Tag Archives: Art

The Muses of Jean Paul Gaultier

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Barbican Art Gallery, London

Exhibition dates: 9 April – 25 August 2014

Media View, Tuesday 8 April 2014, 10.30am to 3pm

 

“I am impressed by the way Annie Kevans captured the different types of beauties that have been my inspiration and my muses from my grandmother to artists like David Bowie and Boy George.”

Jean Paul Gaultier

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British artist Annie Kevans has been commissioned by exhibition curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot to create a series of works for the exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Gaultier: From The Sidewalk To The Catwalk.  Exhibited for the first time at the Barbican Galleries from 9th April to 25th August 2014, then to the National Galleries of Victoria in Melbourne (17th October 2014 – 8th February 2015) and Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris (1st April – 3rd August 2015).

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On Kevans’ new series, Loriot says: “Annie Kevans’ work caught my attention years ago when I saw her fantastic oil paintings ‘All The Presidents Girls’ at Volta in New York. As she is a great storyteller who works in series, I thought she was the best artist to create these eye-catching and delicate portraits that tell Gaultier’s story about his muses and inspirations, all great characters, these paintings translate well the humanist message in his work. I am delighted Kevans is now taking part in the exhibition tour.”

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Annie was delighted to be commissioned to create a series depicting Jean Paul Gaultier’s 30 muses, as well as 2 paintings of Jean Paul Gaultier himself, for the touring exhibition already seen by more than one million visitors.  The artist sees the series as an exploration of creativity. Annie Kevans said: “In fashion, and in culture in general, we always wonder where ideas come from.  I think it’s wonderful that Jean Paul Gaultier is able to honour his muses and their creativity which has inspired his own.  I think we’ve all been influenced by Jean Paul Gaultier’s ideas, from his celebration of the unusual to his subverting of the familiar.  The strong social message in his work is very inspiring to create works that reflect society and celebrate different types of beauty, without following the fixed standards of beauty presented by the fashion industry – all genders, body sizes, skin colours, religions and ages are included in his world.”

 

The Muses are:

 

Tanel Bedrossiantz

Christine Bergstrom

David Bowie

Boy George

Naomi Campbell

Lily Cole

Tim Curry

Agyness Deyn

Beth Ditto

Jourdan Dunn

Karen Elson

Aitize Hanson

Farida Khelfa

Fredérique Lorca

Madonna

Françis Menuge

Kate Moss

Kristen McMenamy

Kylie Minogue

Erin O’Connor

Rossy de Palma

Jade Parfitt

Gaultier’s Grandmother Marie

Micheline Presle

Stella Tenant

Andrej Pejic

Anna Pawlowski

Stéphane Sednaoui

Dita von Teese

Amy Winehouse

 

All works are oil on paper and 40 x 30 cm.

Annie Kevans has also produced a painting of Jean Paul Gaultier and a copy of this is available to buy as a limited edition print through the Barbican.

 

ANNIE KEVANS

Born Cannes, France, 1972

Lives and works in London
www.anniekevans.com

Since graduating from Central St. Martins in 2004, when Charles Saatchi bought her series of 30 paintings of dictators as young boys (Boys), Kevans has had solo exhibitions in New York, London, Vienna and Antwerp.  She recently received excellent reviews when her Boys were shown in the Paper exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery.  Annie Kevans is known for her series of ‘portraits’ (not always based on real documentation), which deal with difficult issues, often presenting us with alternative histories in an attempt to explore ideas which impact on current culture.  With the series Girls she looked at the sexualisation of childhood and with All the Presidents’ Girls she portrayed US presidential mistresses throughout history.  She has been a finalist in the Women of the Future awards and the Jerwood Drawing Prize and her work can be found in major collections including the Pallant House Gallery, the Saatchi Collection and 21c Museum, as well as the personal collections of Stephen Fry, Marc Quinn, David Roberts, Adam Sender and Jean Pigozzi.

Currently, Annie Kevans’ work can be seen in Politricks at Beursschouwburg in Brussels, in War and Trauma at Museum Dr Guislain in Belgium and in All About Eve at Fifty One Too in Antwerp.  Her next solo exhibition will be opening at the Fine Art Society in London on 13 May. Women and the History of Art will feature portraits of successful female artists from the past 500 years, many of whom have been all but written out of art history.

In the first major exhibition devoted to the celebrated French couturier, we invite you to explore Jean Paul Gaultier’s fashion world. With his avant-garde fashion creations and cutting-edge designs, Gaultier has shaped the look of fashion over the last 40 years. His reputation for witty and daring designs and a ceaseless interest in society, identity and a beauty borne of difference has earned him a place in fashion history.

Gaultier is fascinated by world cultures and countercultures, conceiving a new kind of fashion in both the way it is made and worn. Through twists, transformations, transgressions and reinterpretations, he not only erases the boundaries between cultures but also the sexes, redefining the idea of androgyny or subverting fashion codes.

This theatrically-staged exhibition brings together more than 190 cutting-edge couture and ready-to-wear garments including iconic costumes for film and performance from the early 1970s to the present day. The infamous conical bra and corsets Madonna wore during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour are showcased alongside stage costumes designed for Kylie Minogue as well as pieces created for the films of Pedro Almodóvar and Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element.

Gaultier’s rich collaborations with renowned artists and photographers such as Miles Aldridge, David LaChapelle, Pierre et Gilles, Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Stéphane Sednaoui, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol are also shown together with footage of catwalk presentations, concerts, music videos, films, dance performances and Gaultier’s cult television show Eurotrash.

 

 

A Day In Bloomsbury | Travel & London Gems

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Out of all of the boroughs in London, Bloomsbury is one that holds a special place in my heart. It is a classy, beautiful borough with a very special touch, an air of sophistication and lots of great independent shops. It also has culture at The British Museum.

We headed to Store Street to eat, drink and be merry.

Our first stop was The Life Goddess for lunch.

The Life Goddess is an amazing Greek deli which also sells lots of amazing Greek produce. We started with an amazing platter which had lots of great dips, cheese, olives and vegetables. (a tomato is actually a fruit but you get my point), and then for mains we had Roasted Vegetables in a light tomato sauce and a pork belly with potatoes in an amazing sauce. We didn’t have time for dessert as we had to head to The British Museum. The food was good and reasonably priced.

We also had some really good white wine and a rosé. We really liked The Life Goddess. It has great food and a relaxed atmosphere. I would also recommend the Life Goddess for vegetarians. The platters are great and the roasted vegetables dish I had was amazing. And that is coming from a carnivore.

29 Store St, London WC1E 7BS
020 7637 2401, @TheLifeGoddess

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Beyond El Dorado exhibition at the British Museum.

I love the British Museum and was very excited to go to the Beyond El Dorado exhibition. With 200 artifacts from Bogota’s ‘Museum of Gold’, it was more bling than Jay-Z, Beyonce, Elizabeth Taylor and J-Lo combined. El Dorado means– literally “the golden one” and the magpie in me was in heaven. The exhibition was brilliant, if a little busy. People were queuing round the block. (which isn’t a complaint as art should be seen by as many people as possible)

The exhibition is full of wonderful models and masks made of gold and wonderful literature to read on the walls. This is an eye-opening exhibition not just because of the objects on display, but also because of all of the facts, videos and information. The connection of gold and cocaine (mixed with lime!) in Colombia was also interesting. It would seem decadence was the order of the day in ancient Colombia and we were rather shocked but glad to have had a glimpse of it.

We also managed to catch a glimpse of the Rosetta Stone. Something no one should go to London without seeing at least once.

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Next up was dinner at Busaba Eathai.

It is quite shameful that we had never eaten at Busaba Eathai before, and, jeez, had we missed out. The food is amazing, the drinks are amazing and the entire place is first-rate. The manager was knowledgeable, friendly, generous, funny and was known and liked by a large amount of the diners. There was a lot of regulars.

We started off with the selection below. Yes, started. One of Busaba Eathai‘s most popular dishes is the Thai Calamari with ginger and peppercorn. It’s the one at the top of the picture. It’s amazing. One of the best calamari dishes I have ever had. We also had fishcakes (yummy and with a great sauce), pandan leaf chicken which falls apart when you open the leaf and a great yellow bean dish which had a good kick to it.

Our mains were equally amazing, I had a curry that was specifically made milder for me. For drinks we also had one of the best prosecco’s I have ever had, an good beer and excellent non-alcoholic cocktails. I had an amazing Grapefruit mojito with vanilla, mint, lime and chilli.

Busaba Eathai is a brilliant restaurant and I will join their large following of regular customers. It is also possible to have a great meal without blowing your budget here. There are many branches in London so check out their website below.

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We finished with tea and biscuits.

@busabaeathai

http://busaba.com/

Address: 22 Store St, London WC1E 7DF
Phone:020 7299 7900
We were incredibly impressed with how beautiful Store Street was. You can spend an entire day there, eating well and taking in the atmosphere, along with some boutique shopping. A real London gem.

Other places to check out on Store Street are One Alfred Place, Frost’s first ever restaurant review (oh, the nostalgia) and the Store Street Gallery.

@storestreetwc1

What do you think?

The Kills In New Online Film Exploring Double Acts In Art

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In Unlock Art: Great Double Acts, The Kills investigate the importance of collaboration to the artistic process, and how artists have always collaborated in some form or other throughout history including Rubens, Jeff Koons, Gilbert & George and Jake and Dinos Chapman. The film challenges the popular myth: that art is made by solitary, angst-ridden artists, and reveals just how varied and abundant artistic creation can be when collaboration is involved.

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This is the sixth Unlock Art film in the series of eight produced in collaboration between Tate and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts which aims to unlock the big stories and ideas behind art. Other presenters in the series include author and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter, HBO Girls star Jemima Kirke, actor Alan Cumming and new Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi.

Unlock Art aims to take viewers on a journey through various art movements and themes, from the history of the nude and humour in art, to Surrealism and Pop – offering the need-to-know facts, and making the arts more accessible to a wider audience.

Le Méridien ‘Unlock Art’ microsite: www.lemeridien.com/filmseries

#UnlockArt

Coldplay’s New Album Art By Mila Furstova For Ghost Stories

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On the 3rd of the 3rd 2014 Coldplay unveiled their 6th studio album, Ghost Stories, with album art by the great Czech artist Mila Fürstová. Mila said: “I let the etching flow listening to the lyrics”.

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Album Artists present these works by Mila in collaboration with Coldplay, as an original series of etchings and limited edition prints.

Chelsea Art Fair | Events

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After last year’s successful relaunch of the new Chelsea Art Fair under the directorship of Ben Cooper, it will be returning to the Chelsea Old Town Hall and open to the public from Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13, 2014. Offering an equally wide selection of well-known artists and some new discoveries, 40 of the most respected modern and contemporary art galleries from around the country will bring their highlights – many shown on the London Fair scene for the first time.

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Flat and three-dimensional works of art with prices up to £50,000, making this the perfect Fair for keen collectors and first-time buyers alike. The chic boutique Fair encourages visitors to take their time to look around and talk to dealers in a relaxing, contemporary atmosphere.

This year, the Fair sees some of the best galleries from Cornwall and Devon exhibiting on the King’s Road, including Falmouth-based Beside the Wave, Lighthouse Gallery and Stoneman Gallery from Penzance and Totnes dealer White Space Art. They are bringing a wide range of art depicting the South West of England and artists from the region.

For the first time, Didier Ltd will be selling iconic jewellery by leading 20th-century painters, sculptors, designers and architects, and as such bringing a new dimension to the Fair, which will work well with some jewellery by other contemporary artists sold by some of the exhibiting galleries.

Several galleries will be exhibiting sculptural art as well, but the leaders in life-sized sculptures are Muse,The Sculpture Gallery. Muse’s key sculptor Philip Jackson will be joined by several other established and emerging UK and European sculptors. While the Sheridan Russell Gallery focus on UK artists, among them Shaun Brosnan, Stephen Page and Mel Fraser, who will create a life-size sculpture especially for the Chelsea Art Fair.

Other top end galleries and contemporary art dealers exhibiting include Francis Iles Gallery, Camburn Fine Art, Carina Haslam Art, Woodbine Contemporary Arts, Wren Gallery and The Russell Gallery, who will bring works by artists collected by well-known art collectors, museums and celebrities around the world.

There will be some exciting talks on various aspects of modern and contemporary art to give visitors the opportunity to engage more with the art on view (more info below).
The Chelsea Art Fair will support the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People Charity again this year and a percentage of specific works of art will go directly to the charity.

When: THURSDAY, APRIL 10 to SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2014
Where: CHELSEA OLD TOWN HALL, LONDON SW3 5EE
Open: Thursday, 11-9, Friday & Saturday 11-6, Sunday 11-5
Cost: £6
Up-to-date information and E-Tickets: can be found on www.chelseaartfair.org or on Twitter and Facebook.
Tours: There will be several tours around the fair, available to book on the day at a cost of £10, including entry and 50% of which will be going to the charities.
Friday, 12 April: 14.30 How to decorate your home with art
Saturday, 13 April: 14.30 Investing in art
Sunday, 14 April: 14.30 An introductory tour on how to start your own art collection

 

14 Facts About The Queen

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  1. HM_The_Queen_and_Prince_PhilipThe Queen owns no property outside Britain.
  2. She owns at least 30 furs. They are worth a reported £1 million. There is a refrigerated fur store at Buckingham Palace.
  3. Her estimated worth is more than £100 million.
  4. Her investments are held by a company called Bank Of England Nominees. It allows heads of states to buy shares anonymously.
  5. Under the ancient law of Bona Vacantia, The Queen is entitled to the property of those who die without heirs within the Duchy’s realm, the Country Palatine. The Queen still gets this money but apparently gives it to charity.
  6. She earns at least £1 million a month minimum.
  7. The Sovereign Grant, the amount of money the Queen gets from the government, was £31 million in 2012/13.
  8. The Royal Collection consists of 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawing and 150,000 Old Masters prints.
  9. The royal cars at Sandringham are worth an estimated £7.1 millionfacts about the queen, Queen
  10. She doesn’t need a passport and is the only person in the United Kingdom who is not required to have a driving licence in order to drive. She also does not require number plates on any of her cars. The official website of the British monarchy says, “As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it is unnecessary for The Queen to possess one.”
  11. William and Harry just call her ‘granny’
  12. No alarm clock: she wakes to the sound of her personal bagpiper every morning.
  13. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms.
  14. She met Prince Phillip when she was just 13.

I Heart Studios Unveil Ben Sherman Collaboration

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I Heart Studios unveil their next collaboration for Week Two of their Shoreditch Art Wall Takeover

Kicking off week two of I Heart Studios’ takeover of the Shoreditch Art Wall, is British heritage brand – Ben Sherman. 
From January 29th, the 60 square metre space will showcase the Ben Sherman S/S14 Parachute Collection as portrayed by the creative and conceptual photography of I Heart Studios.

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The East London street canvas exhibits the experimental use of product photography that enhances the geometric fabrics and prints used throughout the Ben Sherman Parachute Collection.  I Heart Studios have showcased the lightweight and transparent style of the fabric to create an abstract quality to the product range.

I Heart Studios Creative Director Martin Winslade comments:-  “We’re always inspired by the way product photography can be highly conceptual and experimental so it tells an interesting brand story.  We loved the Ben Sherman Parachute collection because of the way it was inspired by fabric and geometric pattern, so we wanted to create images that represented the essence of the product and embodied the contemporary feel of this collection”

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Following on from the Spitfire Sunglasses collaboration, which showcased their new S/S 2014 collection, I Heart Studios will continue to display their curated selection of collaborations until February 19th 2014 with Underated London and Fault Magazine.

The collaborations not only illustrate the strong brand relationships held by I Heart Studios, but also the diversity of what the Studios offer. From conceptual and creative product shots to lifestyle and studio based editorial photography, I Heart Studios are pioneers of digital visual content with an instinctive understanding of the market and the rich variety of brands within it.

Celia Birtwell Portraits By David Hockney On Display

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Portraits of textile designer Celia Birtwell will be on display during Dulwich Picture Gallery’s major exhibition ‘Hockney, Printmaker’ (5 February- 11 May 2013). The show is timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of David Hockney’s first print, and will provide an instructive and entertaining overview of the artist’s career as printmaker. Grouped by theme and technique in a series of displays, the exhibition featuring over 100 works will include eight portraits of Celia created between 1973 and 1998.

Celia first saw Hockney in 1968 in Portobello Road, and later met him again through Ossie Clark who was friends with Hockney at the Royal College of Art. After this time she became a regular presence in the artist’s work, including his prints; of which she features in approximately 30, constituting about a quarter of his total printed portrait oeuvre. A shared interest in aesthetics and a fascination with each other’s work and style have drawn them together. Hockney said “She’s playful, funny. When I first met her, I was attracted to the fact that she could make me laugh, and that’s a very big appeal to me”

Celia Birtwell portraits by David Hockney on display
Hockney’s depictions of her show his attitude towards portraiture in general, that it should be based on a psychological insight into his sitters’ lives, hence his aversion to commissioned portraits. Hockney believes that you can only draw someone when you know them and the closer the relationship the better the portrait.

Many of the Celia portraits reference the private, domestic scenes of Matisse and late 19th century artists such as Degas, depicting women engaged in routine activities, dreaming or sunk in thought. The portraits of her included in the show span a quarter of a century, and we can see that as Hockney grew in confidence, they became increasingly vibrant, energetic and bold, such as An Image of Celia, State II (1984-86). He created his larger lithographs, such as Big Celia Print #2, using long-handled brushes and dilute lithographic inks. The drips and splashes attest to the speed with which the prints were executed; a refreshing contrast to traditional lithographic portraits, which often took days to complete.

Celia Birtwell said:

“We have always felt completely comfortable in each other’s company. We amused each other. I found posing for him to be a very intimate, and silent, affair…Before commencing we have a conversation about how he wants me to look. I could look left or right. He may say, ‘Move your arm.’ ‘Sit further back.’ ‘Look out of the window.’ then comes the moment when he suddenly says, ‘I like that.’ whilst he’s drawing me I can see the intensity, struggle and concentration on his face. The intensity is extraordinary. After an hour or so he’ll say, ‘do you want to take a break, luvvie?’ Sometimes I take a peek at the portrait, other times I prefer to wait until it’s finished. He always says he doesn’t appeal to vanity. Whatever my feelings are, they are always amazing.”

‘Hockney, Printmaker’ is curated by Richard Lloyd, International Head of the Print Department at Christie’s. Loans have been secured from key lenders including Salt’s Mill, Saltaire, David Hockney Inc., David Hockney Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Washington, National Gallery of Art, Canberra, Bradford Museums and Galleries, Tate and Private Collections. A fully illustrated colour catalogue published by Scala accompanies the exhibition and features an illuminating text by Celia Birtwell. It will explore the key themes in the exhibition in the context of the artist’s biography, together with texts from contributors such as Marco Livingstone, John Kasmin, Peter Tatchell and Martin Gayford.

Image: Celia Birtwell sitting for Hockney as he draws Celia with Wind and Snow from his Weather series and Chair – ,- The Colony, Malibu pinned to wall. Gemini G.E.L., artist’s studio, Los Angleles, California. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, gift of Kenneth Tyler 2001.