My reflections on art, collectors, marchers and contemporary art auctions
The importance of texture at London Art Week
Art Week in London offers enlightening perspectives from June 29th to July 6th
German and English are full of false friends - and we're not talking about Boris Johnson or Theresa May here, but rather on a purely linguistic level. "Sensible", "pregnant", "pathetic", "iritate", "decent", "apart", to name just a few examples, have a completely different meaning when translated into German - from the unspeakable "denglisms" such as "mobile phone". , "Wellness" or "Overtourism" not to mention. Texture is a very similar case. In English, that includes much more, extends over numerous additional, often subliminal, only emotionally tangible levels of meaning that it lacks in German. The word encompasses the quality of an object, but also its material, surface, structure, finish and texture. Art plays with dimensions, but rarely with "texture". Tactile quality may just play a bigger role for the artist and his creative process. Seen in this way, "Texture" is the magical ingredient of a work of art that opens up an additional, haptic dimension for customers, viewers and consumers - admittedly largely inaccessible to the average consumer - or rather: unaffordable.
Texture as a common thread
"Texture" is also a common thread that runs through this year's London Art Week, a thread that can be traced again and again, sometimes obviously and intentionally, sometimes subtly hinted at, in the exhibition subjects, the chosen presentation and of course the objects themselves . London Art Week is taking place this year from June 29th to July 6th, right in the middle of the soccer World Cup. For the fan (soccer and art - they exist!) precise scheduling is therefore advisable. Around 40 international galleries and dealers are taking part, often in coordination with their English colleagues. The meeting points are the districts of Mayfair and St. James, traditional locations for high-standard galleries (with corresponding prices: open-ended, but starting at around £1,000). At the same time, and at the end of the day, the big auction houses are calling for paintings by old masters in their traditional early summer auctions. At Ariadne Galleries, actually a specialist in ancient art, under the theme "Texture" the intentional, albeit unpredictable structural quality of Richard Serra's "Paintstick Drawings" is juxtaposed with the natural structural changes of a weathered Hellenistic horse's head (ill.). Patina plays a special role here: It changes the structure and surface quality and thus gives additional character and authenticity.
Woven, knotted and embroidered
Textiles, whether woven, knotted, embroidered or appliqué, demonstrate the tactile quality of "Texture" like hardly any other material. Sam Fogg's exhibition of late medieval and Renaissance textiles is an impressive collection, astonishing given the age of the objects on display: including a 15th-century Tuscan depiction of the resurrected Jesus with Mary Magdalene in silk, and another Mary Magdalene, this time with a bearded prophet, Embroidery work in opus anglicum from the beginning of the 15th century. Callisto Fine Arts is showing “The sculptor's idea: European Terracottas”, including a half-bust by Pompeo Marchesi. Raccanello Leprince has European ceramics, staged as a juxtaposition of literary motifs and their translation into pottery – using the example of a round bowl with Aeneas and Achates saying goodbye to the Trojans in front of Carthage.
There is always something new to discover in the traditionally extraordinary range of paintings, drawings and prints by Old Masters. At Lowell Libson & Jonny Yarker in Clifford Street, for example, where the English Baroque era, which is always treated somewhat neglected in this country, is presented with over 100 drawings. Drawings by Isaac and Peter Oliver, who worked at the court of Charles I, once again demonstrate the interaction between the British and continental European art world that has always existed. For lovers of Northern European art, Lowet de Wotrenge - on Bury Street, around the corner from Christie's - is undoubtedly another highlight. Here there is not only the small-format "Allegory of Air and Fire", part of a series of similar motifs and one of the numerous collaborations by Jan Brueghel the Younger and Frans Francken II. The fashion designer presents himself as casual as Dorian Gray and slightly pompous in an open shirt Jacques Fath by Serge Ivanoff at Bagshawe. Today only known to insiders, in the thirties he dressed Garbo, among others, and acted as a costume designer for numerous Hollywood films of the time. And if that's still not enough incentive and reason: Masterpiece will take place at the same time as London Art Week in the Chelsea Royal Hospital from June 28th to July 4th. With the taxi and with the right traffic, this is only a 20-minute drive.