How to start your own art collection

I was asked by Etsy to write an article for their blog about my advice for someone starting their own art collection:

https://blog.etsy.com/uk/2014/10/09/how-to-buy-art/?geo=neurope&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=etsy_uk_blog_how-to_buy_art

OPEN - Etsy's first art exhibition 

I've been working with Etsy on their first art exhibition.  It has been a really exciting project, mainly down to their brilliant and lovely staff and the impressively high standard of the artists who submitted their work for consideration.  The exhibition is on next week at 5th Base Gallery in Shoreditch.  Do come along if you can...

https://blog.etsy.com/uk/2014/09/29/etsy-open-art-exhibition-meet-the-artists/

“Art is the highest form of hope”

—	Gerhard Richter

The Weir

I missed The Weir the first time it was on in the West End in 1997, and when I saw it was being revived by the Donmar Warehouse last year I was keen to see it. Unusually, I was a bit slow off the mark in getting tickets so I was pleased to see it transfer to the Wyndhams Theatre, giving me a chance to take it in.

A tight hour and three-quarters, with no interval, and set in one space (a pub), The Weir has a sense of intimacy which draws the audience into the dialogue between the five characters and makes the shock which comes late in the play all the more affecting. The script, set design and pitch-perfect performances deliver a truly powerful study of life, loss, relationships and loneliness which has stayed with me for days afterwards.

Richard Hamilton at Tate Modern

I fell in love with the work of Richard Hamilton when I was a teenager. It was because of him, and Peter Blake, that I studied History of Art at A-level… and the rest is history… So I have a lot to thank/blame him for, and it is a real regret that I didn’t get a chance to meet him before he sadly passed away in 2011.

I have to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little disillusioned with the art world recently. I’ve fallen out of love with the commerciality and the incessant cycle of art fairs and private views. I wanted to get back to the actual ART. This exhibition achieved what I was starting to think was impossible, and pulled me right back to the core of my intense love of art, and reminded me why I do what I do.

Hamilton’s work consistently absorbed the events of the world around him, and his ability to interpret them with wit and innovation can be seen throughout the show, from his commentary on 1960s pop culture to his reflection on the troubles in Ireland in the 1980s.

Looking at his seminal work Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? while listening to 50s music coming from the nearby jukebox in a room replicating an early Pop Art exhibition was a moment I will remember for a long time.

“I loved 12 Years A Slave and I can honestly say that after seeing that film, I will never look at slavery the same way again.”

—	Amy Poehler (Golden Globes opening monologue)

“Without art, life is just a series of emails.”

—	Grayson Perry

12 Years A Slave

There is not much to say about 12 Years A Slave that hasn’t already been said. I put off seeing it for a few weeks, worried that it would be too harrowing for me, but eventually went on a wet Thursday afternoon (so I could immediately come home and binge of Modern Family to cheer myself up). It is without doubt the best film I’ve seen in many many months. Harrowing, stunning, brutal and beautiful, it shows Steve McQueen as one of the finest visual directors of our time. There was not a poor performance throughout, but Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o are all worth a mention, and the awards they’re getting.

Martin Creed - What's The Point Of It?

Martin Creed is one of those artists who most people know of, even if they don’t know his name. “You know, the one who won the Turner Prize with a piece that had the lights going on and off…” Aside from the controversy, his work deals with concepts of ambiguity, presence and matter, and ranges from tiny drawings to large-scale installations, all of which are shown here at the Hayward Gallery in this survey show.

I find his work interesting and often hilarious, but it doesn’t engage me emotionally so I found this show sporadically intriguing, but ultimately really quite irritating.

NTLive - Coriolanus

I love the Donmar Warehouse, but it is almost impossible to get tickets for their productions, so I was thrilled to see that my beloved local Curzon cinema was showing Coriolanus as part of the NTLive programme. Having never seen a theatre production at the cinema before, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. The small simple set came across beautifully on screen and the intimacy of the space was used to great effect.

Tom Hiddleston was outstanding as Coriolanus, the complexity of the character coming through clearly in his portrayal of a divisive, stubborn yet politically naive leader. He had strong support from Mark Gatiss, Deborah Findley and Birgitte Hjort Sorensen.

If you get a chance to see this, one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, grab it with both hands.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

—	Pablo Picasso

Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies

I have started Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall on several occasions, but have never had the time to commit to reading the whole thing. Normally, once I’ve given up on a book, that’s it, but something kept drawing me back to try again. So I was thrilled when I was offered a ticket to see the stage adaptations of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon last week.

We saw both plays in one day, Wolf Hall at the 1.30pm matinee and Bring Up The Bodies at 7.30pm. I would never normally consider spending six hours in a theatre in one day, but it is testament to the quality of the productions that the time flew by. The intimacy of a small theatre works perfectly for the richness of the dialogue and the simplicity of the set design, and the use of costumes to illustrate the passing of time, both through the changing fashions and the development of characters, is highly successful.

Ben Miles is magnificent as Thomas Cromwell, compelling and full of brutal power while still showing compassion and loyalty towards those he cares about. Hilary Mantel describes Cromwell as having an “expression of stifled amusement”, and he captured this beautifully, allowing us to empathise with him when regarding the absurdity of the court. The supporting cast were equally impressive, with star turns from Lydia Leonard as Anne Boleyn and Nathaniel Parker as Henry VIII, both stubborn and petulant by turn.

I am sure these productions will come to the West End, and until then, if you need me, I’ll be finally sinking into the novels…

“Art is a guarantee of sanity.”

—	Louise Bourgeois

The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin

I have been a huge huge fan of Armistead Maupin since the summer of 1993, when I was stuck at home for my university holidays and in dire need of an escape route from life, literary rather than literal. His Tales of the City series took me to San Francisco and introduced me to Mrs Madrigal and her ‘logical family’ of kaleidoscopic characters at Barbary Lane, a location which captivated me so much that it was the first port of call on my trip to San Francisco many years later.

Maupin has just published what he says is the last in the Tales of the City series. I am desperately hoping he changes his mind, because The Days of Anna Madrigal is a lovely read, continuing the witty and bittersweet story of his beloved characters. I am now planning to read the series again from the start, for what I estimate is probably the fourth or fifth time. And I know I will love it as much as I did the first time.

Things I’m looking forward to in Winter/Spring 2014

Exhibitions

Richard Hamilton (Tate Modern, 13 February – 26 May 2014) was the first artist whose work I truly fell in love with so I am very excited to see this exhibition of his work. One of the most significant artists of the twentieth century, Hamilton was a founding figure of pop art, and this exhibition should show the depth and breadth of his innovation and influence.

Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance Venice (National Gallery 19 March - 15 June) is the first exhibition of the great Venetian artist’s work in London. It brings together the National’s own works by Veronese and a number of significant loans.

Martin Creed (Hayward Gallery, 29 January - 27 April) is an always controversial artist and this survey of his career should intrigue and provoke discussion if nothing else.

Books

The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin is an absolute must-read for me, a huge fan of Maupin’s Tales in the City books.

The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh has been mentioned several times by readers and writers I follow on Twitter (where I get many great recommendations). Set in Mallorca, I’m looking forward to reading this while I’m there this summer.

We Live in Water by Jess Water is a collection of short fiction by the author of Beautiful Ruins, one of my favourite books of last year.

Film

The looming awards season means a plethora of juicy movies to distract us from the gloom of weather, dieting and budgeting over the next couple of months. I will definitely be heading to my lovely local cinema to see:

12 Years A Slave (released 17 January) does not look like the cheeriest start to the year, but sounds unmissable. From the artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen, the true story of a free man taken back into slavery, it is tipped for Oscar success.

The Wolf of Wall Street (also 17 January) stars Leonard di Caprio and has been called Martin Scorsese’s finest film in twenty years. That’s reason enough to step out into the cold, surely?

The Grand Budapest Hotel (7 March). It doesn’t really matter what the plot is. If you love the quirky and original vision of Wes Anderson, this is one for you. 

Her (14 February) is the latest from Spike Jonze. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, this story of a lonely writer who develops a relationship with his new operating system sounds original and intriguing.

The Monuments Men (14 February). George Clooney, Matt Damon and Bill Murray rescuing artistic masterpieces stolen by Nazi thieves. What’s not to love?

TV

As well as the return of old friends Girls, Mad Men and The Returned, I am looking forward to some great new telly. I won’t be going out much in 2014, clearly.

W1A (BBC) is the new comedy from the makers of the brilliant Twenty Twelve. Starring Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes, it focuses on the future of the BBC.

Babylon (Channel 4) is another new comedy with a good pedigree - it’s from the writers of Peep Show and Fresh Meat. My hopes are high for this one.

Wolf Hall (BBC). I have never quite managed to get to grips with Hilary Mantel’s novel, and missed out on tickets to the stage production this year, so am very much looking forward to this TV dramatisation of the award-winning historical novel.

My Top Eighteen of 2013

I planned this list of my favourite things of the year to be a Top Ten but I just couldn’t cut any of these. In no particular order:

Exhibitions

Jeremy Deller at the Venice Biennale
I visit the Venice Biennale every two years (see 48 Hours in…) and am always excited to see the British Pavilion installation. This year, one of our most interesting artists, Jeremy Deller, produced an exhibition of thought-provoking, political, witty and beautiful work.

Bowie Is at the Victoria and Albert Museum
A totally absorbing and fascinating multi-disciplinary exhibition and a wonderful example of how technology can be used in museums and galleries. Far too busy though. *gets on soapbox about overcrowding at blockbuster exhibitions*

Books

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A mammoth 800+ pages, I would never have picked this up if it weren’t written by Tartt, author of the wonderful The Secret History. Once I had, I couldn’t put it down. Unique and beautifully drawn characters in a long and winding narrative that sucks you in and doesn’t let go.

Straight White Male by John Niven
Hands down, my favourite book of the year. Sharp, knowing, funny, scathing, filthy and thoughtful.

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson is one of my favourite writers, and I think this is her best book. Covering decades of the twentieth century, seen uniquely through the eyes of Ursula Todd and her family.

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
This chilling courtroom drama is smart and gripping, following the downfall of a successful woman after she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Just a beautiful book about a love affair set in 1960s Italy. Funny, romantic and enchanting.

Films

Gravity
Wholly deserving of the hype. Stunning visually and featuring a career-high performance from Sandra Bullock.

Inside Llewyn Davis
I saw a preview of this at the London Film Festival and it knocked me out. Funny and stylish, it’s now my favourite of the Coen brothers’ films.

Behind the Candelabra
Uproariously entertaining with a scene-stealing performance from an unrecognisable Rob Lowe.

Theatre

Chimerica
Without a doubt the best new play I’ve seen since Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, this work by Lucy Kirkwood is stunning. Politically sharp, ambitious, full of ideas and ultimately incredibly moving.

American Psycho
Stylish, clever, funny and slick with a great central performance from Matt Smith. I will be very surprised if it doesn’t get a West End transfer.

Book of Mormon
Over-hyped perhaps, but this musical is the funniest thing I have ever since on stage. It will run and run.

TV

Borgen
Intelligent political drama which handled the personal lives of its main characters with style and empathy as well. Plus I now feel like I can speak Danish. *tak*

Broadchurch
Too many crime dramas this year featured fetishistic and almost glamorous portrayals of female murder (I’m looking at you Luther and The Fall) so Broadchurch impressed with its subtle investigation into the effects of crime on a small community.

Fresh Meat
For Jack Whitehall’s JP and Zawe Ashton’s Vod - two of the most sublime comic creations in recent history.

Parks and Recreation
I ‘discovered’ Parks and Recreation this year, although it has been running on US TV for several years. The Pawnee Parks Department and its employees are a wonderful bizarre hilarious creation.

Breaking Bad
What can I say about Breaking Bad that hasn’t already been said? Just watch it