Allen Jones: Maîtresse

Really enjoyed this exhibition of Jones's Maîtresse series of paintings that began originally as a movie poster commission for the 1975 Barbet Schroeder film Maîtresse - which related the tale of an obsessive, sadomasochistic relationship between a petty criminal and a professional dominatrix. It is the first time all of the paintings in the series have been exhibited together.

Jones kept the original painting out of the public eye after the films release, and in 2008 began to revisit the Maîtresse theme as an exercise in colour and form. I think he handles colour really well, and I like the way he uses hues from the warmer end of the spectrum to reflect the racy subject matter. I also like his use of slabs of thick impasto paint on the picture surface as a conterpoint to the slick, shiny latex costumes of the dominatrix and the harsh stage-lighting effects.

Loved the sly reference to a certain French artist in the painting above. On the ground floor of the impressive Mayfair building in which the exhibition takes place is one of Jones's life-size sleek sculptures of a cool, shaven headed maîtresse, and some developmental drawings which show his thought processes for this series of paintings. 

Allen Jones: Maîtresse
until 29th April
Michael Werner Gallery
22 Upper Brook Street
London
london@michaelwerner.com 
 

Gesture V & VI

Gestures V and VI - the latest two in the series, are now framed and ready to go out into the world. Contact Cambridge Contemporary Art, Orso Major, or The Rowley Gallery to get your hands on them. Alternatively contact me direct if you'd like first dibs!

El Anatsui: New Work

Last visited the October Gallery exactly a year ago, to see - a show by El Anatsui! How quickly a year has flown! This is a show of new works however, and contains more of his signature 'cloths' constructed from thousands of discarded bottle-tops. They are like chain-mail or armour, just wonderfully sculptural, and reflect the light beautifully. I love the way their construction makes them warp and buckle when hung on the wall. A great show.

El Anatsui: New Works
until 2nd April
October Gallery
24 Old Gloucester Street
London
www.octobergallery.co.uk
 

Deborah Klein: Butterflies Through Others Eyes #19

Australian artist Deborah Klein's mysterious series of Moth-masks.

Tibor Reich

Visited the Tibor Reich exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester, recently. I really enjoyed the mid-century imagery on display created by Reich who is credited with being one of the designers responsible for modernising textiles in this country. Reich was of Hungarian origin, and trained in Vienna before moving to Britain in the 1930s and setting up his own successful design company - Tibor Ltd whose designs introduced a much needed shot of colour to a grey, post-war Britain. Some lovely examples of the colours, graphic styling and ceramics below.

Complementing the Tibor Reich exhibition beautifully is Wallpaper, a show featuring highlights from the Whitworth's collection of mid-century wallpapers which includes designs by Lucienne Day among others. Some of my favourites were snapped below. The display runs until September.

I found this short film of Reich explaining his inspiration and design process on YouTube. Enjoy!

Tibor Reich

until August 2016

Whitworth Art Gallery

Oxford Road

Manchester

www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk