Throught the eyes of Lee Miller – a sensational new retrospective at Tate Britain displays this remarkable woman’s talents as a photographer and chronicler of her time.
Maria Antoinette Style at the Victoria and Albert Museum is a triumph. The curators have assembled many surviving objects which were worn or used by France’s last Queen and sensitively chart the life of the child bride who evolved into a fashion icon but ended her days as a derided aristocrat executed by the guillotine at the height of the French Revolution.
Kiefer / Van Gogh – what a surprising and interesting show at the Royal Academy, London. I hadn’t realised that the German artist Anselm Kiefer was vastly inspired by the work of Vincent Van Gogh. It was fascinating to learn that, as young man, Kiefer travelled in the great artist’s footsteps, ending up in Arles, in the South of France, making sketches and paintings. He has produced great works which celebrate Vincent’s love of countryside and rural people. A small, but perfectly formed show and a good antidote to the visual excess of the Summer Exhibition which is on show in the main galleries.
The stupendous Jenny Saville retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery is a joy to view. I’ve been an admirer of her work since she first burst onto the art scene as one of the YBA’s (Young British Artists) in the 1990s with her statement huge nudes boldly painted in oils. And this exhibition shows just how her prodigious talent has evolved.
Oh, how I love Edward Burra’s work! And I’m so excited to recommend this wonderful retrospective at Tate Britain. Born in 1905 into an upper middle-class family in Rye, he was drawn to the flappers of the roaring 20’s in London, gay Paris, Harlem in New York, sailors in Toulon and Flamenco dancers in Spain. Depicting bars, gin joints, low life and high fashion. It’s all there, beautifully painted in watercolours with a strong narrative feel.
The 2025 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy opens on 17th June. I always enjoy the chance to attend the press preview and wander around the huge gallery space surveying the ‘pick and mix’ of art on show. The curators’ theme of ‘dialogue’ is apparent and illustrated by whole spaces devoted to certain topics or themes. However, I tend to prefer the walls which contain a random selection of art and see how they ‘jostle’ with each other to attract the viewer’s attention.
The fabulous new storage space for V&A East has opened in Stratford and it’s a ‘must see’ for any London visitor. Taking over the building created as a media centre during the 2012 Olympics, this space has been reimagined in the most original way as an exhibition/storage space for the Victoria and Albert Museum’s extensive collection. It’s like a giant cabinet of curiosities with so much to see.
Whilst visiting Kirby Misperton in Yorkshire I was surprised and delighted to discover a picture depicting Frederick Blomberg who is a key character in my historical novel, Prince George & Master Frederick. My book is fiction but it is based on the story of real people and the relationship between two half-brothers – Prince George, the future regent and monarch and Frederick Blomberg who, as an infant, was adopted by King George III and Queen Charlotte and brought up as a prince.
Paper Places 