Tag Archives: Rodin

BOOK REVIEW: From Chanel to Reves

From Chanel to Reves

La Pausa and Its Collections at the Dallas Museum of Art

Olivier Meslay and Martha MacLeod

Published by GILES in association with the Dallas Museum of Art
PRICE — UK£9.95 / US$15.00
ISBN — 978-1-90780-72-4

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I always find books that tell the story of a house fascinating and such is certainly the case with this appealing book which relates the story of the house that Chanel had built for herself and which she furnished with some help from Bendor Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster.  It provides a real glimpse into Chanel’s taste and way of life.

In 1953 she sold the Villa La Pausa to Wendy and Emery Reves and included many of the Villa’s furnishings and books and so these were combined with the wide-ranging art collection of the Reves which has an emphasis on Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.  One figure which crosses into both halves of the story is Sir Winston Churchill who knew the Duke and had met Coco Chanel but was also a regular guest of the Reves at La Pausa and indeed there are four works by him as well as other souvenirs.

Even if you cannot get to Dallas to see this collection I heartily recommend this elegant tome that tells the story so well and so enticingly.

 

http://www.gilesltd.com

http://www.dma.org

SCULPTURE AT SLADMORE

Anthony Turner – Little Mysteries, Sladmore Contemporary, 32 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London, W1, until 31st October 2015

Group Shot Courtesy of Sladmore Contemporary

Group Shot
Courtesy of Sladmore Contemporary

This is Anthony Turner’s second one-man show and one can easily understand why.  His sculptures in differing stone and marbles are of vegetables and exotic fruits and reflect both the artist’s and the gallery’s belief in a connection with the natural world. Indeed, the artist eloquently sums it up saying ‘I see matters of huge importance to the whole human condition in the curves on the side of a bean’.

 

www.sladmorecontemporary.com

 

 

Rodin’s burghers under the spotlight, The Sladmore Gallery, 57 Jermyn Street, St James’s, London SW1, until 14thNovember 2015

 

‘’The Burghers of Calais’ by Auguste Rodin, bronze, cast by Alexis Rudier. Courtesy of Sladmore Gallery

‘’The Burghers of Calais’ by Auguste Rodin, bronze, cast by Alexis Rudier.
Courtesy of Sladmore Gallery

This exhibition marks the gallery’s fiftieth anniversary and has taken ten years to put together.  The gallery’s director Edward Horswell has assembled two reduced-scale complete sets of Rodin’s well-known Burghers of Calais.  These 18 inch reductions were first worked on by Rodin in 1895, while the monumental sculpture was being installed in Calais.

Horswell says of them and other Rodin pieces in the show that it allows the visitor to make ‘rich comparisons between different foundries, dates of production, and individual patinas.’ Works that are for sale are accompanied by a certificate from the Comité Rodin in Paris.

It is a show that lovers of sculpture should really try and see.

 

http://www.sladmore.com

Henry Moore and Others

Three really good exhibitions in London are united by the works of Henry Moore:

 

 Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings, Osborne Samuel, 23a Bruton Street, London W1, until 27th June 2015

Baby’s Head, 1926, Cast concrete, unique, ref. LH-35, 10.16 x 10.16 x 15.24 cms (4 x 4 x 6 in). Courtesy of Osborne Samuel Gallery

Baby’s Head, 1926, Cast concrete,
unique, ref. LH-35, 10.16 x 10.16 x 15.24 cms (4 x 4 x 6 in).
Courtesy of Osborne Samuel Gallery

This exhibition brings unseen early works including drawings from the collection of his sister Elizabeth Howarth, early carvings, very early lithographs and works from the 1940s. There are also photographs of Moore in his studio taken by the celebrated photographer Gemma Levine.

Madonna and Child, 1943, bronze, unique ref. LH1- 222, 18.4 x 8 x 7.5cm (7 1-4 x 3 1-4 x 3in). Courtesy of Samuel Osborne Gallery

Madonna and Child, 1943, bronze,
unique ref. LH1- 222, 18.4 x 8 x 7.5cm (7 1-4 x 3 1-4 x 3in).
Courtesy of Samuel Osborne Gallery

 www.osbornesamuel.com

 

 Rodin, Brancusi, Moore: Through the Sculptor’s Lens, Waddington Custot Galleries, 11 Cork Street, London W1, until 11th July 2015

Pierre Choumoff for Auguste Rodin The Hand of God c.1915 silver gelatin print 9 3/8 x 6 7/8 in / 23.8 x 17.5 cm Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

Pierre Choumoff for Auguste Rodin
The Hand of God c.1915
silver gelatin print
9 3/8 x 6 7/8 in / 23.8 x 17.5 cm
Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

We see through this exhibition of fifty vintage photographs from their studios how important photography was as a part of the working process of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917),Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957), and Henry Moore (1898–1986).

Henry Moore Mother and Child against Open Wall (plaster maquette for UNESCO commission 1956-57) 1956 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in / 40 x 50.2 cm gelatin silver print mounted on stock card (c.1956) Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

Henry Moore
Mother and Child against Open Wall (plaster maquette for UNESCO commission 1956-57) 1956
15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in / 40 x 50.2 cm
gelatin silver print mounted on stock card (c.1956)
Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

It provides an absolutely fascinating insight into their creative world perhaps best summed up by Brancusi who asked: “Why write about sculpture? Why not just show the photographs?”

Constantin Brancusi Endless Column in Voulangis c.1926–27 silver gelatin print 11 3/4 x 15 5/8 in / 29.7 x 39.7 cm Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

Constantin Brancusi
Endless Column in Voulangis
c.1926–27
silver gelatin print
11 3/4 x 15 5/8 in / 29.7 x 39.7 cm
Courtesy of Waddington Custot Galleries

http://www.waddingtoncustot.com

 

‘Helaine Blumenfeld / Henry Moore: A Dialogue 1985-2015’, Bowman Sculpture, 6 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1, until 30th June 2015

Installation shot of Helaine Blumenfeld / Henry Moore: A Dialogue 1985-2015 at Bowman Sculpture

Installation shot of Helaine Blumenfeld / Henry Moore: A Dialogue 1985-2015 at Bowman Sculpture

Thirty years ago a very special and important joint exhibition of work by these two artists took place at the Alex Rosenberg Gallery, New York. To celebrate this anniversary Bowman Sculpture are showing their work together including previously unexhibited works from private collections. It is great opportunity to see how these sculptors complement each other while remaining different.

Installation shot of Helaine Blumenfeld / Henry Moore: A Dialogue 1985-2015 at Bowman Sculpture

Installation shot of Helaine Blumenfeld / Henry Moore: A Dialogue 1985-2015 at Bowman Sculpture

http://www.bowmansculpture.com

THE RODIN GIFT TO THE V&A: CENTENARY CELEBRATION, 12 JULY 2014

THE RODIN GIFT TO THE V&A: CENTENARY CELEBRATION, V&A, 12 JULY 2014: 10 AM – 5 PM
(Tickets are available from the V&A)

The Prodigal Son, August Rodin, ca 1885-7, copyright Victorian and Albert Museum, London

The Prodigal Son,
August Rodin, ca 1885-7,
copyright Victorian and Albert Museum, London

In November 1914 the highly celebrated French sculptor recognised the bravery of the British troops fighting alongside their French allies with a gift of eighteen of his sculptures to the V&A.  This one day symposium considers both the gift’s context and Rodin’s impact on the development of British sculpture.

The symposium is supported by Bowman Sculpture whose current exhibition is ‘Rodin – in Private Hands’ (until 31st July).  Among the leading academics, museum curators, critics and contemporary artists taking part are Daniel Silver (Sculptor), Antoinette Le Normand-Romain (Director General, Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art), Alicia Robinson (Senior Curator of Sculpture, V&A) and, of course, Robert Bowman.

Crouching Woman, Auguste Rodin, 1891, copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Crouching Woman,
Auguste Rodin, 1891,
copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London


To book: visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/type/conferences-symposia/ or call 020 7942
2211
Tickets £25, £20 concessions; £15 students (Lunch and refreshments are included)

Inner Voice, Auguste Rodin, 1896-7, copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Inner Voice,
Auguste Rodin, 1896-7,
copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London



http://www.vam.ac.uk

http://www.bowmansculpture.com