Greetings!
You may remember that I mentioned I’d be discussing Roger Fry with Fiona McKenzie Johnston as part of Dalloway Day at Hatchards this weekend and my word it was interesting. Fry was a whirlwind of a man, fingers in every pie from London to New York, the Burlington Magazine to, of course, the Manet and the Post-Impressionists exhibition that stirred up (under statement!) the London art world of 1910.
I’d definitely recommend Fiona’s biography “Roger Fry: Bloomsbury and the Invention of Modern Art” as a very good read, indeed inspiring. Further details, c/o Triglyph Books: Roger Fry: Bloomsbury and the Invention of Modern Art – Triglyph Books Ltd Indeed you may recognise Fiona’s name from “House and Garden” where she regularly writes about art and artists; a selection of which can be found here: https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/fiona-mckenzie-johnston
I also discovered that there’s actually an exhibition of Fry’s paintings on at the moment at the Museum of Somerset:
Roger Eliot Fry (1866-1934): Studland Bay [1911; Touchstones Rochdale; c/o artuk.org]
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For those interested in our discussion of British Surrealism, I’ve just spotted there’s to be a very intriguing exhibition coming by way of the Treasure House Fair (24th – 30th June, Royal Hospital Chelsea):
British Surrealism and Beyond: Treasures from Southampton City Art Gallery
The main website is: https://www.treasurehousefair.com/ and there’s a blog post to introduce it: https://www.treasurehousefair.com/blog-detail/220/british-surrealism-and-beyond-treasures-from-southampton-city-art-gallery
Also in June and July, there’s an exhibition of Eileen Agar‘s work at the Alison Jacques Gallery: https://alisonjacques.com/exhibitions
And, if you happen to be in Paris, there’s an exhibition of work by Leonora Carrington through the summer: https://museeduluxembourg.fr/fr/agenda/evenement/leonora-carrington
Indeed, thinking of Paris, you might remember our discussions of 1920s Montparnasse and the artist Marie Vassilieff. There’s an extraordinary (sale and) showcase of her work – paintings, illustrations and puppets – to be seen online: https://rouillac.com/fr/auction-677-1000646-marie_vassilieff_lage_dor_montparnasse including her depiction of the famous “Banquet for Braque” in 1917. Her inspiration – shared by many during L’Age D’Or – was often from non-European and African artists and there’s a parallel show at the Musee du Quai Branly: https://www.quaibranly.fr/fr/expositions-evenements/au-musee/expositions/details-de-levenement/e/1913-1923-lesprit-du-temps that’s very much worth exploring online (where it’s also possible to look through the exhibition catalogue).
Back to 20th century British Artists & there’s a show in Connecticut this summer c/o the Yale Centre for British Art – a bit far to visit I guess, but they have a very interesting and informative website: https://britishart.yale.edu/exhibitions-programs/going-modern-british-art-1900-1960 . More accessible though will be the British Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery coming in September which looks to be a treat: https://www.britishartfair.co.uk/fair-2026.
So many gorgeous books & talks & exhibitions! I do try to pop them up on X/Twitter @TheCommonViewer too if you’re on social media. But let’s finish with this fabulous photograph of Joni Mitchell with the late David Hockney (c/o @womensart1)
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