greatest modern British sculptors of the 20th century, until 28 Nov. Merete Rasmussen: Bronze and Ceramic

© CO U R T ESY CH R IS B EE T L ES G A L L ERY. © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY T H E CY N T H I A CO R B E T T G A L L ERY. © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY J O H N M I TCH EL L F I N E PA I N T I N GS . © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY F B A

Listings

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JANE RYE

Sponsor

Benefactors The Daniel Katz Gallery, London Friends of The Courtauld

courtauld.ac.uk/lanyon

Soaring Flight

Tuscan Landscape drawing & collage 21 x 26 cm

DRAWINGS COLLAGES CERAMICS 9 – 23 December 2015 Together with a mixed Christmas Exhibition of paintings, prints and sculptures by Gallery Artists and lamps and textiles by Cressida Bell

Peter Lanyon’s Gliding Paintings

PIERS FEETHAM GALLERY

15 October 2015 — 17 January 2016

475 Fulham Road, London SW6 1HL 020 7381 3031 www.piersfeethamgallery.com Tues-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-1

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Autumn Exhibition featuring:

10/10/2015 15:13

LOUISE McCLARY 13 Nov – 19 Dec

‘The Quickening Day’ by Louise McClary, mixed media on canvas 100cm x 100cm

artwave west | morcombelake | dorset | DT6 6DY | artwavewest.com | 01297 489746

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Listings

PARK WALK GALLERY

20 Park Walk SW10, 020 7351 0410, www.jonathancooper.co.uk Harry Steen: Recent Paintings

Still Life with Jug, 1974, by Mary Fedden RA at Bohun Gallery

Suffused with a dramatic sense of the surreal, these paintings invite us to share the artist’s intriguing world, until 28 Nov. Melissa Launay: Curious Tales Over 20 new paintings by Melissa Launay exploring the themes of mystery and imagination, curiosity and wonder, 1-5 Dec. New Year, New Art! A mixed exhibition of new and affordable artworks, each produced for this exhibition, priced between £800 and £5,000, 21-30 Jan 2016.

Scottish landscapes, seascapes & cityscapes of London & New York, until 20 Nov. A Christmas Show: Various Artists Gallery artists to include; Gordon Bryce RSA RSW, Judy Buxton, Eleri Mills RCA, Delphine Hogarth, Carey Mortimer, amongst others, 1-18 Dec. Matthew Snowden Showcasing Matthew Snowden who is renowned for his use of the palette knife. His subject matter includes the land and the sea, 9-19 Feb 2016.

475 Fulham Road SW6, 020 7381 3031, www.piersfeethamgallery.com

11 Cork Street W1, 020 7851 2200, www.waddingtoncustot.com

REDFERN GALLERY

20 Cork Street W1, 020 7734 1732, www.redfern-gallery.com

Danny Fox: As He Bows His Head to Drink 17 Nov-2 Dec.

RICHARD GREEN 147 New Bond Street W1, 020 7493 3939, www.richardgreen.com Ken Howard RA: From London to Venice From 13 Jan 2016.

ROCA LONDON GALLERY Station Court, Townmead Road, SW6, 020 7610 9503, www.rocalondongallery.com Childhood ReCollections: Memory in Design Zaha Hadid RA, Kengo

Kuma, Daniel Libeskind, Denise Scott Brown, Nieto Sobejano & Philip Treacy.

Admission free, until 23 Jan 2016.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

Ginger Jar, 2015, by Harry Steen at Park Walk Gallery

Light through Clouds: Ethel Walker

WADDINGTON CUSTOT GALLERIES

mixed exhibition of paintings, prints and sculptures by Gallery artists, and lamps and textiles by Cressida Bell, 9-23 Dec.

Orange Loop, 2015, by Merete Rasmussen at Pangolin London

THACKERAY GALLERY

18 Thackeray Street W8, 020 7937 5883, www.thackeraygallery.com

PIERS FEETHAM GALLERY Jane Rye: Drawings, Collages, Cermaics Together with a Christmas

Byaku, 2014, by Nanoko Kojma at Holburne Museum

SYLVESTER FINE ART

64 Belsize Lane NW3, 020 7443 5990, www.sylvesterfineart.co.uk Marc Chagall From 7 Nov.

Exhibition Road, SW7, 01798 215 007, www.worksonpaperfair.com Works on Paper Art Fair This annual art fair showcases 50 specialist art dealers selling watercolours, drawings, posters and original prints. ‘Laurie Lee: the Artist’ - the 2016 Loan Exhibition, presents unseen drawings by this renowned poet. Free entry to RA Magazine readers, 11-14 Feb 2016.

Peter Blake: Portraits and People

The first exhibition to focus on the artist’s portraiture. Selected by the artist, the show features new works alongside earlier paintings which have never been previously exhibited. Blake’s choices reveal his enduring fascination with people, their personalities and eccentricities, 24 Nov-30 Jan 2016.

WIMBLEDON FINE ART

Kenneth Hall (1913-1946): Paintings from a Private Collection Hall was

co-founder of the White Stag Group, centred around a number of British artists based in Ireland in the late 1930s and early 1940s, until 7 Nov. Mick Lindberg: Stiched Stories Second exhibition of Mick Lindberg’s large collaged and hand stitched panels, 14 Nov-12 Dec. ARTWAVE WEST

Morcombelake, Dorset, 01297 489746, www.artwavewest.com

Autumn Exhibition featuring Louise McClary Louise McClary’s paintings

reveal a rich underlying poetry that transcends landscape reference to leave an acute sense of emotion. Other exhibitors include Heather Duncan, Martin Goold and Suchi Chidambaram, until 19 Dec. BEAUX ARTS BATH 12-13 York Street, Bath, 01225 464850, www.beauxartsbath.co.uk Sarah Gillespie Dry-points and Mezzotints, 16 Nov-24 Dec. BOHUN GALLERY

15 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, 01491 576228, www.bohungallery.co.uk Mary Fedden Major Works: A Centenary Celebration Paintings,

drawings, collages and early lithographs from this Royal Academician, until 28 Nov. Christmas Boxes & Small Paintings Commissions by Bohun Gallery artists for this popular annual exhibition, 5 Dec-30 Jan 2016.

41 Church Road, SW19, 020 8944 6593, www.wimbledonfineart.com The Christmas Exhibition In association with staffordgallery. www.staffordgallery.co.uk Featuring Fred Cuming RA, Mary Davidson, Caroline Deane, David Gleeson, William Selby, Norman Smith, Jilly Sutton and Simon Wright, 6 Dec-24 Jan 2016. Exhibition of Scottish Painters In association with staffordgallery. Featuring Muriel Barclay, John Brown, Mary Davidson, Lachlan Goudie, Charles Jamieson, Craig Jefferson, John Kingsley, Archibald Dunbar McIntosh, Alice McMurrough, Peter McLaren, Jack Morrocco, Ann Oram, Jonathan Robertson, Saul Robertson, Andrew Squire, Helen Wilson and Frank To, 6 Dec-24 Jan 2016.

Ken Denning Solo Exhibition 28 Feb5 March 2016.

Barnard Castle, County Durham, 01833 690606, www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk New Light The prestigious Valeria Sykes Prize heads up a range of other awards for best work by Northern artists in this selling exhibition, until 7 Feb 2016. Robert Mapplethorpe: The Magic in the Muse This exhibition explores the work of renowned American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, 28 Nov-24 Apr 2016. Quiltscapes & Quiltline by Pauline Burbidge This exhibition will feature newly developed textile landscapes by this renowned, contemporary quiltmaker and textile artist, 28 Nov-10 Apr 2016.

Rest of UK

BRIGHTON MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

ANTHONY HEPWORTH FINE ART

16 Margarets Buildings, Bath, 01225 310694, www.anthonyhepworth.com

THE BOWES MUSEUM

Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, 030 0029 0900, www.brightonmuseums.org.uk Pierdom Internationally renowned photographer and Brighton resident

© T H E A R T IS T ’ S ES TAT E /CO U R T ESY B O H U N G A L L ERY. © S O LO KO J I M A LO N D O N . © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY PA N GO L I N LO N D O N . © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY PA R K WA L K G A L L ERY

Merete Rasmussen presents colourful, bold and contemporary new ceramics and bronzes, 4 Dec-16 Jan 2016. Spring Showcase A selection of new works from gallery artists, 22 Jan 2016.

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NOW @ the pastel society

Free entry with this voucher The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition Over 250 contemporary works 23 February to 5 March 2016 10am to 5pm (closes 3pm on final day)

The Mall, London SW1 www.mallgalleries.org.uk

Art Nouveau fashion using ‘Constantia’, 1961 © Liberty London. From the book Liberty and Co. in the Fifties and Sixties, published by Antique Collectors Club. Design: www.jadedesign.co.uk

Image: Cheryl Culver PPS RBA Deep Valley Pines

Sponsored by

#libertyinfashion | In association with Liberty London Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am | Thursday until late Closed Monday, Christmas and New Year’s Day 83 Bermondsey Street | London SE1 3XF www.ftmlondon.org | 020 7407 8664 | S © London Bridge

Je f f r e y P r a t t Join Britain’s most distinguished contemporary colourist at an exhibition of new paintings

Thursday 26th November Saturday 5th December 2015

RSVP 46 Dover Street, London W1S 4FF 020 7499 0947 rsvp@clarendonfineart.com www.clarendonfineart.com

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Listings

BROOK GALLERY

Fore Street, Budleigh Salterton, Devon, 01395 443003 www.brookgallery.co.uk John Duffin a painter and printmaker who creates dynamic, cinematic images of contemporary urban life 3 Dec10 Jan 2016.

CAROLINE WISEMAN AT THE ALDEBURGH BEACH LOOKOUT AND ART HOUSE Elisabeth Frink in her studio in 1957

Beauty and the beasts One of the most significant British sculptors of the 20th century, Elisabeth Frink RA (above) created many distinctive public artworks over her lifetime for social housing, religious buildings and urban developments. Taking male and female figures, heads and metamorphic animals as subjects, Frink’s work explored profound themes such as war, religion, myth and the relationship between humans and the natural world. Djanogly Gallery in Nottingham presents a survey of her commissions – from Blind Beggar and Dog (1957) in Cranbrook Estate in London’s Bethnal Green to Risen Christ (1993) in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral – which are represented in the exhibition by full-scale bronze casts, editions, studies and maquettes. ‘Elisabeth Frink: The Presence of Sculpture’ also features life-sized photographs and film footage of the sculptor at work, sculptures and drawings from her personal collection, and the artist’s tools. Anna Coatman

31 Crag Path, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, 01728 452754 www.carolinewiseman.com Christmas Show In the Lookout and ArtHouse. Including works by many RAs who have had residencies in the Lookout, opens 28 Nov. London Art Fair Business Design Centre, Islington, 20-24 Jan 2016. Weekly Artist Residencies and Exhibitions at the Aldeburgh Beach Lookout Including

works by major British and international artists. See website for more details.

CHRIST CHURCH PICTURE GALLERY

Christ Church, St Aldates, Oxford, 01865 276172 www.chch.ox.ac.uk/gallery

A View of Venice: An Exploration of a Rare and Unknown Panorama of Venice from the Late 16th Century

This painting has not been on display in the Picture Gallery for the last twenty years, but after its return from restoration the public will be able to explore this rare panorama in an in-focus exhibition, until 8 Feb 2016. Printing Ideas and Ideas for Printing: Select Examples of Venetian Printing Culture Until 15 Feb 2016. Filippino Lippi and Drawing in 15th Century Florence Filippino Lippi’s painting The

Wounded Centaur is one of the highlights of the Picture Gallery. The back of the painting shows an unfinished drawing which will be at the centre of this show, 3 March-6 June 2016.

DJANOGLY GALLERY, NOTTINGHAM LAKESIDE ARTS

University of Nottingham, Nottingham, 0115 951 3192, www.lakesidearts.org.uk

Elisabeth Frink: The Presence of Sculpture A major survey of Frink’s Lying Down Horse, 1979

public sculptures, tracing their journey from the studio to the streets of post-war Britain, 25 Nov-28 Feb 2016

F.E. MCWILLIAM GALLERY & STUDIO

200 Newry Road, Banbridge, County Down, 00 44 28 4062 3322, www.femcwilliam.com

Tim Shaw: Mother, the Air is Blue, the Air is Dangerous Free admission, until 30 Jan 2016. What If We Got It Wrong? George Bolster, Mark

Clare, Alice Clark, Blaise Drummond, Seamus Dunbar, John Gerrard, Andrew Kearney, Susan Leen, Ruth Le Gear, Christine Mackey, Selma Makela, Anna Macleod, Seamus Nolan, Emily Robyn Archer, Softday (Sean Taylor & Mikael Fernstrom) and Brigitta Varadi. A group exhibition about climate change touring from the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris.

Free admission, 13 Feb-16 April 2016.

THE FRY ART GALLERY

Castle Street, Saffron Walden, Essex, 01799 513779, www.fryartgallery.org

The Spitsticker Wizard: Lecture by John Lawrence Friends Meeting House,

Saffron Walden. £8 entry, 7.30pm, Friday 20 Nov. Cut-paper Pigeons and the Creative Impulse: Lecture by Mark Hearld Friends Meeting House, Saffron

Walden. £8 entry, 7.30pm, Friday 4 Dec. Richard Bawden: Prints, Paintings and Designs In conjunction with the

& Contemporary Original Prints

Annual collectors exhibition of original prints by well known, post-1950s and contemporary British artists. Including: Barbara Hepworth, Tracey Emin RA, Grayson Perry RA, Damien Hirst RA, David Hockney RA, Eduardo Paolozzi RA, Patrick Heron, Henry Moore, Victor Pasmore, Bridget Riley, John Piper, Ben Nicholson and more, 5 March-2 April 2016.

THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM

Great Pulteney Street, Bath, 01225 388569, www.holburne.org Gold: An Exhibition from the Royal Collection Explores the enduring

beauty and symbolism of gold through a selection of 60 exquisite works of art from the Royal Collection, until 24 Jan 2016. Nahoko Kojima: Honey Bee Japanese paper-cut artist Nahoko Kojima will create an intricate floating three-dimensional sculpture from a single sheet of paper cut by hand. Wirth Gallery, free, until 24 Jan 2016. Michael Eden: History Re-printed Michael Eden uses cutting-edge 3D printing technology to create objects inspired by historical themes. Free, 21 Nov28 March 2016.

book Richard Bawden by Malcolm Yorke and Fleece Press, 3 April-12 June 2016.

MOMA WALES

THE GALLERY AT 41

Heol Penrallt, Machynlleth, Powys, 01654 703355, www.momawales.org.uk

41 East Street, Corfe Castle, Dorset 01929 480095, www.galleryat41.com The Christmas Collection An eclectic exhibition by Dorset artists including painters Richard Price ROI, David Atkins, Felicity House PS, Judy Tate, John Bowen, Edward Vine and Vicky Finding with sculptors Moira Purver SWA, Sue Lansbury and Brendon Murless, 19 Nov-24 Dec. GALLERY PANGOLIN

9 Chalford Ind. Estate, Chalford, Gloucs, 01453 889765, www.gallery-pangolin.com Christmas Cracker! Our popular annual Christmas exhibition, this year with a special focus on sculptors’ jewellery, 16 Nov-18 Dec. Sculptors’ Prints and Drawings Our annual exhibition of works on paper featuring prints and drawings by Modern and contemporary sculptors, 20 Feb-1 April 2016.

Raising Stones: Howard Bowcott

Until 9 Jan 2016. Our Glorious Coastline: Tabernacle Collection Until 5 March 2016. Counting in Colour: Simon Fenoulhet 21 Nov-

16 Jan 2016.

NORTH HOUSE GALLERY

The Walls, Manningtree, Essex, 01206 392717, www.northhousegallery.co.uk Jason Hicklin RE: Orkney Deeply bitten etchings of specific landscapes but essentially about the light, until 28 Nov. Artists’ Books Richard Pinkney’s ‘Best Foot Forward’ marks 50 years of the Trivia Press; new work by Dale Devereux Barker and Jason Hicklin, 5 Dec-24 Jan 2016.

RABLEY DRAWING CENTRE Rabley Barn, Mildenhall, Marlborough, Wilts, 01672 511999, www.rableydrawingcentre.com

HAYLETTS GALLERY

Katherine Jones: Cover and Keep Safe Jones’ images play with the balance

Oakwood House, 2 High Street, Maldon, Essex, 01621 851669, www.haylettsgallery.com Peter Blake Shows off his new work alongside some of his iconic images, proving he is still brimming with new ideas, reflecting his passion for popular culture and unique perspective, 30 Jan-27 Feb 2016. Modern British

of botanical history and the metaphors of a fragile world. Open Thursday and Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-3pm and by appointment at other times, 16 Nov-18 Dec. Stellar: Artmas Fair Drawings, prints and multiples from a ‘Stellar’ selection of artists. Craigie Aitchison RA, Eileen Cooper RA,

© T H E F R I N K ES TAT E & A R CH I V E

Simon Roberts has documented Britain’s remaining pleasure piers in a comprehensive photographic survey.

Roberts’ tableaux photographs celebrate the personality, architecture and history of each structure, until 21 Feb 2016.

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THERE’S MORE TO DISCOVER ORNC

‘COLOSSAL’ ‘EXCEPTIONAL AND UNPRECEDENTED’ Telegraph

‘OUTSTANDING’ New Scientist

‘GRIPPING’ Guardian

BOOK NOW Until 13 March 2016

Supported by BP

Open until 22.00 every Friday

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Additional support from

Art Russe

Media Partner

Blavatnik Family Foundation

NAKED

MUSIC

25 JAN - 11 FEB CHRIS GOLLON A new series of paintings by Chris Gollon from an artistic collaboration with singersongwriter Eleanor McEvoy, whose new album will be launched in the exhibition.

Details available at the artist’s official information website: www.chrisgollon.com or IAP Fine Art 0844 561 1833 www.iapfineart.com

all Collection

H Works from the

& Gallery Different 14, Percy St, London W1T 1DR

BOOK NOW 4 February–15 May 2016 www.ashmolean.org

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Listings

A Colourful Life in Painting 19522009. Curated by Rabley Contemporary

Richard Wright Dur, dur d’être un bébé, 1992, by Carsten Höller at Turner Contemporary

Gallery, this exhibition is at Swindon Musuem and Gallery. Please contact Swindon Museum and Gallery for opening times, until 9 Jan 2016.

ROYAL BIRMINGHAM SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

4 Brook Street, Birmingham, 0121 2364353, www.rbsa.org.uk New Curators 2015: Exploring Drawing Examining the diverse ways

Cornish Sun Shining Behind the Two Yews, 2013, by Kurt Jackson at Victoria Art Gallery

in which contemporary artists use drawing in their work, until 28 Nov. Members and Associates For over 170 years artwork by RBSA members and associates has been displayed in this annual exhibition, 3-24 Dec. StART Making collecting art affordable with all original artworks at £200 or under, 30 Dec-6 Feb 2016.

ROYAL PAVILION

Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, 030 0029 0900, www.brighton-hove-museums.org.uk Exotic Creatures This temporary exhibition explores animals in the Royal Collection, menageries and early zoos, and political beasts in the period 1750 to 1850. Discover the story of the first living giraffe in the UK, given to George IV as a diplomatic gift in 1827, plus the history of travelling menageries in London and Brighton. 14 Nov-28 Feb 2016.

SARAH WISEMAN GALLERY Equus Horsehead, 2015, by John Napier at Towner Art Gallery

40-41 South Parade, Oxford, 01865 515 123, www.wisegal.com

Fire Woman, 2005, by Bill Viola at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

High Street, Cookham, Berkshire 01628 471885, www.stanleyspencer.org.uk

The Creative Genius of Stanley Spencer Includes spiritual works, floral

and outdoor scenes, and a moving series of figurative paintings reflecting the artist’s joys and anguish, until 20 March 2016.

The Vanity of Small Differences Six large-scale tapestries by Grayson Perry RA. Free to Discovery Card and ticket holders, 9 Jan–10 April 2016.

WADDESDON MANOR

Nr. Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire 01296 653226, www.waddesdon.org.uk

Winter Light at Waddesdon: Bruce Munro 11 Nov-3 Jan 2016. Weds-Sun

The Walled Garden, Sunbury-on-Thames, 01932 788101, www.sunburyembroidery.org

and additionally 21, 22, 28 and 29 Dec, closed 24-26 Dec.

versatility of felting, the textures of different wool types and colour range to create lifelike images that resemble paintings, 24 Nov-10 Jan 2016.

Luminous Life: Kim Yip Tong An interactive, immersive light installation inspired by Kim’s nostalgia for her home country Mauritius, 4-31 Jan 2016.

West Bretton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, 01924 832631, www.ysp.co.uk

Capturing the Seasons in Felt: Bridget Karn Bringing to life the

TATE ST IVES

Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall 01736 796226, www.tate.org.uk/stives

Tate St Ives is now closed, reopens on 21 May 2016 With a pair of

overlapping exhibitions that explore the ocean, the landscape and the ceramics studio. Terry Frost At Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange

Retrospective on the event of the artist’s centenary organised by Tate St Ives in collaboration with Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange and Leeds Art Gallery, until 9 Jan 2016.

YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK Bob and Roberta Smith: Art For All Until 3 Jan. Bill Viola Until 10 April 2016. KAWS 6 Feb-12 June 2016.

ZILLAH BELL GALLERY

Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, 01845 522 479, www.zillahbellgallery.co.uk Hilary Paynter RE New works by one of the UK’s leading wood engravers, and the Past President of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, until 21 Nov. Norman Ackroyd RA: Skellig Revisited A new suite of etchings of western Ireland, together with preparatory sketches and watercolours, 28 Nov-2 Jan 2016. Society of Wood Engravers 78th Annual International Exhibition of contemporary wood engraving, 5 March-2 April 2016.

TOWNER ART GALLERY

Artist’s Websites

Towner, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne 01323 434670, www.townereastbourne.org.uk

Joan Doerr Paintings inspired by the

John Napier: Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall 29 Nov-31 Jan 2016.

TURNER CONTEMPORARY

Sarah Spackman’s paintings explore silent connections with everyday objects; working in softly hued greys and blues with splashes of vibrant colour, she elevates our perception of the humble and simple, 16-30 Jan 2016.

Rendezvous, Margate, Kent, 01843 233000, www.turnercontemporary.org Risk See artists leap into the void, abandon control and push art to the limit as creative risk-taking comes under the spotlight. Featuring Marina Abramović Hon RA, Marcel Duchamp, Carsten Höller, Yoko Ono, Chim-Pom and Ai Weiwei Hon RA. Free admission, until 17 Jan 2016. Pedro Reyes: Disarm (Mechanized) See, watch and hear illegal firearms as musical instruments.

Free admission, until 10 Jan 2016.

West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset, 01308 459511, www.sladersyard.co.uk Dream Visions Recent paintings

by Alfred Stockham ARCA and his circle: David Inshaw, Simon Garden, Stewart Geddes, Stephen Jacobson and George Tute, until 28 Feb 2016.

David West Recent woodcarvings and paintings and Michael Bennallack Hart Recent paintings, from 5 March 2016.

places, until 3 Jan. Grayson Perry:

THE SUNBURY EMBROIDERY GALLERY

Sarah Spackman: A Closer Look

SLADERS YARD

xxxx

THE STANLEY SPENCER GALLERY

VICTORIA ART GALLERY

Bridge Street, Bath 01225 477233, www.victoriagal.org.uk Kurt Jackson: Place Jackson collaborates with 32 writers who contributed texts on their favourite

elements’ impact on the environment. www.joandoerr.com Judy Larkin Contemporary organic, abstract and figurative sculpture in alabaster and limestone for interior and garden spaces. www.judylarkinsculpture.com Ulla Plougmand Paintings of unique female forms, landscapes, flowers and, the latest series, ‘My Colourful Cosmos’. www.ulla-art.com Hilary Roodyn Portrait sculptor London. Capturing the personality in her work. www.hilary-roodyn.squarespace.com Sabrina Rowan Hamilton

www.sabrinarowanhamilton.co.uk www.srhprints.com Nicola Slattery Thoughtful, peaceful art created from the imagination www.nicolaslattery.com Jo Whitney Oil paintings of sea, sand and city life. Venice, Nice, Cornwall and Plymouth. www.jo-whitney.co.uk Marjana Wjasnova Symbolic, abstract, spiritual artist. www.wjasnova.com

© CA RS T EN H Ö L L ER . CO U R T ESY T H E A R T IS T A N D G AGOS I A N G A L L ERY/ I NS TA L L AT I O N V I E W AT T U R N ER CO N T EM P O R A RY. P H OTO M A N U PA LO M EQ U E . © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY V I CTO R I A A R T G A L L ERY. © T H E A R T IS T/ CO U R T ESY TOW N ER A R T G A L L ERY. © T H E A R T IS T/CO U R T ESY B I L L V I O L A S T U D I O/ P H OTO GR A P H K I R A P ER OV

Naomi Frears, Peter Freeth RA, Tom Hammick, Jane Harris, Sara Lee, Jeff Powell, Rebecca Salter RA, Nana Shiomi, Emma Stibbon RA and Jo Taylor. Same opening days and times as above, 15 Nov18 Dec. Craigie Aitchison RA:

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Give the Gift of Education

Gift vouchers available for our Continuing Education programmes in London and New York

Anthony Gross, Mirando de Ebro, 1925, etching, signed by artist in pencil

Contact shortcoursesuk@christies.edu +44 (0) 20 7665 4350

PASSIONATE ABOUT ART

christies.edu /christmas

64 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BJ Wed - Fri: 11am - 6.30pm, Sat: 10am - 6pm, Sun: 10am - 4pm (also by appointment)

t: 020 7443 5990 e: info@sylvesterfineart.co.uk www.sylvesterfineart.co.uk

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28/10/2015 10:22

Readers’ offers are open to all RA Magazine readers when they show a copy of this magazine

Readers’ Offers Grey Receding, 1962, by Paul Feiler at The Redfern Gallery at London Art Fair 2016

2-for-1 Tickets

The Fashion and Textile Museum is

The Ashmolean Museum ‘Andy

Pallant House Gallery ‘David Jones:

offering 10% off tickets to 'Liberty In Fashion', until 28 Feb 2016. Enter the code 'LibertyRA' at www.ftmlondon.org.

See advertisement on page 81.

Warhol: Works from the Hall Collection’ (4 Feb-15 May 2016).

Featuring over 100 work spanning Warhol’s output from his iconic 1960s pieces to the experimental works of his last decade. Book online before 1 Feb 2016 using the code RA12016 to receive the offer. See advertisement on page 83.

Vision and Memory’ (until 21 Feb 2016).

A major reassessment of the paintings, engravings and inscriptions of one of the most imaginative artists of the 20th century. Over 80 works trace Jones’ entire artistic output, ranging from sketches drawn in the trenches of the Western Front, to works made whilst living in nearby Ditchling.

See advertisement on page 18.

London Art Fair 2016 (20-24 Jan 2016) at the Business Design Centre. The fair brings together over 100 UK and overseas galleries. Book online until 31 Dec quoting code LAF368 and a pair of standard day tickets will cost £18. On the door tickets cost £20 each.

Visit www.londonartfair.co.uk and see advertisement on page 6.

The Works on Paper Fair at the Royal

Geographic Society is offering free entry (11-14 Feb 2016). 50 art dealers selling watercolours, drawings and original prints from all periods. Visit www.worksonpaperfair.com and see advertisement on page 85.

Birmingham Museum ‘Enchanted Dreams: The Pre-Raphaelite Art of E.R. Hughes’ (until 21 Feb 2016).

A large display of fairytale and mythinspired work by this lesser-known Pre-Raphaelite artist. Present your copy of RA Magazine at the ticket desk to redeem offer. See advertisement on page 6.

The Courtauld ‘Soaring Flight: Peter Lanyon's Gliding Paintings’ (until 17 Jan 2016). One of Britain's most original Post-War artists, Lanyon produced radical, near-abstract paintings of the tough coastal landscape of his native West Cornwall, inspired by his gliding experience. See advertisement on page 79.

The Holburne Museum ‘Gold’ (until

24 Jan 2016). The beauty and symbolic power of this precious metal is explored through 60 works on loan from the Royal Collection, from the Early Bronze Age to the 20th century. A variety of objects are on display from furniture to precious vessels and illuminated manuscripts. Visit www.holburne.org and see advertisement on page 7.

Jewish Museum ‘Blood. Uniting and

View from 'Our' Room, POW Camp Marlag O, near Bremen, 1944, by Lieutenant Philip Dark at Abbott & Holder at The Works on Paper Fair

Dividing’ (until 28 Feb 2016). Exploring the provocative and complex subject of blood, this exhibition draws together manuscripts, prints, Jewish ceremonial objects, art, film, literature and cultural ephemera. Offer only valid 5 Nov-5 Dec. See advertisement on page 87.

RA Publications

Shopping Cass Art is offering readers a free award-winning tote bag in-store between 13 Nov 2015-31 Jan 2016.

Offer valid while stocks last and can only be used once. See advertisement on page 87.

Eating Out, Travel & Membership Ceramic Review, the authoritative

source for contemporary and historical ceramic art, is offering six issues for £38 (saving £10), plus a free digital subscription worth £29.50. Use discount code rawin-38. See advertisement page 87.

As well as publishing exhibition catalogues, the Royal Academy also produces books featuring the work of its Academicians. The RA Shop is offering a 10% discount on the following new titles: Painting the Modern Garden A beautifully illustrated catalogue with masterpieces from Monet and his fellow Impressionists as well as later painters including Bonnard, Sargent, Klee, Kandinsky and Matisse. Hardback £43.20 (rrp £48) and softback £23.40 (rrp £26); Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture

Examines the work of 12 of the greatest innovators who have defied convention in British architecture over the past 250 years £15.25 (rrp £16.95); The Green Fingers of Monsieur Monet A wonderful first-facts book which gently introduces children to Monet, the most beloved of Impressionists, and Giverny, the famous garden that inspired him. £9.85 (rrp £10.95). All titles available from the RA Shop, online at www.royalacademy.org.uk/shop (Enter RAMAGWINTER at checkout to claim your discount) or by calling 0800 634 6341 (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm).

Richoux, opposite the Royal Academy,

is offering a 10% discount on breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. See advertisement on page 69.

The Royal Over-Seas League, located close to the RA, provides bedroom accommodation, fine dining and a private garden. ROSL offers readers a discounted joining fee, and pro-rata subscription rates for 2015. For more information visit www.rosl.org.uk or telephone 020 7408 0214.

See advertisement on page 66.

Study of a Male Head in Profile, 1869, by Charles Fairfax Murray at Birmingham Museum

© THE ARTIST'S ESTATE/COURTESY THE REDFERN GALLERY, LONDON. © THE ARTIST'S ESTATE/COURTESY ABBOTT AND HOLDER. COURTESY BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS TRUST.

Ticket Offers

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5 November 2015 – 28 February 2016

A special Christmas offer

C U LT U R A L TO U RS F OR DI S C E R N I NG T R AV E L L E RS Kirker Holidays provide a range of carefully crafted escorted holidays, with fascinating itineraries designed for those with an interest in history, art, archaeology, architecture, gardens and music. Groups typically consist of 12-22 like-minded travellers, in the company of an expert Tour Lecturer.

ART GALLERIES OF HOLLAND FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAYS | 17 APRIL & 19 JUNE 2016

Our tour begins with Amsterdam’s great trio of art museums – the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Van Gogh Museum.We also visit the Hermitage, where treasures from the vast St. Petersburg collection are on display.The Hague’s Mauritshuis gallery has also been renovated recently, and here we will see important works by Vermeer.We also visit the Kröller-Müller Museum near Arnhem.

Amongst its rich collection of 19th and 20th Century paintings are over 90 works by Van Gogh. Our tour is based at the at the 4* NH Museums Quarter Hotel.

Price from £1,378 per person including return flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, three dinners, a full programme of sightseeing and the services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer.

www.ceramicreview.com use code RAWIN-38 for our special £10 discount

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020 7593 2283 quote code XRA www.kirkerholidays.com

26/10/2015 18:42

Painting by numbers?

We prefer to support artists by name

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse

Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, Gerald Laing, Dame Laura Knight, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Edward Seago and Sir Stanley Spencer are just some of the many artists and estates that prefer the personal ACS approach to managing and administering their Artist’s Resale Right.

Hardback £48 Softback £26 This beautifully illustrated publication includes masterpieces from Monet and his fellow Impressionists, as well as later painters such as Bonnard, Sargent, Klee, Kandinsky and Matisse.

© DAVE KING / CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION

Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture £16.95

FAT and Grayson Perry cbe ra, A House for Essex

Self portrait (Adelaide Road), Sir Stanley Spencer Private Collection / Bridgeman Images © Artist’s Estate

Perfect books for Christmas

Examines the work of 12 of the greatest innovators who have defied convention in British architecture over the past 250 years.

The only numbers we look at are the ones that we ensure you receive for the works of art that you create.

We wouldn’t want it any other way – and neither would our artists.

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A wonderful first-facts book that introduces children to Monet, the most beloved of Impressionists, and Giverny, the famous garden that so inspired him.

Studio equipment & Armatures, Stonecarving,

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Glazes, Modelling tools

LEONARD ROSOMAN OBE RA (1913–2012) RA Publications has commissioned a study of the life and work of the distinguished Royal Academician Leonard Rosoman from Tanya Harrod. To assist with her research, the author would be most grateful to hear from any reader who possesses works of art by the artist or correspondence with him.

If you are able to help, please contact Peter Sawbridge, Senior Commissioning Editor at RA Publications: peter.sawbridge@royalacademy.org.uk; +44 (0) 20 7300 5830

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The latest developments in and around the RA

Academy News

Martin Brudnizki in the redesigned Academicians’ Room in the Keeper’s House at the RA

P H OTO: JA M ES M CD O N A L D

Bohemian rhapsody Less salon, more living room – that’s the ambience of the new-look Academicians’ Room, where club members can relax along with Royal Academicians.

ANNA COATMAN meets the designer.

Portrait by JAMES MCDONALD

If there’s one thing Martin Brudnizki feels strongly about, it’s colour. ‘I love colour, I don’t like beige; there’s too much beige in the world,’ he says. The Stockholm-born interior designer is renowned for revamping high-end restaurants, hotels and bars in London and beyond, breathing new life into old haunts such as The Ivy in Covent Garden. His latest brief was to redesign the Academicians’ Room, the Royal Academy’s private members club – and the results are as colourful as promised.

Describing the aesthetic as ‘haute bohemian’, Brudnizki has filled the room in the Keeper’s

House with an eclectic assortment of mostly vintage furnishings. Rich, jewel tones abound: custom-made ruby-red velvet sofas, topaz blue footstools and a warm, Persian-style rug imported from New York. During the day, sunlight pours in through the skylight, while in the evening lamps set at eye-level create a more intimate atmosphere. The room draws you in, tempting you to sink into the nearest armchair.

This, Brudnizki explains, is the desired effect: ‘I really hope that it’s going to be like an extension of your living room.’

This ‘living room’ concept is part of the narrative behind the redesign: the room has been fancifully reimagined as an artist’s drawing room. This fictional artist was also a collector, somehow able to pick up objects, magpie-like, from around the Academy. ‘We wanted the furniture to look like it had been collected, almost as if we had gone through the amazing places and spaces within the Royal Academy, found all of these pieces throughout the building and then assembled them here. This is the story.’

The Academicians’ Room, however, already has its own stories to tell. Originally designed

by Norman Shaw RA in 1883, it began life as an architectural gallery – a phase that literally left its mark. Architectural drawings were displayed on the walls, which are to this day still covered in thousands of pinholes from the picture hooks.

Brudnizki does not want to hide away this past, but rather add to it.

‘Architecturally the room has perfect Victorian Gothic proportions. It’s a beautiful space, nothing really needs to be done to it.’

And so the timber walls, stained a distinctive rose colour, are not altered any further, though a new selection of Academicians’ work hangs upon them. The floor has been only subtly repolished, and the balcony – where David Hockney RA has been known to smoke – has been left unchanged.

For Brudnizki the experience of using the Academicians’ Room is inextricable from its history, and from the history of the Royal Academy itself. ‘When you walk into the courtyard and go in through the Keeper’s House, you feel as though you’re walking in the footsteps of so many well known artists over hundreds of years.’ The hope is that Brudnizki’s redesign will encourage many others to make that journey.

Annual Academicians’ Room club membership is £300, or £150 for under-35s, with a £240 and £120 joining fee respectively, waived for Friends until 30 Nov. Call 020 7300 5920 or visit academiciansroom@raarts.org.uk

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Academy News

Artist, collector, benefactor

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© R OYA L ACA D EM Y O F A R TS , LO N D O N / P H OTO H J O H N H A M M O N D. P H OTO B EN ED I CT J O H NS O N

When the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, it was decided that a condition of membership would be for each artist to donate a ‘diploma work’. At a time when Britain had no national gallery, the idea was that in this way the country’s most distinguished artists might contribute to a collection representing the best in British art.

Almost 250 years later, the RA Collection now counts among its masterpieces J.M.W. Turner’s Dolbadarn Castle (1800) and John Constable’s The Leaping Horse (1825). But not all members have confined their generosity to a single work.

In 1866 John Gibson left 57 sculptures to the Academy and threw in £32,000 in hard cash.

Look up at the top floor of Burlington House and you see the literal legacy of Gibson, whose bequest paid for the addition of a second storey.

Gibson’s was one of the most valuable bequests the RA has ever received, although in terms of numbers of works of art gifted to the collection Carel Weight surpassed him. His bequest has augmented the collection with works that go beyond the community of RA artists. A discerning collector, especially of works on paper, Weight left the Academy 141 works of art on his death in 1999. These include several drawings and prints by Camille Pissarro, acquired through his friendship with the French Impressionist’s granddaughter Orovida, as well as a Turner sketch for Ships Bearing up for Anchorage (c.17991802), and an undated drawing attributed to Constable, Study of a Sleeping Spaniel.

Like most artists, Weight also exchanged works with his artist friends and his bequest includes paintings by fellow RAs Robert Buhler, Jean Cooke and Ruskin Spear, as well as by former students who became Academicians – John Bellany, Mick Rooney and Olwyn Bowey.

In an affectionate pencil drawing in the bequest, Bowey captures her old tutor in action.

Carel Weight was a benevolent genius loci of the British art scene for half a century and, as Professor of Painting at the Royal College of Art from 1957 to 1973, presided over a postwar revolution led by British Pop Art pioneers David Hockney, R.B. Kitaj and Allen Jones, all of whom became Academicians. The art of this new generation was essentially urban. Weight was a generation older, but having spent much of his childhood in working-class Fulham – where his rather distant middle-class parents farmed him out during the week to a foster

© R OYA L ACA D EM Y O F A R TS , LO N D O N / P H OTO J O H N H A M M O N D

New spaces at the Academy in 2018 will showcase the RA’s superb art collection.

LAURA GASCOIGNE delves into the bequest of Carel Weight RA, an artist who donated outstanding works

LEFT Gaming House, 1808,

by Thomas Rowlandson BELOW The Departing Angel, 1961, by Carel Weight RA BELOW LEFT L’Incendie (The Fire), 1875, by Alphonse Legros

LEAVING A LEGACY

How gifts support the RA’s future SAFEGUARDING THE RA COLLECTION

From a Michelangelo marble to the anatomical drawings of George Stubbs, many of the RA’s art treasures have been brought together by bequests. It is vital there is funding available to preserve this collection. Even modest legacy gifts have been of huge value, helping to preserve delicate prints, rare books or historic photographs.

DEVELOPING THE ARTISTS OF TOMORROW

Founded in 1769, the RA Schools offers a free, three-year postgraduate course to the country’s most talented emerging artists. Like the Academy as a whole, the art school receives no government subsidies and relies on the support of individuals.

A gift of £1,000 could help a student cover the costs of materials and equipment for a year, allowing them to hone their skills.

PROTECTING BRITAIN’S ARTISTIC HERITAGE

© R OYA L ACA D EM Y O F A R TS , LO N D O N / P H OTO H J O H N H A M M O N D. P H OTO B EN ED I CT J O H NS O N

© R OYA L ACA D EM Y O F A R TS , LO N D O N / P H OTO J O H N H A M M O N D

Academy News

mother – he was an urban realist by inclination, declaring: ‘I like going about the slummy parts of a place.’

With Weight’s own work, though, the realism only went so far: his urban landscapes may be faithfully rendered, but his figures bring a surreal dimension. ‘You stand a chance of catching the attention,’ he said, ‘if, in a very realistic picture, you can get away with a piece of fantasy.’ Angels and ghosts make fleeting appearances in paintings such as The Departing Angel (1961; above right), a contemporary take on the Annunciation set in the back garden of the artist’s house in Battersea, and one of five of Weight’s works in the collection. The angel is wearing slippers. Like his hero Stanley Spencer, Weight was practicalminded: ‘They’ve got a good way to go,’ was his explanation of the choice of footwear. ‘I expect they’d have to be fairly comfortable.’ But unlike the domestic details in Spencer’s paintings, those of Weight seem to offer little comfort. A sense of isolation pervades his imagery, most tellingly in his diploma work, The Silence (1965), in which a father, mother and son observe two minutes’ silence on Remembrance Sunday in their garden.

Sadness, humour, fantasy and a pinch of drama combine with keen observation to give Weight’s paintings their peculiar flavour.

It’s a piquant mix that is reflected in the art

he collected, which include the witty works of Thomas Rowlandson (Gaming House, 1808; above left) alongside melancholy pastels by Edward Stott. The pinch of drama is provided

by Alphonse Legros’s etching L’Incendie (The Fire) (1875; opposite), which depicts a family escaping from a burning house – a childhood memory had left Weight with a terror of fire that inspired some of his more dramatic works – while a 1925 pencil and ink-wash sketch of the Serpentine in Kensington Gardens by Walter Sickert RA is an object lesson in observation.

Artists’ collections have a particular value, often throwing light on the owners’ artistic development. But the RA Collection has benefited equally from major donations of art by non-artist collectors – most notably Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo (c.1504-05) bequeathed by George Beaumont in 1830.

Funding from legacies continues to be vital to the collection’s preservation and development, and this is especially the case as the RA embarks on the redevelopment of its buildings. On completion in 2018, new dedicated gallery spaces will display highlights from those previously hidden treasures acquired through the generosity of artists and non-artists alike.

Larger legacies have been set aside to restore major works of art or have helped the Academy’s major renovation projects, improving its facilities and restoring the institution’s historic architecture. The Royal Academy Trust is a registered charity – gifts are normally exempt from inheritance tax and can lead to lower taxation on overall estates.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT LEGACIES

The RA regularly hosts small events for those interested in including a gift in their will, to show how their support could help. The next event takes place on 24 February and includes an opportunity to put questions to a legal professional in an informal setting. If you would like to attend, please contact the RA’s Legacy Manager, Matthew Watters, on 020 7300 5677 or legacies@royalacademy.org.uk to learn more.

To view works bequeathed by Carel Weight, visit http://roy.ac/weightbequest

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Academy News

A review of the RA Collections has turned up vital papers recording the birth of Britain’s first arts organisation, says the Academy’s archivist MARK POMEROY Before construction work on the redevelopment of the Royal Academy started this winter, the permanent collection underwent an audit in preparation for this momentous phase of Burlington House’s history. As is often the case with large, historic and complex collections, the process has thrown up a few surprises.

Two 18th-century documents of central importance to early British art history (above) have come to light after having been thought lost long ago. Found safely wrapped and boxed, stowed away in the RA’s sculpture store in the

Will Self reads his short story The Shore for Pin Drop in the Reynolds Room at the Royal Academy

The Library & Archive of the Royal Academy is open to the public by appointment (Library@royalacademy.org. uk). white: a project by Edmund de Waal can be seen in the Library and Print Room until 3 Jan 2016.

To see more images of the Society of Artists’ Royal Charter and Roll of Obligation, visit http://roy.ac/royalcharter

Tell your tales The RA has teamed up with Pin Drop to bring literary performances to visual arts lovers. Pin Drop holds live short story events in cultural locations, and the RA’s Burlington House has been the evocative backdrop to readings by world-class authors including Julian Barnes, Lionel Shriver and Will Self, who recently read his story, The Shore, in response to the Ai Weiwei show. In 2015, the RA and Pin Drop Short Story Award was set up, welcoming submissions from all writers, with Stephen Fry narrating Bethan Roberts’ winning story Ms Featherstone and The Beast in the RA’s Reynolds Room. To enter the 2016 award visit www.pindropstudio.com.

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I M AGES CO U R T ESY A I W EI W EI S T U D I O/© A I W EI W EI

Lost and found

basement of Burlington House, and accidentally misclassified as ‘Artists’ Memorabilia’, were the Royal Charter and Roll of Obligation of the Society of Artists. The Society of Artists was Britain’s first formal artistic organisation, and so these documents embody the birth of corporate artistic endeavour in this country. Scholarly references to them had been fleeting, and ceased altogether by 1918. Now rediscovered in time for the Academy’s 250th anniversary, they can tell their story in full.

The early stages of organised artistic life in London are well known. A small group of artists, clustered around a life-class founded

by William Hogarth, began to promote ideas for a formal ‘Academy’ and in 1760 held Britain’s first exhibition of contemporary art. Spurred by this success they made plans to obtain a Royal Charter to elicit the King’s support, advertise their noble intentions and offer the prospect of enhanced professional status. George III was eager to be portrayed as a patron of British culture and happily agreed to help. On 25 January 1765 his Great Seal was fixed to the three vellum sheets

P H OTO GR A P H BY L IZ D E WA R . P I N D R O P/ F R A N CES CA O L D F I EL D

The Royal Charter and Roll of Obligation of the Society of Artists, 1765, showing names that were struck off

comprising the Charter and an informal collective was transformed into the Incorporated Society of Artists of Great Britain.

The Royal Charter was a powerful instrument. It guaranteed various legal rights and bound the artists together under a sanctioned constitution. The Society’s members also subscribed their names to a written ‘Obligation’.

The RA has its own roll of obligation and it holds the signatures of every Academician, from the first President, Joshua Reynolds, to the most recent member, Peter Randall-Page.

The Society’s roll is strikingly similar in form, but with one shocking difference – it bears the scars of a dramatic schism. Dark brown ink runs through a number of names, including Reynolds, Zoffany and Gainsborough – all struck off the list and recorded as ‘expelled’. It is no coincidence that every one of these ejected artists became founders of the Royal Academy of Arts.

The fascinating story behind the Academy’s foundation in 1768 is told by current Secretary and Chief Executive Charles Saumarez Smith in The Company of Artists (Bloomsbury, 2012), which lays bare the disputes that afflicted London’s artistic community in the 1760s. Sadly, as the RA flourished, the Society’s remaining members found themselves on the wrong side of history.

The Society of Artists held its final exhibition in 1791 after which to all intents and purposes it ceased to exist. In a twist of fate its archive, complete with charter and roll, was donated to the RA in 1836. The letters, minutes and accounts that form the bulk of this archive thus entered the Library and have since been an important part of the Academy’s manuscript collections. The rediscovery of these lost fascinating documents completes the archive once again – almost 250 years after the artists first gathered and subscribed their names to a dream of future glory.

#WeiweiToGo

In brief

After being reunited with his passport, Ai Weiwei was able to travel to London in September to install his RA retrospective, recording his time here on Instagram. Here we reproduce some of the most popular photographs that he posted @aiww 1

SHOPPERS’ PARADISE As a Friend of the RA, you can now enjoy a 10 per cent discount at the RA Shop both in-store and online as part of your Friends benefits (terms and conditions apply).

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FAMILY FRIENDLY The RA has received a grant from BNP Paribas Foundation to support a three-year arts education programme that aims to improve the lives of families living in an area with high child poverty in Westminster.

CHRISTMAS OPENING The RA’s galleries are open as usual in the festive season, with the exception of 24 to 26 December, when they are closed. On Friday 1 January 2016 they are open 12-6pm.

The Academicians’ Room, Shenkman Bar and Keeper’s House Restaurant close from 24 December to 3 January and the Sir Hugh Casson and Belle Shenkman rooms will be open as per gallery hours.

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Academy News

1. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER

2. LONDON CALLING

3. TREES COMPANY

In July Ai Weiwei’s passport is returned to him, four years after it was confiscated by the Chinese authorities.

Weiwei’s plane touches down in London, just in time to oversee the installation of his major retrospective at the RA.

Weiwei and the Academy’s production team with Trees (2015) in the Academy’s Annenberg Courtyard.

4. INSIDE STORY

5. STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

6. WHEEL SPIN

Finishing touches are added to S.A.C.R.E.D (2011-13), which depicts scenes from Weiwei’s 81-day incarceration in 2011.

Straight (2008-12) is installed at the RA, using steel bars from buildings that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake.

The monumental Bicycle Chandelier (2015) is hoisted to the ceiling of the octagonal room in the Academy’s Main Galleries.

7. SELFIE MADE

8. WALKING THE TALK

9. LOOK OUT

Weiwei takes time out for another selfie, making the day of a group of schoolchildren visiting the Royal Academy.

Weiwei and Anish Kapoor RA are pictured before they lead a walk across London from the RA in support of refugees.

Weiwei turns his own camera on the sea of lenses that has surrounded him during his time in London.

LIFE AFTER SCHOOL The Graduates of the Royal Academy Schools alumni association has been launched.

Graduates are invited to take part in the life of the RA Schools by keeping in touch with other alumni and through events at the RA. For details, visit http://roy.ac/graschools NEW PAINTER RA Vanessa Jackson has been elected an Academician in the category of Painting. She has had solo shows in the UK and New York, and won the Sunny Dupree Family Award for a Woman Artist in the RA’s 2015 Summer Exhibition.

SINGING THEIR ART OUT The RA staff choir sings in the Mayfair & St James Association Christmas Carol concert at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, on 15 December.

RA IN AMERICA On 19 November, Royal Academy America holds its gala evening at the IAC Building in New York City. Among the figures being honoured for their contributions to the world of art are Cornelia Parker RA and Jeff Koons Hon RA.

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Give the experience of Friends membership this Christmas

Friends of the Royal Academy membership is the perfect gift for art lovers. Friends enjoy free entry to RA exhibitions with a family guest for a year, exclusive Friends events, access to the Keeper’s House and much more.

In 2016, works by Monet, Hockney, Giorgione, Pollock and Rothko will be passing through the Academy – it’s a year not to be missed.

Visit royalacademy.org.uk/ giftmembership Call 020 7300 5664 Christmas FP 2.indd 1 Ads into page_WIN15.indd 94

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Restaurant & Shopping Guide The RA Magazine’s directory of places to eat and shop around the Academy. This is an advertisement feature.

To advertise please call Irene Michaelides on 020 7300 5675 or email irene.michaelides@royalacademy.org.uk

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Berkeley Square, 35 Charles Street W1, 020 7491 2622 www.chesterfieldmayfair.com

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AL DUCA

Serving modern Italian cuisine, Al Duca focuses heavily on bringing out the very best elements of what is one of the most acclaimed gastronomic regions of the world. The menu at Al Duca emphasises the use of simple fresh ingredients skilfully combined to bring out the best of a wide range of traditional dishes offered both in classic style and with a new twist, all following Pulze’s ethos to offer reasonably priced good Italian food.

Now serving breakfast.

4-5 Duke of York Street SW1, 020 7839 3090 www.alduca-restaurant.co.uk

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Monday-Saturday 6.30am-11pm Sunday 7am-10pm.

8 Pall Mall SW1, 020 7389 7820 www.thebalconlondon.com

11-15 Swallow Street W1, 020 7734 4756 www.bentleys.org 4

3 BENTLEY’S OYSTER BAR AND GRILL

Hidden just around the corner from the RA, a local resting place for weary art lovers and gourmands for over 98 years. Trading from midday to midnight, Champagne and native oysters, traditional fish and chips or, for those who care not for the mollusc, beautiful lamb or a simple slab of steak. A ‘best of British’ menu, designed by the incorrigible, controversial and twice Michelin awarded chef Richard Corrigan.

We have private dining facilities to seat 2

up to 60 guests and run regular cookery schools.

61 Jermyn Street SW1, 020 7499 2211 www.francoslondon.com

BRASSERIE ZEDEL

A large, bustling, grand and elegant Parisian brasserie with an authentic 1930s interior, Brasserie Zedel is perfectly located for The Royal Academy, just off Piccadilly Circus. Described by renowned French chef Pierre Koffman as, “the only real brasserie in London”, it is open from 11.30am to midnight, 7 days a week and serves great French food at remarkably low prices, with two course prix fixe menus starting at £9.75.

20 Sherwood Street W1, 020 7734 4888 www.brasseriezedel.com

THE BALCON

Flooded by natural daylight, The Balcon is an all day dining destination, combining innovation with French and British traditions. Perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is also ideal for an afternoon tea or a tasty plate of charcuterie. Every Sunday from 12pm to 4pm, a brunch is also available. The Balcon has its own private dining room seating up to 16 guests; separated by silk curtains, it gives the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.

FRANCO’S

Franco’s, founded in 1946, has acquired a brand new sleek interior for 2015 to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Open all day, the personality of Franco’s evolves from a bustling breakfast to a charged lunch atmosphere with romantic evenings open Monday-Saturday. Our beautifully appointed private dining room with curtained and mirrored walls can accommodate between 16 and 55 guests, providing the ideal setting for a range of private events.

7 GUSTOSO RISTORANTE & ENOTECA

Ristorante Gustoso is moments from Westminster Cathedral and Victoria Station. Gustoso is the ideal place to unwind after work, with friends or to enjoy a little romance. Cocktails are professionally served from the wellstocked bar and the menu is based around the Italian classics, cooked using authentic ingredients to recipes passed down through the generations of Italians. There is an extensive wine list and an unrivalled collection of grappas. Open Mon-Thu: 12-3pm, 6.30-10.30pm; Fri/Sat: 12-3pm, 6.30-11pm; Sun: 12.30-9.30pm.

35 Willow Place SW1, 020 7834 5778 www.ristorantegustoso.co.uk 5

THE CHESTERFIELD MAYFAIR

A short walk from the Royal Academy is The Chesterfield Mayfair, home of the ‘Charlie and The Chesterfield’-themed afternoon tea, priced at £34.50 and hosted

by Willy Wonka himself. The quality of afternoon tea has been officially recognised, as the Chesterfield has retained the Tea Guild’s Award of excellence for five consecutive years.

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Restaurant & Shopping Guide 8

MAHARANI SOHO

Open all day and situated in the heart of Soho, this family-run restaurant established 42 years ago offers the best cuisine that the north and south of India has to offer, with our own little twist. All our dishes are cooked fresh to order, using free-range meat and locally-sourced vegetables. We offer a special set lunch menu at £6.95 which runs until 5pm, or you can choose from our mouth watering à la carte menu which offers excellence without pretension, leading us to be counted as one of the best Indian restaurants in London. To avoid disappointment it is best to make a reservation. Last order 11.30pm.

different regional special menu each month, and Head Sommelier Michael Simms is on hand to recommend the perfect Italian wine. Quiet confidence in the kitchen is complimented by warm, friendly and attentive service, whilst the stylish bar is a fashionable spot for a light lunch, an espresso or classic Negroni. Sartoria is open for lunch Monday to Friday and for dinner Monday to Saturday.

20 Savile Row W1, 020 7534 7000 www.sartoria-restaurant.co.uk

Shopping 1

ALFIES ANTIQUE MARKET

Alfies (formerly Jordan’s department store) has an Egyptian-style art deco façade, a rooftop café and over 75 antique dealers.

The centre boasts a wide array of specialist vintage and antique shops selling everything from English ceramics, mid-century design and 19th-century furniture, to Art Deco glassware, 18th-century watercolours, and vintage African textiles. Alfies also offers a range of services including an upholstery workshop, fine picture framing, vintage tailoring and watch and jewellery repair.

13-25 Church Street, Marylebone NW8, 020 7723 6066 info@alfiesantiques.com www.alfiesantiques.com

77 Berwick Street W1, 020 7437 8568 www.maharanisoho.com

LONDON: 13 Charing Cross Road, 66-67 Colebrooke Row, 58-62 Heath Street, 24 Berwick Street, 220 Kensington High Street, KINGSTON: 103 Clarence Street, BRISTOL: 43-45 Park Street, LIVERPOOL: 18 School Lane, GLASGOW: 63-67 Queen Street, www.cassart.co.uk 4

GIEVES & HAWKES

Gieves & Hawkes has been located at No.1 Savile Row, a short stroll from Burlington House, for over 100 years. With a tradition of military and fine bespoke handwork, the firm has enjoyed the continuous patronage of royal families both at home and abroad over three centuries. Today, No.1 Savile Row houses the company’s bespoke workshops, private tailoring suites and the flagship ‘ready-to-wear’ store, selling stylish British menswear. Do pay us a visit.

No.1 Savile Row W1, 020 7432 6403 www.gievesandhawkes.com

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9

QUAGLINO’S

Quaglino’s is a legendary hot spot with a glamorous Art Deco-inspired restaurant, two stunning bars and private dining rooms. The modern European menu designed by Executive Head Chef, Mickael Weiss, changes seasonally and always uses the highest quality ingredients. The restaurant offers a host of menu options, along with Q Brunch on Saturdays, accompanied by bottomless bubbles. The bars boast an iconic cocktail list, serving tipples with a taste of the past and an extensive wine list. The Main Bar also serves up a Prohibition Afternoon Tea from 3-5pm. From 10pm, the restaurant transforms into an entertainment mecca, showcasing live music from resident house bands and renowned DJs. Quaglino’s is open Monday to Saturday, for lunch and dinner, with the bars open until 1am Monday -Thursday and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, with late bar food also available. 16 Bury Street SW1,

020 7930 6767 www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk

WILTONS

Offering a selection of traditional menus for a truly memorable party and a range of exciting wine packages for 10 guests and over, our private dining room is an ideal venue for any occasion.

Wiltons’ ‘Jimmy Marks Room’ offers guests an exceptional, discreet environment in which to welcome friends, family or colleagues for a truly memorable meal.

55 Jermyn Street SW1, 020 7629 9955, www.wiltons.co.uk 12

10

SARTORIA

BUDD SHIRTMAKERS

1a-3 Piccadilly Arcade SW1Y, 020 7493 0139, www.buddshirts.co.uk

5

GRAYS ANTIQUES CENTRE

With over 200 dealers, Grays is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of fine antiques, jewellery and collectables in the country. Seconds from Bond Street, the centre is a focus of the London antiques trade and is also home to a secret tributary to the Thames – the famous hidden River Tyburn.

V I E W T H E F I L M AT: W W W. G I E V E S A N D H AW K E S. C O M

58 Davies Street & 1-7 Davies Mews, London W1K, 020 7629 7034, info@graysantiques.com, www.graysantiques.com

THE WOLSELEY

A café-restaurant in the grand European tradition and located just a few minutes’ walk from the Royal Academy of Arts, The Wolseley is open all day from 7am for breakfast, right through until midnight perfect for Friday late-night exhibitions.

Its all-day menu means it is possible to eat formally or casually at any time, whether a full three course meal or just a coffee and cake. Whilst booking in advance is advised, tables are always held back for walk-ins on the day.

160 Piccadilly W1, 020 7499 6996 www.thewolseley.com

Sartoria is an elegant Milanese-style Italian restaurant located on the corner of Savile Row and New Burlington Street, behind the Royal Academy of Arts. Head Chef Lukas Pfaff creates refined yet uncomplicated Italian food and showcases a

2

Budd Shirtmakers has been located in the Piccadilly Arcade, a stone’s throw from the Royal Academy, for over 100 years. With a rich heritage in bespoke shirt making, they are strong supporters of British manufacturing, making their shirts in Andover, Hampshire. For the well-dressed gentleman Budd is a veritable Pandora’s box of shirts, nightwear and accessories, many of which are scarce to find today.

3

CASS ART

Established in 1984, Cass Art is the UK’s leading art materials supplier. They stock the world’s best art brands at guaranteed lowest prices, and all the staff are artists so that they can provide expert advice instore. The Charing Cross shop next to the National Gallery has been an art store for over 116 years, and Cass Art now has nine shops across the UK, with five in London.

6

RICHARD OGDEN

In Medieval times signet rings were used to seal and authenticate letters and documents, using crests taken from family heraldic shields. The impression these rings made when pressed into wax seals would represent the authority of the wearer, a tradition which continued well into the twentieth century.

Nowadays signet rings are often presented to celebrate a 21st birthday or a graduation. We keep a copy of Fairbairn’s Book of Crests at our premises and can help you find your own family crest.

28 Burlington Arcade W1, 020 7493 9136 www.richardogden.com

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Proof for RA Magazine pub. 26 May

Courses C u r we n Print S tu d y C e n tre

EXCELLENCE IS A FINE ART Courses for artists of all abilities and ages

2015 available 2015Printmaking Printmaking brochure brochure out now curwenprintstudy.co.uk 01223 892380 enquires@curwenprintstudy.co.uk

Curwen Studio_proof.indd 1

Classified Buy and Sell We are always pleased to buy good quality second-hand & older books for our shop. Aardvark Books Manor Farm, Brampton Bryan, Shropshire, SY7 0DH Email: aardvaark@btconnect.com www.aardvark-books.com

Holidays France: Menton

2 bedroom house in grounds of 1860s town villa; pool, beautiful views of sea and old town. Charming courtyard with lemon trees; Easy walk to covered market, sea, train and bus station. Off street parking available. Tel: 07900 916729 pattiebarwick@gmail.com www.mentonsejour.com

Menton Town Centre

LIFE PAINTING AND DRAWING with Rachel Clark Highly recommended. Small classes.

Week/Weekend/Saturday/Private tuition Tel: 07528 674389 www.rachelclark.com

Nicola Slattery RBA

Paintings, Prints and Weekend Art Courses Tel: 01986 788853 www.nicolaslattery.com

Saturday life classes

All media, all levels with professional tutoring. Long & short poses.

Experienced portfolio advice for students. Elianor Jonzen.

Tel: 020 7221 4525

Tuscany Sculpture Course Wax modelling for bronze course with Dido Crosby at Casa Berti Lucca, Tuscany 6-20 March 2016 (1 week or 2) £1,750 per person per week all inclusive (plus bronze casting) Contact: Ben Gooder 07973 393 682 www.didocrosby.com www.casaberti.com Brecon Beacons

Art Course weekends, weekdays near Hay-on-Wye

Life classes, portrait, landscape, still-life, monoprinting, colour, spacious studio, rural surroundings, professional tuition, excellent food. Tel: 01874 711 212

www.artcourseswales.com

Sleeps 12. Enjoy the eclectic art collection and interior design of this restored 1860s villa and separate guest house situated just above town centre, 5 mins walk to shops and beaches. Beautiful garden with panoramic views across the bay and over the old town. Lovely pool area with shower and shady places to sit and read. Secluded dining area on front terrace or in shady citrus tree courtyard. Enjoy versatility of 2 houses on one site. Ideal for 2 families. Off street parking for 2 cars. Now booking Summer 2016. t: 07900 916729 pattiebarwick@gmail.com www.mentonsejour.com

South of France

Villa for rent: Lorgues, 1 hr Nice.

Sleeps 8, 4 beds, 3 1/2 baths, Pool.

Availability in June/July/August.

All details www.mylorgueshome.com 01367 252749 diannecarnegie@gmail.com

Ceret: France Apartment €126,000 complete Refurbished, newly furnished and equipped 1 bedroom apartment with stunning views of the Pyrenees.

Just a 3-minute walk to Musée d’Art Moderne de Céret, restauarants and galleries. Tel: 01279 898655 rosie@jandrwalker.com France: Nice

Stunning view over the roofs of the old town. Quiet sunny 2 room balcony flat. Sleeps 2/3. 30 minute bus to airport. £500 pw. Tel. 020 7720 7519 or 01736 762013

Greece: Peloponnese

House in village for annual rental.

Master bedroom en suite + 2 further dble bedrooms with 2 shower rooms.

Large living room, separate kitchen, fridge-ice maker, dishwasher, cooker. Fully furnished. Stunning views of Gulf of Corinth. Parking 3 cars. Land 1/2 acre. Ski-resort 45 min drive. Sea 5 min drive. £250 pw . Annual let only.

30-6944-435557 e: shirleyv@hol.gr

Marrakech

Cathar Country

Visit the French Languedoc with expert and author James McDonald. Concierge service or inclusive tours. Discover the Albigensian Crusade, origins and legacy of the Inquisition and enjoy the treasures of the French Languedoc today. sophie@catharcountry.info Tel: + 33 (0)689978070 www.catharcountry.info

Chic, elegantly restored 18th century riad in Medina. Four double Venice Centre bedrooms, seductive baths, cook and Self-catering apartments in charming housekeeper. Tel: 07770431194.

Cathar Country_Text and Logo_LeftJustification.indd 1 c15th palazzetto, sleeps 2/5. 23/10/2015 www.riadhayati.com www.valleycastle.com

“Summer Lease”

19/03/2015 16:21Villa Apartment in 16th century Guinigi, Matraia nr Lucca, Tuscany.

Extensive grounds, swimming pool, spectacular views, walking and cycling.

Would suit artistic couple. Tel: 020 3055 0112 caroline@farmiloefineart.com

Venice Heart of the City Pretty beamed apartment in leafy courtyard. 1 double bedroom, sleeps 2. Excellent location for main sights. (St Marks and Rialto 8 mins).

Reasonable rates, 3 nts+ Tel: 07796 957579 patricianolan@btopenworld.com St Ives old town

Enjoy this stylish, airy apartment close to beaches and art school. Sleeps 2. Recent refurb now with Wifi, www.fifteenthedigey.co.uk

Tuscan/Umbrian border

Galleries The Kyffin Gallery Woodstock, Oxfordshire

Specialising the the works of Sir Kyffin Williams RA OBE. We purchase Kyffin oils, watercolours and drawings. www.thekyffingallery.com Roberta@kyffingallery.com Tel: 07801 737631

Foundries

Cathar Country_Text and Logo_LeftJustification.indd 23/10/2015 1 Find Donatello, Piero, Burri minutes from our splendid villa. Flexible rates.

Pool, gardens, views, walks, wildlife.

020 7059 0278; www.lafoce.co.uk

Wild Cornwall

An artistic hideaway on the stunning North Cornwall coast. Spacious. Sea views. Sleeps up to 6.

Contact: Nic 07803 440800 nicolajstyler@gmail.com

15:59

16:32

FINE ART FOUNDRY LTD

Fine Art Bronze Casting Welding – Patina Specialists Ceramic Shell Contact: AB or Jerry 1 Fawe Street, London E14 6PD t: 020 7515 8052 f: 020 7987 7339

To advertise in the restaurant, shopping and Classified pages please contact Irene Michaelides on 020 7300 5675 or irene.michaelides@royalacademy.org.uk

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The Muscle Condition

by LOUISE STERN – inspired by Bacon’s ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’ (c.1944, above) The horse lay on its side in the stall. The tingle of desperation sparked and spread. Its mouth opened; the thick lips coated with saliva rippled.

The large amber eye gleamed mysteriously.

Lustrous brown fur tightly sheathed the powerful muscles.

Dorothy knelt beside the horse. They rode every day out in the fields, through the shadowy woods and out into brilliant colour again. The horse took her away from everything that covered up pure gut sense. When she was on him, the tension and delicacy of his movement flowed into her and drew her into his reality, where instinct was enough. It didn’t always happen, but often enough to keep her riding. After those moments, it was a shock when she dismounted and found herself clumsy and flat-footed again.

On the way home from a ride the day before, Dorothy bumped into the old lady from across the road, out to collect the bills and fast-food menus that made up her post most days. Occasionally, there was a card from her son, who lived in the city in a small, harshly lit flat in a Polish neighbourhood. He also spent a lot of time in his office, the old lady understood, although she wasn’t sure what exactly his work was. A lot of it was done on the computer. He was unmarried and had never brought anyone home to meet his mother.

She had once seen a slim, bare-chested young man sitting on his couch when she’d dropped in unexpectedly, during a rare shopping trip to the city. All of this Dorothy had been told repeatedly.

As always, the old lady had asked how the ride had been.

‘Good, thanks,’ Dorothy answered.

Today she looked down at the creature. The pain had altered him. There had been something living between them, some sort of awareness, that was now gone. It had been as real as anything.

Suddenly, the horse got to his feet in the tiny stall, the smell of the clean straw she had forked down balancing his pungent, frightened sweat.

He shook his head and his mane swung back and forth as he reared on his hind legs, nearly hitting the wood-beamed ceiling of the old stable. The elegant, sculptured face was distorted with anxiety.

Shivering with his own helplessness, he tore back and forth across the stall, trying to run it out.

Dorothy laid her rough hand onto his smooth neck, but the long yellow teeth were bared and the horse retreated violently. His agitation blurred the poetry of his body, made it something ugly; but the next moment it was beautiful again, more striking for its extreme transformation.

The vet was on his way. Maybe he would know what to do, or how to explain to her what was wrong. He had said he would be 15 minutes or so. A front leg, the knee round and knobby, banged into her side as the horse continued its frenzy. She closed the stall and sat on her haunches on the cement outside.

The pleasure of riding had taken her by surprise. Dorothy hadn’t been a little girl obsessed with horses. It had just happened, this animal coming into her life with his quicksilver magic, and it became important for her.

The vet’s old white van turned into the gravel driveway and soon he was beside Dorothy, entering the stall. He seemed to stay a long while.

She opened the door, peering in, but all she could see was his back, complacent in a woolly green jumper. The horse was calmer now, but his rib cage expanded and constricted rapidly beneath his hide. Steam clouded off the sour perspiration.

She went back outside to sit on the cement again. It was cold and abrasive. Twilight had fallen

since she had first noticed that something was wrong with the horse. That time of day softened the world for her, but not today. The suffering of the sensitive beast coloured everything. She did not know if the mood was shared. Sometimes these things were tangible; other times they spilled out of the lines and dissipated.

The vet came outside. It was some sort of muscle condition. Nothing to be done but time and presence, he said. She should try to stay in the stall, see if the horse would let her stroke him and let him know she was there.

Dorothy nodded. After the vet left, she brought a stiff whisky out from the house and tried again to touch her horse. Again he withdrew from her. She saw his feeling rise and meet the chill of the air and all its facts. The sensation shook him all over.

She was apart from it now, but the whisky burned bright down her throat.

The old woman appeared outside the stall. Was everything alright, she wanted to know. Was there anything she could do for Dorothy or the horse?

‘No, thank you,’ Dorothy said.

But what was wrong? What was happening?

‘I don’t know,’ was all Dorothy had to give her. ‘The vet says it’s a muscle condition. There’s nothing to do other than what I am doing.’

The old woman reckoned it could be said she had some sort of muscle condition, too, and her son over in the city. It could probably even be said of Dorothy, and also of that strange young man on her son’s couch that one time.

Dorothy supposed the old woman was right.

With nothing more to be said, she tottered off, leaving Dorothy to her whisky and her horse.

She walked over to have a look in on him.

The passionate convulsions had resumed; but still he showed his teeth when she attempted to enter the stall. She stayed outside, watching the tendons stretching the taut skin. Everything else dropped away from her eyes except for the shapes formed by that concentration of energies.

Dorothy felt them inside of herself. She raised her glass to her lips.

© TAT E , LO N D O N 2015

Short Story

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