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.
Intriguing work from Black artists living in the Southern states of America is on show at the Royal Academy in London. ‘Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers’ features work collected by William Arnett who set up a foundation to celebrate the work of artists who used found and recycled materials to create their work.
There are glorious things to be seen at Collect 2023 at Somerset House. Pieces on show at Collect are at that tipping point between art and craft but at such a high level. Artist show how many materials can be used with cleverness and ingenuity to create work of sublime beauty.
Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance at the Victoria and Albert Museum. What a joy to get acquainted with the master sculptor Donatello (1386-1466) whose sensational work captured personality, emotion and a sense of history. Whether working in terracotta, marble, wax or wood he brings an authenticity to the people depicted or the religious scenes he was commissioned to depict. What a knockout show.
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