There was no chance to park on the forecourt because the Academy was in the process of receiving a Damien Hirst sculpture. And what a palaver it was! Two cranes and a lot of kafuffle to lift 'Charity', a 22ft high painted bronze version of a Spastics Society collection box.
To quote from the information pamphlet, "Hirst has remade the splinted girl, scruffed her appearance and burgled her charity box to highlight the erosion of society's values and put the issues on a pedestal."The balcony of the Academy has had to be reinforced to support the weight of the sculpture.
What do I think of it?
Erosion of society's values?
A large crowbar for prizing openthe charity box leans beside the
front door and coins from the
charity box have been set onto the pavement.
Remember our garage? The rebuild of last autumn? The place where we were going to put our cars? When I saw Himself screwing up pieces of soft-board and painting the end wall white I knew what was afoot. It is now used as yet more painting space, somewhere to 'stand back and take a look."
Don't feel sorry for this man, his creativity is not restricted to just a small wooden shed in the garden!
Once the work was placed in position we went into the main gallery where preparations for a retrospective exhibition of the work of Mary Fedden were taking place.
The exhibition is fittingly called, 'Celebration', with paintings from the 1940's to the present day. Her paintings are very well known in England and reproduced as prints and greeting cards. It was interesting to see the early work, lovely flower studies, with indications of the more abstract developments to come.
Himself also has work in an open exhibition and the private view is tonight. I shall post details and photos of the openings and exhibitions on my new title, 'Miss Cellany', where I hope you will join me.
Once the work was placed in position we went into the main gallery where preparations for a retrospective exhibition of the work of Mary Fedden were taking place.
The exhibition is fittingly called, 'Celebration', with paintings from the 1940's to the present day. Her paintings are very well known in England and reproduced as prints and greeting cards. It was interesting to see the early work, lovely flower studies, with indications of the more abstract developments to come.
Himself also has work in an open exhibition and the private view is tonight. I shall post details and photos of the openings and exhibitions on my new title, 'Miss Cellany', where I hope you will join me.
Hello Rosemary:
ReplyDeleteOf course we well remember the Spastics' Society figures and their collecting boxes from the 1950s. Indeed, possibly the strap line [to use an expression not current at the time] was 'Scorn not their simplicity', although this may have applied to another charity.
That Damien Hirst should now purloin this as his own does, in our view, question the nature of art, if not the values held by society. That this oversized piece should currently adorn the front of this building, with the effect that it has on the overall integrity of the C19 architecture, is open to debate. Woe, indeed!
How exciting that your husband's work is to be exhibited. We trust that you will enjoy tonight's Private View and will look forward to further reports.
Bloody Hirst. Not so bloody 'Himself', though. Good luck with the show.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful time and best of luck with the exhibit.
ReplyDelete