I loved the new exhibition at The Museum of London Docklands. It’s called Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style. And what a contribution it was. From hats to shoes to couture and boutique culture – the fashions of the last two centuries owe a huge amount to the immigrants who brought their skills to London.
The Georgians loved any excuse for a bash. Well, that’s the impression you get from a charming exhibition, Georgian Illuminations, at the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields which opens this week. For a country constantly at war the outbreak of peace in 1814 would have given good cause for celebration. And having a mad monarch in King George III, his recovery to lucidity was worth a party too. On party nights London was bright with fire, fireworks, lights and banners. Those people knew how to party.
There’s a major show of work by Philip Guston at Tate Modern opening this week. I’ve always been intrigued by this American artist but it was a revelation to see his early work in this show. He made the move from figurative art to abstract and then back to figurative. But storytelling is at the heart of his work. Fascinating stuff.
Sarah Lucas, renowned YBA from the early 1990s, has a major show at Tate Britain. She seems as interested as ever in gender, sex, naughty bits and things that wobble. Her famous leggy figures made from fabrics now find form in concrete and metal. The pieces are witty and thought-provoking.
Postponed by the pandemic it’s great that the long-awaited exhibition of work by Marina Abramović has opened at the Royal Academy in London. She is such an original and interesting artist. I was lucky enough to attend the press preview and hear her talk about her work.
Capturing the Moment. It’s what we do with our phone cameras all the time. Tate Modern has just opened an exhibition which explores the way photography has influenced artists using media on a surface and the way artists have inspired photographers to record images in a painterly way.
Visions in Porcelain: A Rake’s Progress. Inspired by Hogarth’s compelling, entertaining and cautionary tale, this fascinating set of eight porcelain vessels made by Bouke de Vries cleverly matches the eight canvases depicting Tom Rakewell’s descent from wealthy young man about town to a victim of greed, debauchery, self-destruction and madness. They’re a delight to see within the glorious surroundings of the Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn.
It’s that time of year again. Yes, the Summer Exhibition is back at the Royal Academy and there are more works of art on show than ever before. The lively hang, co-ordinated by artist David Remfry MBE RA, takes as its them the quote “only connect” (Howards End by E.M. Forster). The sense of the quote is loosely and entertainingly interpreted through the huge variety of work on show.
Paper Places 