Monthly Archives: November 2014

Ozwald Boateng

Kamba Fine Art at Ozwald Boateng, 30 Savile Row, London W1, 20th November, 2014 – 5th January, 2015

Kofi Allen City on a shoestring, 2014, 60x40cm limited edition print Courtesy of Kamba Fine Art & copyright the artist

Kofi Allen
City on a shoestring, 2014, 60x40cm
limited edition print
Courtesy of Kamba Fine Art & copyright the artist

This rather special exhibition put together by Kamba Fine Art, who are based in Mayfair’s Grays Centre takes place at Ozwald Boateng’s iconic flagship store in London’s Savile Row.

Fittingly enough, given the location, this is a bespoke exhibition with unique pieces by artists such as the artist/photographer Ingrid Baars, painter and sculptor Dominique Zinkpe, noted photographer Jean-Baptiste Sevette and Babajide Olatunji , a gifted creator of highly detailed works.

Ingrid Baars Rose-Mary, 2012 C-Print on dibond 120 x 120 cm Courtesy of Kamba Fine Art & copyright the artist

Ingrid Baars
Rose-Mary, 2012
C-Print on dibond
120 x 120 cm
Courtesy of Kamba Fine Art & copyright the artist

Commenting on the exhibition Ozwald Boateng says:  “African culture is key to the future of the world, and I look forward to celebrating artists of African descent within my space.” Definitely one to go and see.

www.kambagallery.com

ozwaldboateng.co.uk

Christie’s, King Street, London – 25 November 2014

The John Shearer Collection of Important Meissen, Vincennes and Sèvres, Christie’s, King Street, London SW1, Tuesday, 25 November 2014, 10:30am

John Shearer CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

John Shearer
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

John Shearer (1924–2010) began collecting in the late 1960s and was helped by one of the most well-respected dealers of the time ‘Bob’ Williams (1923-2014). As this sale shows it must have been a very exciting journey with the emphasis on quality, condition and provenance.

Lot 37 A MEISSEN SLOP-BOWL CIRCA 1723-24 Painted on one side with merchants and their wares in a palace interior overlooking the sea with a ship on the water beyond, the other with a procession of Turkish figures, soldiers, horses and a caparisoned elephant on the shore and a dressed barge beyond with blackamoors aboard, within oval gilt scroll-edged cartouches with Böttger-lustre panels issuing shadowed iron-red scrolls, the interior painted possibly by J.E. Stadler with an Oriental holding a fan within a similar cartouche below a gilt band border (minor chip to footrim) 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) diam. Estimate 15,000 - 20,000 British pounds CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 37
A MEISSEN SLOP-BOWL
CIRCA 1723-24
Painted on one side with merchants and their wares in a palace interior overlooking the sea with a ship on the water beyond, the other with a procession of Turkish figures, soldiers, horses and a caparisoned elephant on the shore and a dressed barge beyond with blackamoors aboard, within oval gilt scroll-edged cartouches with Böttger-lustre panels issuing shadowed iron-red scrolls, the interior painted possibly by J.E. Stadler with an Oriental holding a fan within a similar cartouche below a gilt band border (minor chip to footrim)
6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) diam.
Estimate 15,000 – 20,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Many of the pieces in the collection reflect Shearer’s other interests and passions such as his love of seafaring which is seen in the decoration of some of his Meissen. Similarly various Sèvres pieces show he was also interested in ornithology.

Lot 3 A VINCENNES BALUSTER POT AND A COVER (POT 'A BOUILLON' OR 'MARMITE') CIRCA 1746-49, THE CONTEMPORARY COVER POSSIBLY MATCHED Painted in the Meissen style, one side with boats on a river beside a tower, the other with Turkish and European figures in conversation beside a river, supported on three paw feet (very minor wear to enamels) 12.7 cm. (5 in.) high Estimate 50,000 - 80,000 British pounds CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 3
A VINCENNES BALUSTER POT AND A COVER (POT ‘A BOUILLON’ OR ‘MARMITE’)
CIRCA 1746-49, THE CONTEMPORARY COVER POSSIBLY MATCHED
Painted in the Meissen style, one side with boats on a river beside a tower, the other with Turkish and European figures in conversation beside a river, supported on three paw feet (very minor wear to enamels)
12.7 cm. (5 in.) high
Estimate 50,000 – 80,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The decoration of very early pieces of Vincennes reflected the style used in Meissen as can be seen in the rare Vincennes pot ‘a bouillon’ circa 1746-49. The Vincennes factory, later Sèvres, very quickly developed its own style which is well represented in the sale and will be familiar to many.

Lot 31 A SEVRES BLEU CELESTE-GROUND SOUP-PLATE FROM THE CATHERINE THE GREAT SERVICE 1778, BLUE INTERLACED L MARK ENCLOSING DATE LETTERS AA, IRON-RED GILDER'S MARK 2000 FOR HENRY-FRANCOIS VINCENT, THE REVERSE APPLIED WITH VARIOUS PRINTED AND SCRIPT COLLECTION AND EXHIBITION LABELS The centre with a crowned floral and gilt 'EII' cypher for Catherine II, Empress of Russia, enclosed by ribbon-tied branches of laurel and myrtle within a circular gilt-framed medallion, the bleu céleste-ground border enriched in gilding with scrolling foliage and reserved with brown-ground oval panels printed and painted en grisaille with mythological vignettes alternating with cameo heads within floral borders with gilt husks, within a gilt lined rim (small restored regilt flat rim chip to front at 7.30 o'clock and reverse at 12 o'clock) 26.6 cm. (10½ in.) diam. Estimate 70,000 - 100,000 British pounds CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 31
A SEVRES BLEU CELESTE-GROUND SOUP-PLATE FROM THE CATHERINE THE GREAT SERVICE
1778, BLUE INTERLACED L MARK ENCLOSING DATE LETTERS AA, IRON-RED GILDER’S MARK 2000 FOR HENRY-FRANCOIS VINCENT, THE REVERSE APPLIED WITH VARIOUS PRINTED AND SCRIPT COLLECTION AND EXHIBITION LABELS
The centre with a crowned floral and gilt ‘EII’ cypher for Catherine II, Empress of Russia, enclosed by ribbon-tied branches of laurel and myrtle within a circular gilt-framed medallion, the bleu céleste-ground border enriched in gilding with scrolling foliage and reserved with brown-ground oval panels printed and painted en grisaille with mythological vignettes alternating with cameo heads within floral borders with gilt husks, within a gilt lined rim (small restored regilt flat rim chip to front at 7.30 o’clock and reverse at 12 o’clock)
26.6 cm. (10½ in.) diam.
Estimate 70,000 – 100,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

 

PUBLIC VIEWING:

Friday 21 November: 12pm – 5pm

Saturday 22 November: 12pm – 5pm

Sunday 23 November: 12pm – 5pm

Monday 24 November: 9am – 4.30pm

Tuesday 25 November: 9am – 10:30am

Lot 40 A MEISSEN CHINOISERIE SCENT-FLASK AND COVER CIRCA 1730, GREY ENAMEL CLSS MARK AND INDISTINCT LOWER CASE SCRIPT MARK Of flattened axe-head form, each side painted possibly by C.F. Herold with Oriental figures at various pursuits within axe-head shaped gilt cartouches flanked by single figures on Böttger-lustre and gilt scroll supports, the sides with iron-red figural oval medallions enclosed by iron-red and purple foliage with swag and husk ornament, the oval cover with a carnation finial and gilt scroll border (slight wear to gilding, small chips to leaves of finial) 6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) high Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 British pounds CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 40
A MEISSEN CHINOISERIE SCENT-FLASK AND COVER
CIRCA 1730, GREY ENAMEL CLSS MARK AND INDISTINCT LOWER CASE SCRIPT MARK
Of flattened axe-head form, each side painted possibly by C.F. Herold with Oriental figures at various pursuits within axe-head shaped gilt cartouches flanked by single figures on Böttger-lustre and gilt scroll supports, the sides with iron-red figural oval medallions enclosed by iron-red and purple foliage with swag and husk ornament, the oval cover with a carnation finial and gilt scroll border (slight wear to gilding, small chips to leaves of finial)
6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) high
Estimate 40,000 – 60,000 British pounds
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

http://www.christies.com

VC ART

David Cottingham: ‘Poetic liberation of the spirit’, Calken Gallery | 117 Kensington Church St, London W8, 19th-25th November, 2014

Aurora, Earth Rise

Aurora, Earth Rise

This exhibition, organised by VC ART, brings the abstract and figural works of David Cottingham to our attention. He very much focuses on landscape and the human figure and the show features both paintings and works on paper.

Dance Triptych 1 (Danced by Angela)

Dance Triptych 1 (Danced by Angela)

He sees them as “A desire to communicate universal truths and to get closer to the mystery of life itself.”

Broken Wings 3

Broken Wings 3

www.vc-art.com

The Maas Gallery

Sarah Adams, The Maas Gallery, 15a Clifford Street, London W1, until 29th November 2014

Porthmissen: uplit Oil on linen; signed 100 x 100 cms

Porthmissen: uplit
Oil on linen; signed
100 x 100 cms

I know that on occasion ceramic collectors have been prepared to camp outside overnight to be the first in the queue for when a selling exhibition opens but last year this happened at The Maas Gallery for this artist because one customer wanted a picture so much.

Revelation: Newtrain Oil on linen; signed 70 x 100 cms

Revelation: Newtrain
Oil on linen; signed
70 x 100 cms

If it were to happen again I would not be the least surprised for Sarah Adams’ paintings of the North Cornwall coast are virtuoso pieces that sweep up the viewer into a pleasurable mixture of drama and calm that will always be quite special.

Carnewas: warm light Oil on linen; signed 120 x 120 cm

Carnewas: warm light
Oil on linen; signed
120 x 120 cm

http://www.maasgallery.com

all images ©

Jessica Carlisle

Piers Secunda The Rise of Oil, Jessica Carlisle, 83 Kinnerton Street, London SW1,18th -23rd November 2014

Balakhani Oil Wells, 1893, 2013. Azerbaijani oil and varnish on industrial floor paint with cast paint nuts and bolts. 50 x 60 x 6cm

Balakhani Oil Wells, 1893, 2013. Azerbaijani oil and varnish on industrial floor paint with cast paint nuts and bolts. 50 x 60 x 6cm

The artist’s concept for this new show is that if crude oil is such a basic component in our everyday life, be it travel agriculture, energy and of course plastic, then it must also be a useful tool for artists.

Oil Field Chain Drive, 1920's, 2013 Californian crude oil and varnish on industrial floor paint with cast paint nuts and bolts 38 x 47 x 6cm

Oil Field Chain Drive, 1920’s, 2013 Californian crude oil and varnish on industrial floor paint with cast paint nuts and bolts 38 x 47 x 6cm

As you can see his special technique of oil screen-printing onto cast-paint slabs is the perfect vehicle for showing the early story of the oil industry in these mono-prints.

http://www.jessicacarlisle.com

© all images

‘BEATON AT BROOK STREET’

‘BEATON AT BROOK STREET’, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 39 Brook Street, London W1, 18th November – 5th December 2014

 

Mirror and ornaments at Ashcombe (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Mirror and ornaments at Ashcombe
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

This is a new version of the really wonderful show Beaton at Home that was held in Salisbury Museum earlier in the year. I wrote about it in my blog (25/06/14) in some detail so will not repeat it all here but for those of you that did not make it to Salisbury this is the chance to see key pieces from the recreation of rooms at both Ashcombe and Reddish.

Reddish, the Drawing Room looking south to the Garden, date unknown Red rooms were a fascination of Cecil’s and recurred throughout his stage (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Reddish, the Drawing Room looking south to the Garden, date unknown
Red rooms were a fascination of Cecil’s and recurred throughout his stage designs
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

The additional treat is that his London home – 8 Pelham Place – is included in this new London show, which is once again brilliantly curated by Andrew Ginger. Beaton had purchased Pelham Place in 1940 and shared it with his mother. Following her death in 1962, he decided on a revamp of the interiors to reflect the modern style of the 1960s. Modern art was combined with Giacometti lamps and 60s tub chairs to provide an ambience in contrast to the more traditional interiors of Reddish.

The Drawing Room, 8 Pelham Place, 1963 (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

The Drawing Room, 8 Pelham Place, 1963
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Beaton used the house as a backdrop for some of the portraits he took of personalities such as Twiggy and Gilbert and George and some of these will be on view. These interiors carefully created by Beaton provided the perfect stage for a multi-talented man who was a photographer, theatre and costume designer, painter, diarist and socialite.

Evelyn Waugh, Sibyl Colefax, Phyllis de Janze and Oliver Messel (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Evelyn Waugh, Sibyl Colefax, Phyllis de Janze and Oliver Messel
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

I shall leave it to Roger Jones, director of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, to sum up why the firm was the perfect place to hold this celebration of Beaton’s homes: “We are thrilled to be holding this exhibition at Brook Street. Cecil Beaton’s links with Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler Ltd go back a long way: Lady Colefax was a great friend of Cecil Beaton, as was Nancy Lancaster, who owned the company in the 1950’s. John Fowler and Cecil Beaton also knew one another well, though their relationship was rather prickly at times. When we saw the wonderful Beaton exhibition at the Salisbury Museum this summer, we felt that its subject-matter, Beaton’s developing tastes and skill as an interior decorator as manifest in his own homes, was a perfect match for us as an interior decorating company. We were delighted when Andrew Ginger the curator agreed to bring the highlights of the Salisbury exhibition to us at Brook Street and add new material as well. Hugo Vickers’s new book, Cecil Beaton: Portraits and Profiles, was the excuse to add a further attraction: a display of Beaton portraits, many of them images from Sotheby’s Cecil Beaton Studio Archives, and others, including pencil sketches and oil portraits, privately lent by many kind friends.”

Nancy Lancaster in the Entrance Hall, Haseley Court, 1950s (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Nancy Lancaster in the Entrance Hall, Haseley Court, 1950s
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

 

www.sibylcolefax.com

Cecil Beaton self-portrait, 1951 (Cecil Beaton) ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

Cecil Beaton self-portrait, 1951
(Cecil Beaton)
©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s

 LECTURE INFORMATION

Doors open at 6.30pm and lectures commence at 7pm (prompt)

Malice in Wonderland – Wednesday, 19 November

Hugo Vickers, Cecil Beaton’s official biographer and literary executor, discusses his life and work and introduces CECIL BEATON: PORTRAITS & PROFILES, combining photographic and pen portraits

 

The Beaton Image – Wednesday, 26 November

A rare showing of this excellent 1984 BBC documentary, with introduction by Andrew Ginger, curator of CECIL BEATON AT HOME – TOWN & COUNTRY

 

My Fashionable Life – Tuesday, 2 December

Fashion historian Dr Ben Wild considers Beaton’s own style and sartorial elegance in this beautifully illustrated lecture

 

The Man, the Magazine, the Century – Thursday, 4 December

Josephine Ross, author of BEATON IN VOGUE, explores Beaton’s extensive contribution to Vogue magazine through his drawings, photographs and essays

 

Evening lectures at 39 Brook Street, W1. Tickets £25 each, including a pre-lecture glass of wine.

Contact Colefax Group Press Office on +44 (0)20 7318 6035, email: pressoffice@colefax.com

 

Signed copies of the book will be available at £28 each (rrp £30) or £50 for two throughout the exhibition.

A NEW GALLERY IN LONDON

POST-WAR ITALIAN MASTERS, Mazzoleni Art, 27 Albemarle Street, London W1, until 19th December 2014

 

Mazzoleni London, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Mazzoleni London, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

This exciting new gallery has opened in London’s Albemarle Street and like its Turin counterpart, which opened in 1986, it will show the very best in Post-War Italian Art. The Founding Director Luigi Mazzoleni clearly reveals his love and enthusiasm for these works when discussing them.

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October - 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October – 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Indeed in this inaugural show, curated by Francesco Poli, one can understand why he is so passionate. Among the artists included are Agostino Bonalumi, Alberto Burri, Enrico Castellani, Paolo Scheggi, Piero Manzoni and Lucio Fontana and they are all important for the contribution they made to increase awareness of Italian Art internationally in the 1960s and 70s. As these images show they are works that powerfully engage the viewer and maintain their innovative appeal and originality.

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October - 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October – 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

The works on view befittingly for an opening exhibition pay tribute to the Italian flag’s green, white and red. I do exhort you to experience them for yourselves.

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October - 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Installation view, Post-War Italian Masters, Mazzoleni London, 14 October – 19 December 2014, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

My favourite? Agostino Bonalumi’s Rosso (1969)!

Agostino Bonalumi, Rosso, 1969, Fiberglass and enamel, 180 x 180 x 90 cm, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

Agostino Bonalumi, Rosso, 1969, Fiberglass and enamel, 180 x 180 x 90 cm, Courtesy Mazzoleni London

 

www.mazzoleniart.com

 

Browse & Darby

Andy Pankhurst, Browse & Darby, 19 Cork Street London W1, until 3rd December 2014

Giotto’s Blue Nude, 2012-14, oil on canvas, 9 x 20 ½ inches

Giotto’s Blue Nude, 2012-14, oil on canvas, 9 x 20 ½ inches

This show of new works while fitting in with the gallery’s long support of British figurative painting, also embraces still lifes and landscapes. It includes both paintings and studies of his engaging female nudes.

Seated Yellow Pear, 2014, oil on birch panel, 10 ⅝ x 11 ¾ inches

Seated Yellow Pear, 2014, oil on birch panel, 10 ⅝ x 11 ¾ inches

http://www.browseanddarby.co.uk

11. Horizon & Sky

©all images

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The Photographs & Photobooks Sale, Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions
Bloomsbury House, 24 Maddox Street, London W1, Friday 21st November 2014.

 152

I do wonder whether the Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan (1938-2006) thought that the final cover shot for The Beatles’ Abbey Road album would become so enduringly popular. The zebra crossing used in the shots has become a major attraction for Beatles fans from around the world, so much so that it is now Grade II listed.

152_a

He actually said of it in 1989 “That photo’s been called an icon of the 60s. I suppose it is. I think the reason it became so popular is its simplicity. It’s a very simple, stylised shot. Also it’s a shot people can relate to. It’s a place where people can still walk.”

152_c

I can assure you, living not far away, that they do and taking a photo on the crossing is almost de rigueur for visitors.

152_b

Abbey Road was The Beatles’ last recorded album and Macmillan, who was a friend of Yoko Ono and John Lennon, was asked to take possible cover shots for both the front and back covers. So on the 8th August 1969, the photographer climbed a ladder in the middle of Abbey Road and for the next ten minutes took six photographs of them walking back and forth over the crossing. It was Paul McCartney who chose the fifth image to be the album’s cover. When taking the road sign for the back cover a young girl in a blue dress walked through the shot to the photographer’s annoyance. However as you know this became the shot used.

 152_d

Although an individual ‘outtake’ print of The Beatles walking ‘backwards’ was sold by Bloomsbury Auctions in May 2012 for £16,000 it is thought that this is the first time that a complete signed and numbered suite of the photographs has come under the hammer. Their estimate is £50,000-£70,000 and they will be on view from the 16th November until the auction on the Friday.

152_f

 

http://www.bloomsburyauctions.com

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