THE GUIDE CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The Orgy, from The Rake’s Progress by William Hogarth; the exhibition at Pitzhanger; the house’s exterior, designed by Sir John Soane
C U L T U R E
THE EXHIBITIONIST
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itzhanger is a gem of a gallery, based in west London. It was formerly the country house of Sir John Soane, whose central London home in Lincoln’s Inn is now a muesum. Soane was one of the most influential British architects in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. His most famous surviving buildings are probably the Bank of England and Dulwich Picture Gallery. A surprising amount of his work has been lost, including much in Whitehall, such as his additions to the House of Lords, which were destroyed by fire in 1834. Soane bought an older Pitzhanger and demolished it, building his own house on the site. It was meant to be a home fit for the artistic family dynasty he was hoping to found. As such, it’s a remarkable building to visit in its own right. Owned by the council for more than a century, in 2019 it was reopened after extensive refurbishment. It’s now a fantastic gallery and always has a brilliant exhibition to go and see. Soane was an avid collector of art, which is why his home in Lincoln’s Inn was destined to become a museum after his death. It’s crammed full of stuff, from architectural models to an enormous Egyptian sarcophagus. Soane bought the celebrated artist William Hogarth’s renowned work, A Rake’s Progress, in 1802, and hung the paintings first at Pitzhanger before moving them to Lincoln’s Inn in 1810. Now they are back at Pitzhanger, for the first time in more than two centuries, as the centrepiece of a wonderful exhibition, Hogarth: London Voices, London Lives. It not only shows Hogarth’s work but also that of contemporary artists illustrating London life. A Rake’s Progress depicts the social conditions of London at the turn of the 18th
century by narrating the fall of a young man, Tom Rakewell, in eight oil paintings. Rakewell inherits a fortune and things go from bad to worse (depending on your point of view). He gets fabulous new clothes, goes to orgies, gambles, gets arrested and ends up in the debtor’s prison. As you do. Indeed, as one of Soane’s sons did – Soane sold Pitzhanger when his children proved a disappointment to him. Returning the Hogarth paintings is a kind of reunion for the architect and his house. Hogarth’s paintings would be reason enough to visit, with their wonderful depiction of London life in the 1730s. But you will love the contemporary work as well. John Riddy’s architectural photographs stood out for me. His evening photograph of three illuminated council doors, London (Heygate) 2008, sits alongside his shot of the bay windows of London’s Garrick Club, its sumptuous interiors and Zoffany paintings glowing from within. There is also footage of the skateboarders at the Southbank Centre by filmmakers Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, and work by artists such as Ruth Ewan and the playwright and film-maker debbie tucker green (yes, she spells it lower case). Pre-Covid, visual artist Faisal Abdu’Allah would have been there to cut your hair – as well as being an artist and professor, he is a trained barber – but the point remains about the barber’s shop being one of the focal points of London life. From the irreverence of Hogarth and the formality of Soane through to the exuberance of skateboarders, thanks to another humdinger exhibition at Pitzhanger, a lot of London life is here. Hogarth: London Voices, London Lives, until 31 December. pitzhanger.org.uk n
IMAGES: PITZHANGER
Ed Vaizey discovers a social and artistic history of London, from ` Hogarth to the present day, at Sir John Soane’s country house
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