Untitled, 1971. Dan Flavin

Untitled (For Elizabeth and Richard Koshalek), 1971. Installation at the Walker Art Center

Bacon, Burroughs and old lace

Peter Minihan, 1989.

Recently we came across this footage of a discussion between Francis Bacon and writer William Burroughs - recommended if you're a fan of either eccentric. Highlights include Bacon comparing Jackson Pollock's painting to old lace.

Mid-18th Century lace, in the V&A collection

National Theatre: Adam Dant 'Attitudes'

Artist Adam Dant, October 2013

Agitation or arousal, contentment or calamity, panic or pleasure? 'Attitudes' is artist Adam Dant's satirical take on audience participation, created specially for the National Theatre's 50th Anniversary. The range, displayed in one of the three bus shelters includes wallpaper, a hand-rolled silk scarf, a wooden tray, bone China mugs made in England and a canvas bag. The collection is available at the NT's Shopping & E*ting pop up as well as online.

Dant has also made fabulous limited edition and signed print showing the inner workings of the theatre.

Monday Portrait: Chongqing by Kate Thackara

First exhibited at the Organhaus, this ethereal film by Kate Thackara explores the fastest growing urbanisation in the world: the Chinese city of Chongqing. See it in London this thursday at Limewharf on Vyner Street, E2 9DQ.

Monday Portrait: The Cholmondeley Ladies, Artist unknown

c.1600-1600, Artist unknown. Part of the Tate Britain collection, currently on show. If you haven't been recently we highly recommend a visit as their main galleries have been rehung.

The faintly visible gold script at the bottom of the painting says: 'Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And brought to Bed the same day"

Monday Portrait: Dead Tom with Collar Buttoned

Dead Tom with Collar Buttoned

Kit Grover 1980

Wax crayon & ink on paper

In memory of Tom Piechowski - for 33 years he defiantly fought the title of this work and died June 6, 2013. RIP

Michael Craig-Martin, Violin 2012

New! To accompany his programme design for the Glyndebourne 2013 season, artist Michael Craig-Martin has designed this set of bone china plates:

Kit Grover have designed this picnic bag and wine cooler for the 2013 season:

All available here.

Eugenio Recuenco

Photographer Eugenio Recuenco's update of Picasso's Cubist women.

Images c/o Eugenio Recuenco and Trendland

Howard Hodgkin

Recently we worked with Howard Hodgkin to design this limited edition basalt box:

Howard Hodgkin

Limited edition 2013

Black Basalt Box

Available exclusively from YOOX.COM

Hand-crafted in London by ceramicist Stuart Carey.

Monday Portrait: Girl with Beret, Lucian Freud

Painted at the beginning of the fifties - and the start of his career - the precision of Freud's 'Girl with Beret' is a world apart from the gestural style the artist later become famed for. 

Black Maria

Gruppe and Richard Wentworth's collaboration is not quite as permanent as the Pergamon Altar, but still a good place for gods and fallen angels to congregate and celebrate their differences. 

Read more here.

Monday Portrait: Richard Artschwager

This week sculptor and painter Richard Artschwager who died this weekend. 

Table With Pink Tablecloth, 1964

Sculpture is for the touch, painting is for the eye. I wanted to make a sculpture for the eye and a painting for the touch. 

Richard Wentworth at the Lisson Gallery

A Room Full of Lovers, 2013 (detail) 

Richard Wentworth's latest exhibition is now on at the Lisson Gallery. Open until 9 March, we highly recommend a visit. See products we have made with the artist in the past here.

A Room Full of Lovers, 2013 (installation view)

What Kit had to say -

This latest work by Richard Wentworth is something between a drawing and a sculpture, very chicken and egg, I don't know which comes first. The chains flirt with the floor like a line does the edge of a page. These pictures don't do it justice - just go, settle in, and let it work its message.

A Room Full of Lovers, 2013 (installation view) 

The Square Holes, 2013 

Apologies for Magritte's appearance in the reflection of this photo, a set of four, but sort of a good accident: you can list all the individual elements in the photos but together they are rather unsettling - I have been thinking about them for two weeks.

Monday Portrait: Vivienne Westwood by Juergen Teller

Vivienne Westwood No 3, London, 2009

This week we have chosen a portrait by German photographer Juergen Teller to mark his upcoming show at the ICA. 'Juergen Teller: Woo' opens Jan 23 at the ICA and both his Fine Art and commercial work will be exhibited.

Monday Portrait: Georgia O'Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz

Aside from the warm sepia tones, the colour scheme of this Monday Portrait reminds us of early January mornings in London.


Gelatin silver print, 1920.

See a later portrait of O'Keeffe taken by Ansel Adams here.

Oblique Strategies

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Image c/o www.gourmet.com

On the first day back after the Christmas holidays Kit rediscovered Oblique Strategies on his desk.
This deck of cards created by musician Brian Eno and artist Peter Schmidt in 1975 will help break through a creative block. Though produced with musicians in mind, this selection of aphorisms can be applied to most creative practices.

Each card offers a strategy to overcome a creative block.
Ideal for those deciding on their New Years resolutions or needing to resolve a dilemma.


A random selection of Oblique Strategies:

Give way to your worst impulse
Question the heroic approach
What would your closest friend do?
Is there something missing?
Use 'unqualified' people
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics

Monday portrait: Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama with her 1963 work 'Compulsion Furniture'. Above image c/o the Saatchi Gallery.

Helen Marten at the Chisenhale Gallery

Peanuts, 2012

For those planning their weekend of cultural activities, we highly recommend Helen Marten's exhibition at the Chisenhale Gallery. Read Adrian Searle's rave review here.

Grayson Perry reliquaries

A box of smashed pottery has arrived! While strongly resisting the urge to try and put the pots back together, we are starting to make some more Grayson Perry reliquaries.


Grayson Perry: "I think that the way we look at art comes from religion. We go to special buildings to stare at significant and precious things. We feel it is good for us. Tate Modern is a 21st century cathedral. Artists are its saints and holy fools. Here is a relic of one of them to take home from your pilgrimage."

Monday portrait: Salvador Dali

This image of Salvador Dali is hard to trace, does anybody have any information about its origin?

Naked-ladies-as-skull aside, Dali's clear cane is rather wonderful.