Brendan Hansbro: Pugin's Dream

Pugin's Dream is an unconventional exhibition with a distinctly gothic feel.Brendan Hansbro has captured the architecture of the Houses of Parliament with characteristic brooding detail, embellishing the well known facades with a playful wit.

Brendan Hansbro, Bouquet, graphite on paper, 94 x 74cm, £975 fr.

In Leviathan an ominous tower looms from a white gold background.The building is transformed by Hansbro's eccentric rendering and his use of white gold leaf, elevating this structure of bricks and mortar to an otherworldly status.Cryptically Hansbro makes it unclear which Leviathan he references in the title; Hobbe's political sovereign or the Biblical serpent and gatekeeper of Hell.Both interpretations feel appropriate,the double meaning further contributing to the mystery surrounding Hansbro's complex, often mythological works.

Brendan Hansbro, Leviathan, graphite and gold leaf on paper, 94 x 74cm, £1250 fr.

 Some of the most popular works of this exhibition have been Hansbro's wood engravings in specially gilded frames.These very intricate prints have been selling well, with the Lion and Unicorn motifs proving to be very appealing to our visitors.These prints breath a little light hearted frivolity into a fairly serious exhibition.They manage to offset the ominous gothic edifices with cheeky characatures, possibly making references to the unsteady relationship between the English and Scottish governments.

Lion and Unicorn; Cling, wood engraving,ed.100, 27 x 21cm, £97.50 fr, £40 uf



Robin Richmond : The Still Point of the Turning World

We are coming to the end of one of our most successful recent shows this Saturday. Robin Richmond's The Still Point of the Turning World seems to have really captured the imagination of so many of our visitors.

The show covers a two year period of sustained travel by the artist, with each painting capturing a particular sensation evoked by the many places which she has visited. These works bring new life to the tradition of landscape painting, reinvigorating this antique subject matter. Each painting treads a line between figuration and abstraction, clearly acknowledging a historical lineage that can be traced through JMW Turners epic landscapes to Mark Rothko’s more serene abstract expressionist works.

Waterland, Outside Amsterdam , 2012acrylic and body on canvas, 120 x 100cm, £6000 SOLD
This cross fertilization of movements is most eloquently illustrated by Waterland (above), which, interestingly, could be seen as homage to both Turner and Rothko in equal measure; retaining the brooding turbulence of Turner’s seascapes but blending this with the melancholy depth characteristic of Rothko’s “multiforms”.

Over the course of the exhibition considerable attention has also been given to Richmond's use of materials. They present a definite mystery, some because of their cryptic titling (“body” a modeling paste used to produce a textured surface causing more intrigue than any other) others because of their peculiar properties. For me, most puzzling of all is the almost contradictory nature of each painting's surface. Many have such a dense texture that the canvas becomes an almost sculptural object.At the same time, however, the image appears translucent; formed from countless layers, all working to form a nebulous space within the painted plane.

As Fragile As Our Clay: Rome, from the studio window, 2011

oil, casein and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100cm, £6000

This balance between the opaque and the translucent can be seen in Rome: As Fragile as our Clay, one of the strongest paintings of the exhibition (and, amazingly, still available!).The thick impasto paintwork on the golden foreground is delicately juxtaposed with a soft, billowy sky creating the extraordinary impression of distance. This relationship seems so effortless and natural in this particular work, but in reality this illusion is almost impossible to create- I’ve never seen it done so effectively before.
The Still Point of the Turning World has been a great achievement for Robin Richmond and should be seen as a solid punctuation in a strong career.  This exhibition feels like a moment of realization, a place where Richmond has found the distillation of her artistic personality. Each work is a fine example of her characteristic language, holding with it a sense of place and atmosphere unmatched in contemporary painting.

25 / 30

Our 25 / 30 exhibition is  a celebration of 25 and 30 years of our two galleries, Curwen Gallery and New Academy Gallery, being on Windmill Street. To commemorate the occassion we have asked each of our gallery artists to make one piece for this show, making this exhibition a good representative of the gallery as a whole.

Michele Noach The Last Flake, lenticular, £1500

Over 50 different artists are included in the exhibition, with a total of 78 different works on display.It is also worth remembering that in most cases we will have a larger selection of each artists work below stairs in the gallery storage.If you see a particular piece you like, feel free to ask to see other work that we hold by that artist.


Bill Pryde Green Apple , screenprint,  £350fr

 From my own observations one of the most popular paintings in the show would be John Brokenshire's Red Pike. It is one of John's most impressive paintings to date and now sits in our window, luring people in from the street.Another very popular piece is Disc (pictured below) by president of the Royal British Society of Sculptors; Johannes von Stumm .This piece is an exceptional piece of work, joining five very different materials into a segmented disc.It is a technically accomplished sculpture with a real presence in the room.


Johannes von Stumm, Disc,
stainless steel, bronze, glass, granite & limestone, £5800



Hot off the Press 11

For any print fans that haven't been already, this years Hot off the Press should be scribbled onto your "things to do list" immediately. Associate Director Natalie Suggitt has chosen the very best work from last years MA graduate shows,making this one of Curwen's most contemporary exhibitions.Anyone concerned about the state of printmaking in England today will be firmly reassured by the quality and diversity of this years graduates.Also, as with all our graduate shows, a great opportunity to buy the work of promising new artists before they become too expensive!

This year we had an immensley positive private view.
It was extremely busy, with many familiar faces from
 the world of printmaking in attendance.

Recieving a lot of attention at the private view was the work of Dolores De Sade, a graduate from the Royal College of Art.Rich with irony and a thoughtful playfulness, De Sade's puts disparate elements together to form surreal environments.These scenes make strange an irreverant comments. What these comments actually refer to is a mystery but one assumes the answers lie deep within tomes of contemporary art theory. That is not to say this work is academic or elitist however. As I write a visitor to the gallery is happily chuckling away to "It Was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times" where a lonely shed is depicted listing the great spread of curries which now make up a staple of the English diet. 

Dolores De Sade
It Was The Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times, £495 fr





















Continuing the strain of surreal imagery Eric Storey, a graduate from Camberwell College of Art, has collaged together images from popular culture to make sinister assemblages.His "Forensics in Fairyland" series seem to address the unconscious mind, using the imagery of nightmares to create narratives and scenarios that unnerve and disorientate.One of the most psychologically arresting of the series is No.4, where a potentially infirm girl clutches a ghost dog while being stalked by a pantomime Cricket man.The full series seem to give a map of the many characters which haunt Storey's personal "other world", with the suggestion that all conspire together to eventually undo him.
 

Eric Storey- Forensics in Fairyland 3, £290 fr

 As a whole Hot off The Press can be viewed as an accurate cross section of current movements in contemporary printmaking.At the same time the exhibition also feels like a cohesive whole, with the different artists sharing many similar attitudes to technique, pallet and content. If you haven't been already, you have until 28th January to catch this remarkable exhibition.

Denise Walker- I, £190 fr



The Print Master: Stanley Jones Speaking on Radio 4 on Tuesday 17th Jan 11:30

Legendary print maker and good friend of the gallery: Stanley Jones will be the focus of a documentary on Radio 4 next week.The program, which examines Stanley's career as the Master Lithographer at Curwen Studio, will be broadcast on Tuesday morning at 11.30.Anyone with even a passing interest in print making should definitely add this program to their diary immediately. It promises to be a fascinating examination of one of the most respected living print makers in the world today.

Stanley Jones and Tom Martin: Party Piece
Currently showing in the Gallery as part of "Curwen Prints"

 The program was recorded recently at the Curwen Studio amongst the thundering and clanking machinery of the print works.It attempts to explore Stanley's many experiences with some of the greatest print makers of the 20 Century.The recording also looks at the current artist in residence at the Curwen Studio, Susan Aldworth.Susan assumes the role of Stanley's apprentice in the show, learning his skills and listening to his many anecdotes.

For any of those not familiar with Stanley Jones' story ( also told by his wonderful book 'Stanley Jones and the Curwen Studio' available at the gallery) Stanley has been the Master Lithographer for over 50 years at the Curwen Studio. In the 50s he spearheaded a rapid expansion in British Printmaking and today he is revered in artistic circles as one of the greatest print makers alive. Now in his 70's Stanley Jones's clients read like a roll call of the 20th century's great British artists, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and David Hockney amongst many others.

 Today lithography is "under threat" as increasing numbers of Art schools have disposed of their lithography presses and there are few technicians who fully understand the process. This is a unique chance to work with the world expert in this discipline, and for the listener to discover more about this art.

Pierre Julien in Metro

Have a look at this brilliant article on one of our artists, Pierre Julien, in todays Metro newspaper,page 3.

It's full of some rather interesting puns, some stretching the English language to capacity.

"He rolls the pioneering popular free paper into 3,000 matchstick-sized tubes, glues them and covers them in varnish.
‘Each animal takes about a month to build,’ he said. ‘When you are working on such a minute scale you have to be extremely patient, making sure each tube is placed correctly.’
‘Each year more and more animals are added to the endangered list and unless we do something to stop it, we will lose some of our most treasured species included the polar bear, tiger, elephant, gorilla, giraffe and black bears.
‘It’s almost unimaginable that we have allowed these great animals to get to the brink of extinction,’ added Mr Julien from London.
The menagerie, named Endangered Species, is at the Curwen Gallery in Fitzrovia, west London until Friday. There’s only one thing missing, a paper tiger."

 If you would like to see Pierre Julien's menagerie, including his paper Tiger, it will be on show in the gallery until Friday 23rd December.After that the collection will be moving to The Rectory Gallery for Menagerie at the Rectory http://www.therectorygallery.com/ until 9th March. Call Curwen Gallery for more information on 0207 323 4700.

The Christmas Show

Our Christmas show has now been running for two weeks and we are pleased to say it has been very successful.The Christmas show is an extremely important exhibition for us.  Our selections for this show try to reflect the gallery as a whole.Much of the work currently on our walls is the work of artists that we have been showing for many years, making this a good exhibition to reflect on the history of the gallery, as well as its future.

Keith Roberts, At Swim, £1500



Susie Perring Into the Sun

 This year we have attempted to include all of our gallery artists as well as trying out a few new additions to the usual core choices . Every artist we will be showing next year is represented in this show, with artists such as Susie Perring (showing in the Rectory Gallery next March- May) and Brendan Hansbro (showing at Curwen in April 2012) causing quite a stir. Lee Sellers also, who will be showing at Curwen next December, has been extremely popular, selling the five paintings we initially hung in one go! Other works such as Keith Roberts At Swim will be familiar to many and much loved by everyone here.



Pierre Julien, Gorrilla, £450

The Christmas show is also a great platform for us to look to the future and to try new artists. This year we have been delighted to show Pierre Julien’s Endangered Species series of sculptures. They are made in a very original fashion- from hundreds of rolled up bits of newspaper. Pierre has very kindly given us a brilliant collection of these animals which will also be showing next year in the Rectory Gallery, during the “Menagerie at the Rectory” exhibition running from January- March 2012.Look out for a short article in Metro newspaper on Pierre, hopefully printed at some point this week.