Monday 9 June 2008

The view from here.




Friday I went to both the Royal College of Art degree show, and then on to the Royal Academy summer show. The former was excellent the best for a long time. They have eschewed the previous marquee and gone back to a split show. On Friday I saw the photography, printmaking fine art, painting and jewellery the latter was just some of the best and most innovative work I have seen for a long time. The photography was very classy always. There is a very strong house style but the prints are of an amazingly high standard. The show was brilliantly curated allowing the individuality of the students to shine through. This for me made it a vintage year as the personalities appeared stronger than for many years.
I will post favourites separately.
After the show I walked back through the streets to find the HackleBury Fine Art in Launceston Place. I had missed the exhibition I wanted to see but was able to wander around the new exhibition that was being hung. Elliott Erwitt. The photographs were rich and diverse, they were the focus of an article in the Guardian magazine the next day. It is not often I am ahead of a preview, but I was here. In the same magazine Launceston Place restaurant was also featured I sadly had only pressed my nose against the window as the prices were slightly steeper than a sandwich, however the menu looked great if only it was closer to home, as my sister remarked W8 seems like another city to us SE girls. The whole area is one of beautiful houses with pretty mews tucked away round every corner which is where the photographs were taken.
The summer show was as good as usual maybe more varied. I was able to get some new names to research which is all to the good.

Visually exhausted I wandered around Dover Street, Bond Street, then down through Soho to meet Daisy and Kitty for a bite to eat at Satsuma.

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