Walking the City of London

Category: Special Exhibitions Page 1 of 8

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

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.

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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Noah Davis at the Barbican (plus Spring is on its way).

A review in The Guardian describes Davis (1983-2015) as a great painter, a pioneer of free culture in black working-class Los Angeles and a terrible loss to contemporary art. He died of cancer at the age of 32, leaving a young family, a wildly unconventional gallery and several hundred strange and immemorial paintings.

Motivated by the desire to ‘represent the people around me’, Davis painted figures diving into pools, sleeping, dancing, and looking at art in scenes that can be both realistic and dreamlike, joyful and melancholic. Davis drew from anonymous photography, personal archives, film, art history and his imagination to create a ravishing body of work. Often enigmatic, his paintings reveal a deep feeling for humanity and the emotional textures of the everyday.

The Barbican Exhibition runs until Sunday 11 May …

Here is a small selection from the work on display.

Some more images from my visit.

I kept bumping into this very stylish couple …

A lovely exhibition – I really enjoyed my visit.

After the frankly depressing weather of recent weeks, I have been desperately searching for signs of the coming Spring. I thankfully found them at Bunhill and around the Barbican Estate …

That little walkabout cheered me up a lot.

And I really love this modest initiative on Moor Lane …

On a sombre note, I think it’s appropriate to mention that this year is the 50th anniversary of the terrible Moorgate train crash. Forty three people lost their lives and there are two memorials, one in Finsbury Square …

… and the other on the station wall …

The cause of the disaster remains a mystery.

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