Stafford Gallery at Wimbledon Fine Art

A Christmas Feast of Fine Art, Stafford Gallery in association with
Wimbledon Fine Art, until 8^th December

I don’t think you really need an excuse to visit the delights of Wimbledon Village, but should you require one then this very pleasing, well-balanced mixture of artists certainly provides a very strong reason.

Norman Smith PS
Rain Clouds Beyond Constantine
Oil on board
12 x 14 inches
£1,600

Among the artists being shown are Fred Cuming, Madeleine Floyd, Peter Kelly, Norman Smith and Bridget Riley as well as striking sculpture by Helen Sinclair. Verily, it is a Christmas Feast that will definitely not leave you with indigestion but rather with a feeling of well-being, especially if you partake by buying something.

Helen Sinclair
Siren 1 Edition 9
Bronze
27 inches high

Stafford Gallery at Wimbledon Fine Art, 41 Church Road, Wimbledon Village,
London SW19 5DQ, 020 8944 6593

Opening hours including Sat & Sun 10.30 am – 6 pm

Fred Cuming RA
Garden under Snow
Oil on board
16 x 16 inches
£6,200

ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT

Peter Kelly RBA NEAC
The Music Room, Sienna
15 x 10 inches
Oil on board
£2,400

Bridget Riley
About Lilac 2007 Edition 75
Screenprint
19 x 31.50 inches

Kevin Francis Gray at Pace London

Nov27

Kevin Francis Gray, Pace London, 6 Burlington Gardens, until 18^th January 2014.

Of his new exhibition Gray says “This exhibition will mark a distinctive change of visual and sculptural language within my work. I feel that both the work and my studio practice have matured and this exhibition reflects my creative and conceptual ambition, even with the sculptural difficulties it throws up for me as an artist.”

Indeed there is certainly contrast in the larger than life-size five bronze heads, which on one level reflect traditional sculptural portraiture, but the heads are hollowed out and empty and so one gets the disparity between the polished interior and the more textural exterior of the head.

The large figural work Twelve Chambers, 2013 is of twelve life-size bronze nude figures that are grouped with space for the visitor to walk between them. The figures depict people from the area around the artist’s London studio and their expressions reflect elements of loneliness and unease, wellbeing and confidence, which arguably is a reflection of our everyday life.

Particularly striking is another life-size statue but this time in white statuario Carrara marble, entitled Ballerina and Boy, 2013. The veiled figures of the ballerina and the limp figure of the boy she is carrying are almost neo-classical. The veil, which reflects burial practices of covering the body in a shroud, also symbolises a place to hide and yet the tension of the dancer’s body as she lifts the boy suggests an element of despair in her wish to physically keep him aloft. Almost a sense of loss as if the boy was lifeless.

www.pacegallery.com/london

ALL IMAGES ARE © Kevin Francis Gray, courtesy Pace Gallery

J.M.W. Turner, R.A.: Masterpieces from the Whitworth Gallery at Andrew Clayton-Payne Ltd,

Nov25

J.M.W. Turner, R.A.: Masterpieces from the Whitworth Gallery, Andrew Clayton-Payne Ltd, 14 Old Bond Street, until 8^thDecember.

What a treat this is for us to have the chance to enjoy Turner’s artistic career through this loan exhibition of 16 watercolours. They lead us from his time as a skilful nineteen-year-old student at the Royal Academy to being the highly respected painter and watercolourist in his seventies.

Dating from 1794 is Turner’s St. Anselm’s Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral, with Part of Thomas-a-Becket’s Crown which shows his skill at producing an exact, sensitive depiction of the complex architectural features of this part of the Cathedral. In his 1801-02 work Conway Castle, which by the way is receiving its first London showing, one can see that he is already moving away from accuracy to a more atmospheric rendition of the subject.

Nor is Conway Castle the only work in this show making its London exhibition debut as some works from his travels to Europe, such as Valley of Chamonix, France, Mont Blanc in the Distance (1809), are also being seen here for the first time.

Over the following years one discovers how precise detail is being replaced with a greater use of shading and tonal contrasts that help create the ethereal sense of atmosphere and in some watercolours, such as the c. 1840 Venice: San Giorgio Maggiore from the Entrance to the Grand Canal in a quite sketchy manner. His use of light, shade and lighter touch bring an emotional resonance into the works and which pre-dates Impressionism by some thirty years.

Undoubtedly one of this show’s highlights is Moonlight over Lake Lucerne with the Rigi in the Distance, Switzerland (1841).

Andrew Clayton-Payne’s says “It is a tour de force. It, and the other Lake Lucerne/Rigi watercolours, are considered amongst the greatest achievements not only in Turner’s career, but in the history of watercolour painting.”

One can totally understand why!

clayton-payne.com

ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT

Daido Moriyama – Silkscreens, Hamiltons Gallery, until 20th December

Nov23

Daido Moriyama – Silkscreens, Hamiltons Gallery, until 20^th December

There is little doubt that Daido Moriyama is one of Japan’s leading photographers. Born in Osaka in 1938 his formative years were influenced by the war years and the American occupation of Japan and this can be clearly seen in his works. They reflect the conflicts and dichotomy between tradition and modernism, spirituality and commercialism, old and new.

Tokyo, 2001/2013, © Daido Moriyama

Somewhat grainy and dark his work is mainly in black and white, shaded with grey, but there is always an element of photographic chance in the mixture. Although he emerged from the Japanese Provoke movement one can see the influence of other national and international exponents, including Warhol and William Klein.

His images are real, gritty and often unsentimental depicting the realities on the edges of street life and protest. In the 80s his perspective changed to a lighter, sharper large-scale format.

Memory of Dog 2, 1982/2013, © Daido Miriam

This is Hamilton’s inaugural show of his work – Silkscreens. Sixteen photographs from Moriyama’s oeuvre have been exclusively produced for Hamiltons as silkscreens on canvas in a limited edition of three each. They were selected by the gallery’s owner Tim Jeffries and among the subject titles are Memory of Dog 2, 1982; DOCUMENTARY 93 (‘86.6 Setagaya-ku, Tokyo), 1986; The City I Always Had a Hard Time Leaving, 1976 and One More Peek, 1966.

The City I Always Had a Hard Time Leaving, 1976/2013, © Daido Moriyama

www.hamiltonsgallery.com

Russian and Greek Icons, Jan Morsink Ikonen at the Willow Gallery, London SW1

Nov22

Russian and Greek Icons, Jan Morsink Ikonen at the Willow Gallery, 40 Duke Street, St. James’s, London SW1, 23- 29 November

This is a very special showing of sixty important Russian and Greek Icons dating from the 16^th – 19^th centuries. Most of the icons on show come from private collections and they range from the small icons made for private devotion to large panels from iconostasis (the screen or wall, decorated with paintings and icons that, in a similar manner to the choir screens in English churches, separates the sanctuary from the nave in orthodox churches). There is also a complete travelling iconostasis.

St Aleksei, Metropolitan of Moscow, Russia, Mount Athos
Presented to Tsarevich Aleksei and dated 1904 on the reverse, 35.8 x 31 cm
Price: £70,000

One of the highlights is a Russian icon that was a gift to the Tsarevich Aleksei (1904-1918) only shortly after it had been discovered that he was a haemophiliac. Given in October 1904 on his first name day its Cyrillic inscription on the reverse reads This icon is presented on the first saint’s day to His Imperial Highness, the Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Aleksei Nicholaevich, and to commemorate the blessed foundation on this day of a church named for St Aleksei, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the Andrew Skete on Mount Athos, October 5th, 1904, St Petersburg – Painted and blessed on the Holy Mount Athos.

Of the current market for icons Simon Morsink says: “During the last twenty years the market for icons has changed dramatically, mainly due to the emergence of new collectors from Russia. This is the first time that we have staged such an exhibition in London, and Russian Art Week provides an excellent platform for us to meet old and new clients and introduce collectors to the rich history and powerful presence of these extraordinary works.”

The Aston Martin Centenary Art Exhibition, 22nd – 29th November.

Nov21

The Aston Martin Centenary Art Exhibition, The Aston Martin W-One Gallery, Park Lane, 22 – 29 November.

To mark the centenary of this prestigious and stylish luxury sports car Aston Martin asked the noted artist James Hart Dyke to make a series of paintings in celebration. He has recorded special centenary events and races, including the Le Mans and Nürburgring 24 hour races.

‘At speed, Le Mans 24 hour race’
oil on canvas 90x90cm

He also caught on canvas and paper behind-the-scenes activities at the brand’s factory at Gaydon in Warwickshire, showing elements of the manufacturing and hand-built process used in the creation of these superb vehicles.

‘Rig’ 2013
acrylic on paper 40x30cm

In one picture, Hart Dyke, who last year designed the official silk screen print marking the 50^th anniversary of the James Bond films, depicts Sir Stirling Moss with the 6.0-litre V12-powered CC100 (created to celebrate the centenary) and the DBR1, which was the inspiration for it. The DBR1 was the model in which Sir Stirling won the Nürburgring 1,000km race in 1959. Sir Stirling is shown with both cars shortly after he had lapped the circuit, once more, in DBR1 in May of this year.

‘Sir Stirling Moss with the DBR1 and CC100, Nurburgring’ 2013
oil on canvas 97x128cm

A great way to celebrate a 100^th birthday!

‘Pit stop, Nurburgring 1’
oil on canvas 90x90cm

James Wyatt, Architect To The Crown And Designer Of Complete Interiors

Nov19

James Wyatt, Architect To The Crown And Designer Of Complete Interiors, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 39 Brook Street, London W1

(Organised by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler in association with The Georgian Group)

James Wyatt was one of the great late 18^th century English architects and was involved in remodelling Windsor Castle for George III. Later on his nephew and pupil Jeffrey Wyatt (who would later become Sir Jeffry Wyatville) also worked on Windsor Castle for George IV.

But back to the great James Wyatt – his other commissions included Heaton Hall, Castle Coole, Fonthill Abbey, Goodwood House and Heveningham Hall. The latter house provides the raison d’être for this exhibition as James Wyatt was responsible for the glorious interiors and furnishing of the house. On view is a selection of furniture from various rooms in the house which are not normally on public show.

Other items in the exhibition include, original working drawings and one of his masterly architectural models, in this case for Fonthill Abbey. Wyatt was the first architect to prepare designs for industrial and commercial manufacture, such as his designs for Matthew Boulton (silver and Sheffield-plate) and furniture for Gillows. A pair of silver sauce tureens from his designs are on show as well as a pair of dining room chairs that are most likely made by Gillows.

These highly elegant examples of Georgian taste, at its best, can be seen at 39, Brook Street which interestingly enough was Jeffry Wyatt’s home and office and which is a fortunate and rare listed survival of a Regency architect’s house. The exhibition is shown in what was the gallery and which in the 1950s was transformed into the much celebrated Yellow Room for Nancy Lancaster by John Fowler.

The exhibition is curated by Dr John Martin Robinson who is the author of critically acclaimed James Wyatt, Architect to George III (2012). The book will be on sale during the show, alongside watercolours of Wyatt designs by Royston Jones, postcards and tea towels featuring designs by James Wyatt.

Exhibition Information:

Dates: Tuesday, 19th November to Friday, 6th December 2013

Opening Hours: 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday

Admission: Free

James Wyatt, Architect to George III, Dr John Martin Robinson, Yale Books.

Signed copies of the book will be available at £40 (rrp £50) throughout the exhibition.

Lecture Information:

Dr John Martin Robinson will give two evening lectures at 39 Brook Street on aspects of James Wyatt’s architecture and furniture designs:

Tuesday, 19th November: James Wyatt Architect

Monday, 25th November: James Wyatt Furniture Designer

Charles Hind, Chief Curator and H.J. Heinz Curator at the Royal Institute of British Architects‚ will give an evening lecture on the Wyatt family’s architectural legacy:

Thursday, 21st November: From Wyatt to Wyatville: an Architectural Dynasty

For lecture tickets at £20 each, to include a pre-lecture glass of wine, telephone Colefax Group Press Office on 020 7493 2231(email: pressoffice@colefax.com).

Doors open at 6.30pm each evening and lectures commence at 7.00pm (on time).

www.colefax.com

ALL IMAGES ARE © Colefax and Fowler

NEW BOOK: THE CHINESE ART BOOK, PHAIDON

Nov17

THE CHINESE ART BOOK, £39.95

Contributors: Katie Hill, Colin Mackenzie, Jeffrey Moser and Keith Pratt

This book provides a wide-embracing introduction to the arts of China, encompassing as it does both the fine and decorative arts from the Neolithic period to the contemporary arts of today – a period of six thousand years.

Calligraphy, painting, bronzes, ceramics, jades, silks, photography, installations and performance art are all displayed in this fascinating book. Works from all periods are shown side by side, emphasising the huge cultural role China has and continues to have in the arts. It also clearly underlines how the past still influences some areas while in others the future is avidly embraced.

(Page 34)
Liang Shaoji – Bed (Nature Series N0. 10) 1993-99
Charred copper and silk
Shangh ART Gallery, Shanghai

Each of the three hundred images has a concise text and there is also a useful glossary and timeline. Colin Mackenzie’s introduction is helpful and sets the arts in the political times in which they were created. Another useful section is the list of museums, galleries and collections.

(Page 35)
Vase in the form of fingered citrons, called foshou (Buddha’s hand) in Chinese, carved Nephrite jade,
Qing Dynasty, China, 17th century
Photo Credit: [ The Art Archive / Victoria and Albert Museum London / V&A Images ]

This book provides a wonderful introduction to Chinese Art and is a must read for those interested in this art.

25 BLYTHE ROAD – A SPECIALIST AUCTION HUB

Nov15

The specialist auction hub 25 Blythe Road was started in 2007 by Thomas Del Mar, an antique arms, armour and militaria expert. Joined by other ex-Sotheby specialists and one from Christie’s they now between them run auctions in five different areas, including Indian and Islamic art, silver and ceramics, paintings, maritime and scientific works of art, and, of course, antique arms and armour.

One of the great plusses in their favour is that they will take good, interesting lots with a low value (£50 +) as well as those worth many, many tens of thousands of pounds.

Their next sale is Matthew Barton’s Decorative Works of Art Sale on November 19^th(see below). It will be followed in December by Thomas Del Mar Antiques Arms and Armour Sale on 4^th December and a British and Continental Paintings Online-only Auction on the 10^th December.

The November 19^th Decorative Works of Art Auction organised by specialist Matthew Barton has over 350 lots and includes English and Continental Ceramics, Works of Art, silver, jewellery and Objects of Vertu. Among these lots are the following:

‘Colpi di Venti’ figure by Helen Konig Scavini for Lenci, Italy, in 1936. Estimate: £5000- £7000.

Decorative Works of Art – Matthew Barton

Public Exhibition

Sunday 17th November 12pm – 4pm

Monday 18th November 10am – 7pm

Tuesday 19th November 10am – 12pm (limited view)

Sale

Tuesday 19th November – 1pm

A pair of Victorian parcel-gilt-silver and enamel Graeco-Pompeian 1862 International Exhibition Wine Coolers, Elkington & Co, Birmingham. Designed by August Adophe Willms (1827 – 1899). Estimate: £20,000 – £30,000.
(Image of one at the top of the page)

www.matthewbartonltd.com

www.25BlytheRoad.com

Late 18th century Chinese cloisonné quail censers and covers Estimate: £2000-3000

Meissen. Chinoiserie teapot and cover, 1723- 1724. Estimate: £12,000 – £18,000

Mid 16th century Castel Durante Isoriato dish. ‘Shooting the Dead Body’ shows King Solomon judging two brothers. Estimate: £5000 – £8000

18th century tankard with ivory sleeve carved with an interpretation of ‘The Element of Earth’ after the original by Francesco Albani (1578-1660) depicting Cybele, Bacchus, Ceres and Flora on a chariot drawn by lions. Esimate: £1000-£1500

WARTS AND ALL – Philip Mould & Company

Nov13

WARTS AND ALL – The Portrait Miniatures of Samuel Cooper (1609-1672), until 7th December, Philip Mould & Company

In his lifetime Cooper was described as both the ‘the prince of limners’ and ‘Vandyck in little’. This remarkable loan exhibition fully allows us to celebrate the life and output of this highly skilled painter of miniatures.

Samuel Cooper, Self-Portrait, 1644, Oval, 74mm (2 7/8 inches) high,
Royal Collection.

His career spanned nearly fifty years at a time when England was in political upheaval, working for the court of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and then Charles II. His work was eagerly sought after and not all were successful in becoming sitters. Samuel Pepys wrote on 2^nd January 1661/2 “I went forth by appointment to meet with Mr. Grant, who promised to bring me acquainted with Cooper, the great limner in little, but they deceived me. It was not until 16^th July, 1668 that he was able to write “Thence to Cooper’s and saw his advance on my wife’s picture which will indeed be very fine.”

Samuel Cooper, Margaret Lemon, c.1635, Oval, 121 mm (4 ¾)inches high.
Fondation Custodia, Paris.

As the exhibition’s curator, Emma Rutherford, says “it is impossible to imagine charting this significant period of British history without these memorable private images.” What a variety there is. Among them is a c1635 miniature of Van Dyck’s mistress, Margaret Lemon, in cavalier dress (male), one of Cromwell’s wife and daughter and one of Charles II’s illegitimate son James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch 1649-83. Cooper’s sketches are very rare, with only a handful surviving, but one from 1655 of the young Thomas Alcock is on display.

Samuel Cooper, James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleugh (and detail), 124mm (4 7/8 inches),
Royal Collection.

The Duke of Buccleuch has loaned the famous portrait of Oliver Cromwell and the exhibition sets out to confirm that Cooper was the recipient of Cromwell’s wish to be depicted “warts and all”. Nearby, will be Lely’s identical portrait as well as Cromwell’s death mask.

Samuel Cooper, Oliver Cromwell, c.1650, Oval, 79mm (3 1/8 inches) high.
By kind permission of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry KBE.

This is the first show dedicated to Samuel Cooper since 1974 and its significance is clearly underlined by the many lenders, which in addition to the aforementioned includes, Her Majesty the Queen, Castle Howard, Burghley House, Warwick Castle , The Ashmolean Museum, The Fitzwilliam Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.

Samuel Cooper, Sarah Foote, later Mrs. John Lewis, 1647, 54mm (2 1/8 inches) high.
Private Collection.

As the gallery’s owner Philip Mould rightly says ‘We are overwhelmed by the generosity of private and public owners whose willingness to lend will allow us to graphically express how the British born Samuel Cooper is one of the greatest portrait painters in European art history.’

You know what? I totally agree!

philipmould.com

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Monthly Archives: November 2013