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Check out the latest must-see exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery. On show until 27 May 2012.
The planing of the exhibition was well under way with the enthusiastic input of Lucien Freud (born 1922) himself until his death in July 2011 at the age of 88. He was literally painting until he dropped. His last, unfinished, picture ’Portrait of the Hound 2011′ of his long-time assistant David Dawson posing nude alongside his dog Eli is included in the show.
Other works range from an early self-portrait, ‘Man with a Feather,’ 1943, first picture, above, (Private Collection, copyright The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive.) ‘Two Irishmen in W11,’ 1984-5, second picture, above (Private Collection, Ireland, copyright The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive.)
The ‘Girl with a White Dog,’ 1950-1 third picture, above (Tate: Purchased 1952, copyright Tate, London 2012) is of Freud’s first wife, Kitty Garman. The fourth picture, above, ‘The Brigadier,’ 2003-4 (Private Collection, copyright The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive) is of his friend and riding companion Andrew Parker Bowles.
Next, is another self-portrait, ‘Reflection,’ 1985 (Private Collection, Ireland, copyright The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive) painted when Freud was in his sixties, and particularly introspective. Finally, an early work, in 1947, ‘Girl in a Dark Jacket’ ( (Private Collection, copyright The Lucian Freud Archive. Photo: Courtesy Lucian Freud Archive) of his first wife Kitty, painted using fine sable brushes.
As his work progressed it became bigger, bolder, more dramatic. He said: ‘What do I ask of a painting? I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince.’ Mary, Houses Editor
We’re partial to a bit of concrete at Livingetc, but even we were wowed by the many beautiful ways it’s been used in architecture. Architectonic: Concrete Walls (1958-1980) is a temporary exhibition telling the story of concrete in buildings, running until 15 April at the Atomium in Brussels. It’s a great excuse for a spring city break, but if you can’t make it, click through and enjoy more designs. Sarah, chief sub-editor
Somehow, it never occurred to me that Alvar Aalto’s iconic vase was mouth-blown. But it is, by master glass blowers at the Iittala factory in Helsinki. Very clever. Apparently, there are only two men capable of blowing the really giant ones, which are so heavy, the process has a habit of dislocating the blower’s shoulder. Talk about suffering for their art.
Mo, acting news editor.
Harriet Style Director and myself have just come back from Helsinki, which is gearing up for a year of celebrations to mark its World Design Capital status. The trip was as inspiring as it was freezing (and the sea was frozen, to give you an idea of how freezing it was).
What did we find? Design in Finland is truly democratic. Just as I might place ‘design’ items on a pedestal, regular Fins expect them to be part of their everyday lives. We ate in all manner of cafes and restaurants and every time we lifted up a fork or a plate to check, there was the name Iitalla or Arabia. Made in Finland and used in Finland. We had a very interesting conversation with Pekka Timonen, director of the World Design Capital, who pointed out that Finland is only 200 years old and has never had a monarchy, so well-designed items haven’t filtered down from the aristocracy or mean to say something about your wealth or status. Sounds lovely.
Visiting the historic (and very much still active) Arabia Factory, above, was a highlight… click through for the delights we found inside.
Mo, acting news editor
Is this the most fun you could have in a car park? When Craig & Carl were let loose in a grey underground garage in Sydney, they reached past the neutrals in favour of every bright shade they could think of to produce this bold geometric pattern, titled 72DP. How much more uplifting would Saturday shopping be if we could start the day here? NCP take note…
Photography: Katherine Lu
Source: weheart.co.uk
When you go to a gallery, there’s usually some sort of barrier (real or supposed) between you and the art, which is what makes the Saatchi Gallery‘s new collaboration with Hyatt Regency London The Churchill (a central London five-star hotel) all the more pleasing. Many of the bold works in One Giant Leap are new to the Saatchi collection and haven’t been seen elsewhere), but here they are – in the lobby, in the restaurant, even disguised as a flower display. They have the effect of completely modernising what is a classically decorated space. I loved Boo Ritson‘s photographs (seen above, to the right of the giant hippo, of course), they made me want to sit for her, slathered in paint. Guests might be taken aback by Martin Honert’s giant Reisen sculptures, though, which loom like Neanderthal man in Uniqlo. They make you remember what it was like to inhabit a child’s world, looking up at adults. There are also works by Dexter Dalwood, Chantal Joffe and more.
And the exhibition doesn’t stop on the ground floor. You can also sleep in the Saatchi Suite, surrounded by more specially selected works. The bathroom is tiled in soap – an installation by Celine Fitoussi, just like this. It looks brilliant, look out for this in a future issue of Livingetc! But, to us design-lovers, the furniture and lighting in the suite is just as much of an artistic statement. And it’s a very good statement, being key pieces from Fritz Hansen. The Egg! The Swan! The Kaiser Idell! The Favn! This suite is my dream flat. Book in here from 1 February to 30 April. Mo, acting news editor.
While driving down the A27 you may not expect to be wowed by amazing architecture, but take a trip off the M23 towards Shoreham and there is not one but two buildings that will tempt your eyes off the road. The first, perched atop a distant hill is Lancing college chapel, which, with its dreamy gothic style spires is more Hogwarts than Hogwarts itself. It’s actually gothic reproduction, built in 1868 in a 14th century stylee with 13th century French influences (so says Wikipedia) but who cares when it looks this pretty? Then BOOM! Hunched right next to the road theres this bad boy – the abandoned remains of Shoreham cement works, which closed in 1991. This image does nothing convey it’s vast scale, nor does it translate how blood chillingly terrifying it looks in the flesh, but by golly, you wouldn’t want to find yourself there after dark. Anyhow, two very different but none the less incredible buildings that made me stop and stare. Which is your favourite? Claudia xx
We’re smitten with these five limited-edition rugs from www.christopherfarr.com and The Courtauld Gallery. We clocked them with a contemporary living space in mind, but the beautifully bold designs actually date back 100 years. They were produced by the Omega Workshops (1913-1919), a group of avant-garde designers who were inspired by contemporary European art. Enjoy them, alongside facsimilies of the original designs, at www.somersethouse.org.uk between 3 May and 24 June, or, if you’re feeling flush, buy one – £5,000 to £15,000.
Popped in to East London’s Whitechapel Gallery yesterday and was truly inspired by the small but fascinating Rothko in Britain exhibition. The Abstract Expressionist’s work was first seen in the UK at The Whitechapel in 1961, and to mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark occasion, a set of archive photographs capturing the reactions of attendees at the time is on display, alongside various letters and instructions from Rothko.
I love the way the images capture a fascinating period when society was about to go psychedelic, yet World War II was still part of living memory. I couldn’t help dwelling on who these people were, and what they thought of the work…
Duffel coat. Check. Stovepipes. Check. Nerdy specs. Natch. No doubt these intellectual chaps went on to analyse the art in a Soho coffee shop…
Wonder what these women, who I like to think were called Doris and Ethel, made of Light Red Over Black?
Amazing to think Marjorie and her cronies on the right lived through the Blitz, while the bearded Beatnik on the left might still be a working as a City fat cat or a human rights campaigner. You decide.
The little boy would be middle-aged now. I hope he’s still passionate about art.
The free exhibition continues until February 26.
– Neil, deputy editor
The Haunch of Venison on London’s Bond Street has a brilliant free exhibition on right now called The Mystery of Appearance. It was fantastic to see lesser-known pieces by Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and David Hockney, but for me, the star of the show was Frank Auerbach. It’s a shame that the internet isn’t 3D, as to really get a sense of these amazing paintings you have to get close to the thick layers of paint. I wrote ‘ordered chaos’ in my notebook, also ‘intense movement’. Epic! Love the dense, muted colours, too. Just the thing to inspire the team as we begin to think about shoots for Autumn/Winter 2012. Mo.x
