Symbols & Secrets – Walking the City of London

‘To take a leaf out a book’ at the Barbican Library (plus, coming up, Huma Bhabha encounters Giacometti).

On 24th April 2025

Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell have been working collaboratively as ‘Good Wives and Warriors’ for nearly 20 years since graduating from the Glasgow School of Art. Their work has been featured in The Guardian, New Scientist and on the BBC as well as illustrated campaigns for Ren Skincare, Tiger Beer, Absolut, Adidas, Swatch and Tic-Tac.

They are now primarily illustrating elaborate non-fiction children’s books for publishers such as Laurence King, Big Picture Press, Wide Eyed Press, Penguin and Puffin.

‘To take a leaf out a Book’ shows the workings of their richly illustrated picture books, featuring their original hand painted illustrations and published books, full of mythical creatures, plants and animals. It’s great fun – here are some images from the exhibition which runs until 28th April.

Strawberry Squid …

Coral Reef …

Allosauros …

The Prehistotic World …

Great fun and well worth a visit (and some of the work is for sale if you’re interested).

On show outside the library are four monumantal sculptures by Huma Bhabha. These gigantic forms represent the ancient and the modern, the human and the non-human, and draw inspiration from 1980s and 1990s horror and fantasy films …

The works herald the opening of a new gallery on 8th May in the space previously occupied by the Searcy restaurant. Entitled Huma Bhabha Encounters: Giacometti, the sculptures in this show will span nearly a century of artmaking, their mediums ranging across plaster, bronze, terracotta, and found objects. Works from across Bhabha’s career will be displayed alongside iconic works by Giacometti made mostly in the aftermath of World War II.

Hope you had a nice Easter – I’m still finishing off the chocs …

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Evelyn De Morgan at the Guildhall Art Gallery.

By The City Gent

On 17th April 2025

In Art, Special Exhibitions

I’m ashamed to say the the name Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919) was new to me but I have since discovered that she was one of the most remarkable artists of her generation. She has been described as ‘a pioneering artist whose richly coloured paintings reflect themes of feminism, spirituality, and a passionate rejection of war and materialism. Admired by Oscar Wilde and fellow artist William Holman Hunt, her work remains as powerful as ever’.

The Guildhall Art Gallery is presenting ‘Evelyn De Morgan: The Modern Painter in Victorian London’ to celebrate the work of this extraordinary artist who flew in the face of convention.

There follows a description of a few of the beautiful works on display. The signage is excellent so no point in me adding to it.

Some personal items …

A very early painting …

‘Study from life’ – An early work (c.1873) made whilst Evelyn was a student at the Slade school …

Due to the social conventions of the time, Evelyn and other women artists had difficulty accessing male models. This led her to use female models for male figures.

The Grey Sisters (1880-1881) …

Cadmus and Harmonia (1877) …

Death of the Dragon (1914-1918) was painted towards the end of the war as a final apocalyptic confrontation between good and evil …

The radiant angel is shown descending to defeat the dragons and protect the figures at the front of the painting who are shown in a moment of desperation. Although the scene seems bleak, it represents a hopeful vision for the end of war.

The Poor Man who Saved the City (1901) …

Our Lady of Peace (1907) …

The Storm Spirits (1900) …

Earthbound (1897) …

In a desolate place, an aged king covets his hoard of gold, oblivious to the Angel of Death approaching and a freed spirit rising into the sky in the distance.

The Hourglass (1904-1905) …

The seated figure, richly attired in an opulent setting, gazes on the hourglass sands running out, at her feet is a book entitled ‘Mors Janua Vitae ‘ – Death is the Doorway to Everlasting Life. Unheeded outside the open doorway stands the figure of Life Immortal, piping in the sunlight. The model was Jane Morris, widoew of William Morris.

It’s a fabulous exhibition, and the above is just a small example of the works on display. There is also a lavishly illustrated guide which tells the fascinating story of Evelyn’s life. Entry is free or ‘pay what you wish’.

PS: Couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Lord Mayor’s ‘Roller’ outside the Guildhall …

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Special Spring edition – a visit to the Barbican Conservatory (and a few images of local flowers).

By The City Gent

On 10th April 2025

In Animals, Architecture, Flowers

Atop the Barbican’s main theatre, wrapped around the fly tower, sits a two-story conservatory filled with lush greenery, somewhat at odds with the dull grey of the rest of the estate. This conservatory is the second largest in London (after Kew Gardens) and home to over 1,500 species of plants, but is one of the city’s lesser-known green spaces …

It was opened in 1982 and was intended to be a major visitor attraction and indoor green oasis for Londoners. However, visitor numbers were low. Over the years, the City Corporation reduced opening hours and instead leased the conservatory out as a venue for private parties and corporate events. Visiting is restricted to Friday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 and Sundays from mid-day to 7:00 pm and you need to book a timed ticket. I went last Sunday at 1:00 and it was quite a comfortable viewing since ticketing has obviously led to good crowd control (you can book here).

Here are some of my images, starting with a resident terrapin (apparently ‘liberated’ from Hampstead Ponds) …

Images from the main tropical house …

I thought this was quite spooky and serpentine …

Some rather shy coi carp to finish with …

There is also an arid house, which is filled with cacti and succulents, but this was closed, so here are some pictures I took there when I visited back in 2018 …