Pallant House Gallery Magazine 23

Robin & Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior Designers on the Days Wayne Hemingway and Sir Terence Conran A Tonic to the Nation 60 Years of the Festival of Britain Mervyn Peake The Gormenghast writer's centenary

£2 Number 23 March – June 2011 www.pallant.org.uk

LG 1879-1961

Still Life of Flowers and Thistles, 1937 oil on canvas 72 x 54 cms 283⁄8 x 211⁄4 ins signed lower right

Vanessa Bell

Vanessa Stephen (later Bell) was born in May 1879 in Hyde Park Gate, the eldest of four children of the eminent Victorian scholar and writer Leslie Stephen and his second wife Julia Duckworth. Vanessa married the art critic Clive Bell in 1907, but it was Roger Fry’s lively energy that informed her artistic thinking through an introduction to French PostImpressionism. These paintings in her eyes were “a sudden pointing to a possible path, a sudden liberation and encouragement to feel for oneself ”. They seemed to her to practise what she had long felt, that “all painting is worthwhile as long as one honestly expresses one’s own ideas” (Vanessa Bell, Memories of Roger Fry, 1934).

MESSUM’S www.messums.com 8 Cork Street, London W1S 3LJ Tel: +44 (0)20 7437 5545

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british sculpture in the 21st century www.sculpture.org.uk

Contents Features

Lucienne Day, Sequoia (1959), manufactured by Heal Fabrics, screen-printed cotton crepe, Courtesy of the collection of Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III

You can find full details of our latest events programme in the new What's On guide.

Previous copies of the Gallery magazine, as well as all the latest news, exhibitions and events, can be viewed online at www.pallant.org.uk You can also follow us at .com/pallanthousegallery .com/pallantgallery .com/pallanthousegallery

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Days of our Lives Shanna Shelby Designers on the Days Wayne Hemingway and Sir Terence Conran A Tonic to the Nation Dr Paul Rennie Mervyn Peake & Sussex Sebastian Peake A Passion for Prints Dr Mark Golder and Julie Brown Partners in Art Nicola and Vivienne Creating Communities Marc Steene

Friends 41 42 43

Chairman's Letter The Art Lunch Friends Events'

Regulars 7 9 34 46 51 53

Director's Letter Exhibitions Diary Collection News Gallery Talks and Tours Gallery News Bookshop

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Pallant Photos Artwork of the Month

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Contributors Editorial Editor Emma Robertson, e.robertson@pallant.org.uk Sub Editor Beth Funnell Gallery Editorial Julie Brown, Simon Martin Stefan van Raay, Marc Steene Guest Editorial Sir Terence Conran, Dr Mark Golder, Wayne Hemingway, Sebastian Peake, Dr Paul Rennie, Shanna Shelby Friends Editorial Jillie Moss, Sarah Quail Design, Editing and Production David Wynn Advertising Booking and General Enquiries Kim Jenner +44 (0)207 3005658 Jane Grylls +44 (0)207 3005661 Emily Pierce +44 (0)207 3005675

Thank You Headline Sponsor of the Gallery 2011

Headline Sponsor of Robin & Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior

3634 ad v1:3634 ad v1 Major Sponsor of the Community Programme

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01243 532161 PALLANT advice@cawley.co.uk www.cawley.co.uk

HOUSE GALLERY

Closed 10am–5pm 10am–8pm 11am–5pm Saturday 4 June 2011

Art Library library@pallant.org.uk +44 (0)1243 770824 Friends Office Events +44 (0)1243 770816 friendsevents@pallant.org.uk Membership +44 (0)1243 770815 friends@pallant.org.uk Bookshop www.pallantbookshop.com; shop@pallant.org.uk +44 (0)1243 781293 Field & Fork at Pallant House Gallery www.fieldandfork.co.uk Reservations +44 (0)1243 770827 4

H ad ch w

MANAGEMENT OF INVESTMENTS • INHERITANCE TAX MIT Friends

Gallery Information Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1TJ, UK +44 (0)1243 774557; info@pallant.org.uk www.pallant.org.uk Opening Times Monday Tuesday–Saturday Thursday Sunday/Bank Holidays Free Day

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Sponsor of Pallant House Gallery Friends 2011

Willard Conservation Limited, The Priory and Poling Charitable Trusts, The Garfield Weston Foundation, and other Trusts, Foundations and anonymous benefactors.

Pallant House Gallery makes every effort to seek permission of copyright owners for images reproduced in this publication. If however, a work has not been correctly identified or credited and you are the copyright holder, or know of the copyright holder, please contact the editor.

Sir Terry Frost RA Works on Paper from the Artist’s Studio 11 April – 2 May

Catalogue available

22 Fore Street, St Ives, TR26 1HE · 01736 794888 info@belgravestives.co.uk · www.begravestives.co.uk

Untitled (Tree Study) Acrylic and canvas collage on board 24.5 x 5.5cm

Exhibition online belgravestives.co.uk

Director's Letter Stefan van Raay

Robin Day, Polypropylene Chair, 1963, Manufactured by S. Hille & Co. Ltd, Injection-moulded polypropylene shell. Produced with a variety of bases, Courtesy of Target Gallery

Many of you will have heard the sad news of the death of Robin Day in November 2010 only months after the death of his wife Lucienne. The celebrated British designer couple lived and worked together for over 60 years and it seems that even in death they were not to be long apart. While their best-selling iconic designs, such as Robin's multi-million selling 'Prolyprop' chair and Lucienne's revolutionary calyx design, earned them celebrity status, as Chichester residents they were familiar to many on a personal level. This season we pay homage to their life and work in an exhibition of some of their best-known pieces. Guest Curator, Shanna Shelby, introduces the show on page 12 and Sir Terence Conran and Wayne Hemingway explore how their own work has been influenced by the couple on page 18. We thank Kenwood and South Coast Design Forum for their generous support of the exhibition.

60 years ago the 1951 Festival of Britain heralded Robin and Lucienne Day's designs to a wider public. We celebrate this anniversary with a display of memorabilia in 'A Tonic to the Nation' in the De'Longhi Print Room.

Dr Paul Rennie explores the story of the Festival on page 24. This year also marks the centenary of the birth of the Gormenghast writer and illustrator Mervyn Peake, who spent much of his childhood in Sussex. We have joined together with the University of Chichester in a programme of exhibitions and events across both venues. Mervyn's son, Sebastian, introduces his father on page 26.

Further, we celebrate a special partnership: Mark Golder and Brian Thompson have supported the development of Pallant House Gallery's print collection since 2001 as donor patrons, providing an annual purchasing fund for the acquisition of works on paper.

We mark the tenth anniversary of this Gift with an exhibition featuring an extensive range of works acquired over the last decade. Julie Brown talks to Mark Golder about the history of the Gift and this wonderful model of collecting on page 31.

Finally, we are planning another major international exhibition this summer following the success of 'Surreal Friends'. Drawn from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman collection, the works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera come to the UK for their only showing. This is a oneoff chance to have such important works in Chichester and inevitably it will carry high transport and loan costs. We hope, therefore, you will understand the need for us to ask for some extra help in the form of a ÂŁ2.50 supplement on entry to the show. All other temporary exhibitions and the permanent collections, however, will be available at the usual admission price.

As ever, an extensive events programme accompanies all the exhibitions this season. A selection of talks and tours can be found on page 46. Full details can be found in the What's On leaflet (enclosed where posted) or on our website.

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exhibitions:

Š Brian Griffin

A New York style gallery in Petworth

The Collection. The collection includes 20th century classics from Penn, Avedon, Salgado and Mapplethorpe, to a unique catalogue of undiscovered and historical prints. The pictures have been acquired from skips, flea-markets, from the best galleries in the world and as gifts from the photographers themselves.

Arden and Anstruther 5 Lombard Street, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 OAG. tel:

01798 344411

see8 website for more details www.ardenandanstruther.com Opening times Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat 11-5pm

Exhibition Diary Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior 26 March – 26 June 2011 Robin (1915–2010) and Lucienne Day (1917–2010) were the most celebrated British designer couple of the post-war era. Working in a range of media they pioneered the introduction of modern design during the 1950s and 1960s, sharing a commitment to low cost, mass-produced, good quality furniture and fabric.

This new exhibition features over 50 Lucienne textiles ranging in date from 1951 to 1974 alongside rare early furniture by Robin, such as the Royal Festival Hall lounge, dining and orchestra chairs.

A Passion for Prints: Ten Years of The Golder - Thompson Gift 19 March – 19 June 2011 Since 2001 Mark Golder and Brian Thompson have presented over 160 contemporary prints to Pallant House Gallery. This remarkable gift provides a unique overview of recent developments in printmaking across the UK and Ireland - especially Scottish printmakers including Elizabeth Blackadder, Christine Borland, Callum Colvin, Martin Boyce, Peter Howson, Callum Innes, Barbara Rae and David Shrigley.

David Shrigley, Untitled from 'Habitat', 1999, Etching on paper Pallant House Gallery (The Golder - Thompson Gift, 2004) © The Artist

The House of Fairytale Portfolio 19 March – 19 June 2011 Recently purchased as part of the Golder Thompson Gift, the House of Fairytales Portfolio of 22 prints will be displayed as a trail throughout the galleries. It includes works by Fiona Banner, Spartacus Chetwynd, Mat Collishaw, Dexter Dalwood, Bob & Roberta Smith, Kiki Smith, Gavin Turk and Rachel Whiteread.

Snow White © Mervyn Peake Estate

Mervyn Peake: A Centenary Celebration 9 April – 17 July 2011 Most famous for his best-selling Gormenghast series of Gothic fantasies, Mervyn Peake was one of the most multi-talented artists of the twentieth century.

Painter, novelist, author, war artist, poet and dramatist, he also illustrated classic works such as Treasure Island and Grimm's Fairy Tales. To mark the centenary of his birth Pallant House Gallery presents a display of his most famous illustrations and prints. A related exhibition runs alongside at the Otter Gallery from 26 May to 17 July.

Spencer Finch: The Evening Star and Passing Cloud after Constable Until October 2011 A stunning star-burst of neon light, this sculpture in the Pallant House stairwell provides a startlingly contemporary counterpoint to the historic crystal chandelier hanging in the entrance of the 18th century house. Across the courtyard Finch has also created a corresponding light installation in the glass walls of the Loggia called 'Passing Cloud after Constable.'

Modern British Art: The Permanent Collection One of the best collections of 20th century British art in the world including important works by amongst others: Andrews, Auerbach, Blake, Bomberg, Caulfield, Freud, Hamilton, Hodgkin, Nicholson, Moore, Paolozzi, Piper, Sickert and Sutherland.

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Exhibition Diary De'Longhi Print Room A Tonic to the Nation: The 1951 Festival of Britain 15 March – 8 May 2011 Inspired by the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Festival of Britain followed the austerity of the war years when much of the country still lay in ruins. Described as 'a tonic to the nation', it was intended as an attempt to give Britons a feeling of recovery and progress and to promote better quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Festival, this exhibition explores the iconic imagery which came out of the Festival through a collection of souvenirs and memorabilia.

From Rembrandt to Freud: The Art of Etching 10 May – 26 June 2011 The process of etching has been used for centuries to create distinctive and enduring original prints. This show explores the variety of effects and techniques that can be achieved in a range of etchings in the permanent collection spanning from the 17th century to the present day, including Rembrandt van Rijn, Giandomenico Tiepolo, JAM Whistler, Walter Sickert, Graham Sutherland, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud.

Studio

Nicola Hancock and Vivienne Van Dyk

Nicola Hancock & Vivienne Van Dyk PiA Partnership 29 March – 1 May A shared exhibition of recent work by two artists paired in Pallant House Gallery's innovative Partners in Art scheme.

A Tale of Twinned Cities: Pallant House Gallery and the Friends of Chartres 2nd School Competition 3 May – 29 May An exhibition of stained glass inspired work, based on the historic landmarks and building of Chartres, by school children from Chichester.

St Wilfrid's Open Art Competition 31 May – 3 July The return of the joint open art exhibition held to raise funds for St Wilfrid's Hospice and Outside In, Pallant House Gallery's groundbreaking project for marginalized artists.

Chichester High School for Girls Textile Dept 5 July– 31 July An eclectic exhibition of textile works by AS and final year GCSE pupils at Chichester High School for Girls.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Flight into Egypt: Crossing a Rill, 1654, Etching and drypoint on paper, Pallant House Gallery (Hussey Bequest, Chichester District Council, 1985), © Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK

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Reaching For the Light Nov 6th 2009 Found material and marine paint 17 x 20 cm

Graham Rich Open Sea 14 May – 6 June

Catalogue available Exhibition online · belgravestives.co.uk

22 Fore Street, St Ives, TR26 1HE · 01736 794888 info@belgravestives.co.uk · www.begravestives.co.uk

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Days of our lives Guest Curator Shanna Shelby introduces a major exhibition showcasing the revolutionary designs of former Chichester residents Robin and Lucienne Day

Robin (1915–2010) and Lucienne Day (1917–2010) were prolific designers whose talents earned them celebrity status. For over 60 years the Days shared a passionate commitment to creating good, affordable design accessible to everyone. The couple met in 1940 at the Royal College of Art and married in 1942. They rose to prominence during the 1951 Festival of Britain, where Lucienne's textiles and wallpapers were exhibited alongside Robin's furniture in the Homes and Gardens Pavilion. In the years that followed, Robin designed furniture, exhibits and graphics, while Lucienne concentrated on the design of furnishing textiles.

Although their designs complemented one another, husband and wife typically worked independently in different fields and for separate clients, though both received a succession of prestigious awards for their innovative work. Like many designers in the optimistic post-World War II period, Lucienne and Robin believed in the transformative power of modern design. They sought to create beautiful useful objects available to people of all income levels. Lucienne and Robin Day helped overturn the conservatism that characterized pre-war British design, popularizing a sleek new aesthetic in British interiors.

The fabrics in the exhibition are drawn from the American collection of Jill A. Wiltse and her husband, H. Kirk Brown III. Over a decade they have acquired several hundred rare textiles from the post-war period

by British designers, both male and female: 'The work of British women designers appealed to us, particularly Lucienne Day, Olive Calyx (1951) Manufactured by Heal Fabrics, Screen-printed linen, Courtesy of the collection of Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III

Lucienne Day,' remarks Brown. 'Lucienne was more than a creator of brightly coloured textiles – she was a revolutionary. After World War II there seemed to be an explosion of design and colour thanks to her work.' In addition to Lucienne Day, the collection also includes other British women textile designers from the era, such as Jacqueline Groag, Marian Mahler, and Paule Vézelay, as well as British male designers such as Terence Conran, John Piper and Henry Moore – all of whom created provocative mid-century designs for furnishing fabrics.

Mirroring this private collection, the exhibition features the furnishing fabrics of Lucienne but also includes a selection of her dishware. Lucienne designed in a variety of media including wallpapers, carpets and ceramics, but her fondness for fabric was seeded while studying at Croydon School of Art (1934–1937) and rooted while specializing in printed textiles at the Royal College of Art (1937–1940). Lucienne's commercial success began with her groundbreaking fabric 'Calyx', printed in 1951. Initially Heal Fabrics, Lucienne's principal client, was skeptical about Calyx's avant-garde style, but they decided to take a chance with the young designer's refreshing and inventive ideas. This proved to be an astute and profitable decision for the manufacturer as Lucienne soon became a leading figure in a new era of British design.

Lucienne transformed British textile design in the 1950s by pioneering an innovative, modern expression in pattern and colour. Inspired by the 13

Left Robin Day, Sideboard, Design for Hille, 1949, Courtesy of Target Gallery, London Opposite Page Robin and Lucienne Day Courtesy of Robin Day

work of Modernist painters such as Joan Mir贸 and Paul Klee, Day sought to create a similar dynamism in her imaginative compositions. 'I didn't start with the idea that the fabric was going to be a textile,' Day commented about her design process in 2008.

'I started with the idea that each piece was a work of art.' Day's strengths as a textile designer stemmed from her sophisticated colour choices, stylized references to nature and intriguing abstract forms. A gifted colourist, Day worked closely with Heal Fabrics to ensure that her vision was properly executed in each 'colourway' version of the final product. The exhibition illustrates the evolution of Day's design style chronologically, from the playful linearity of her patterns in the early 1950s to her experimentation with bold visual effects using black silk-screen patterns over fields of colour in the late 1950s and early '60s and finally her dynamic Pop style of the late 1960s and early '70s.

Robin's fine craftsmanship can be appreciated in the woodworked furniture of the 1950s which is highlighted in the exhibition where select, very rare pieces are on loan from Target Gallery, London. Robin's early recognition came in 1948 when he, along with fellow designer Clive Latimer, won first prize in the 14

1948 New York Museum of Modern Art international competition for low-cost affordable furniture. As a result, Robin was contacted by the Hille Furniture Company that year and produced his first furniture design for the company in 1949: the sideboard, dining table and chair are represented in this exhibition, the only examples to survive intact and complete. The relationship between Hille and Robin was long lasting and profitable (not unlike Lucienne's relationship with manufacturer Heal Fabrics). Robin was not only a furniture designer for Hille but also did graphic work designing letterhead, logos and brochures. The sophisticated design of the packaging of the Tricorn tray in the exhibition is on loan from Ian and Cherrill Scheer. He also designed exhibitions and other products like radios for Pye Manufacturing. The 1965 Pye radio, from the Wiltse/Brown collection, won a Design Centre Award.

Robin's first major commission was the 1951 Festival of Britain furniture. The lounge, dining and orchestra chairs are individual and unique designs but together represent a cohesive collection. The chairs are a prime example of Robin's goals as a designer: good design, practical and easily produced in multiples. The ability to fabricate large quantities of modern, well designed

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Robin Day, Obo Chair, 1972, Manufactured by S. Hille & Co. Ltd. Blow-moulded white polypropylene drum, with vacuum-formed polystyrene seat, padded and upholstered, Courtesy of Target Gallery, London Opposite Page Lucienne Day, Flotilla, 1952, Manufactured by Heal Fabrics, Screen-printed rayon, Courtesy of the collection of Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III

furniture for corporate buyers was something that really took hold in the 1960s. Robin and Hille were early leaders and the Festival of Britain commission foreshadows their dominance in the industry with the 'Polyprop' chair. Another early example of Robin's functional public furniture was the British Rail Bench from 1956, which was awarded the coveted Design Centre Award. Robin attained the ideal in furniture design – a low maintenance, durable, comfortable, yet elegant and aesthetically-pleasing furniture piece.

Throughout his career Robin experimented with assorted functions of furniture, with a variety of groundbreaking production methods such as plastic injection molding and materials like handcrafted wood and polypropylene. The Hilleplan bureau of 1952 cleverly disguises the utility of a desk with a hinged drop flap within the simple design of a bureau and drawers beneath. Always curious, Robin experimented years later with plastics and mass production. Robin is famous for the ubiquitous mass produced polypropylene chair, or 'Prolyprop', which was introduced in 1963 and is without a doubt the best known stackable chair: 14 million (and counting) sold worldwide. It is lightweight, easy to clean, comfortable, cheap to produce and has an attractive and simple 16

silhouette. These principles applied to other chairs and side tables Robin designed from 1972 like the Tote Table and Obo Chair.

As their recognition spread, the stylish couple became media favorites, featuring in a 1954 advertisement for a Hillman family car and a 1955 ad campaign for Smirnoff vodka. Magazine articles such as the January 1954 issue of House and Garden spotlighted the Day's London townhouse, allowing eager fans and consumers to peruse their personal choices in home décor. Enthusiasm for interior decorating in Britain after World War II is reflected in magazines from the era, a selection of which are included in the exhibition. The popular UK edition of House and Garden magazine published feature articles detailing how young couples could set up their first home on a budget. Design magazine, another monthly publication, celebrated emerging designers and highlighted fine design in furnishing fabrics, furniture, carpets, wallpaper and dishware. Advertisements in magazines such as these were a primary vehicle through which consumers learned the popular aesthetic of the age.

Lucienne and Robin Day came to personify the modern style in mid-century Britain and consumers strove to emulate the lifestyle of this talented, successful and attractive couple.

Lucienne reinvigorated the British textile industry in the post World War II period, inspiring stylish yet affordable product lines that brought the beauty of modern art into the homes of everyone. Her inventive combinations of colour and pattern remain surprisingly fresh to our modern eyes and in accord with contemporary aesthetics. Passionate about making fundamental changes in design thinking, Robin rightly deserves the designation of the highest profile British designer. With reissues of Robin's earlier work there is a new wave of appreciation for his designs. The title of Royal Designer for Industry (RDI), the highest accolade for designers, was bestowed upon Robin in 1959 and Lucienne in 1962.

'Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior' showcases the best work by the remarkable British couple, honouring their artistic excellence and contributions to the history of design.

'Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior' runs from 26 March–26 June 2011. A full events programme accompanies the exhibition (page 46) For more information please refer to the What's On booklet or go to www.pallant.org.uk

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Designers on The DAys Wayne Hemingway and Sir Terence Conran pay tribute to their design heroes

Wayne Hemingway, MBE is an English fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead – three times winner of British Fashion Council's 'Street Style Designer of the Year' award in the 1990s.

In 1999 he, along with partner Gerardine, set up Hemingway Design which specializes in affordable and social design. A resident of the Witterings, Wayne Heminqway is Chairman of the South Coast Design Forum and last year organised the Vintage at Goodwood Festival. He is currently working with the South Bank in London on the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain.

wayne hemingway

Above Wayne Hemingway Opposite Page Robin and Lucienne Day, Courtesy of Robin Day

I am often asked by journalists which designers have inspired me. The easiest answer is to say my wife and be done with it. I am not one for pouring over design books or magazines, find it hard to find time to go to many exhibitions, and rarely do design industry socializing. But the death of two designers in 2010 made me realise that I do have design heroes in perhaps the greatest British design man and wife team there has been: Lucienne and Robin Day. Maybe it's because like the Days I have spent the bulk of my life living and working day in day out with my wife, the designer Gerardine Hemingway. Just like my own situation, theirs was a partnership and life underpinned by a shared passion for being creative, for design as a force for good and a tool for lifting spirits.

Two young people from wealthy backgrounds, Lucienne and Robin Day met at the college dance at 19

Left Robin Day, Royal Festival Hall Armchair, 1951, Courtesy Target Gallery, London Opposite Page Lucienne Day, London, October 1997 Photograph by Anne-Katrin Purkiss

the Royal College of Art in 1940, married and spent the next 67 years together building up an acclaimed body of work that will remain forever iconic. Whilst having an enviable body of work, Robin Day will best be remembered for his then revolutionary and later ubiquitous, polypropylene stacking chair. Every village hall, school and waiting room seemed to have one in grey or orange. This was the product that fulfilled his stated aim for great design to be affordable and available to all. Lucienne was also prolific but, like many great designers, has one design that is particularly iconic: Calyx. A textile and wallpaper designed to accompany her husband's room set at The Festival of Britain in 1951, it was revolutionary and commercially successful, selling in mass volumes and still retains its popularity today.

Gerardine and I met as two teenagers from working class East Lancashire families on a dance floor in Burnley. It wasn't quite the meeting of two art school scholars but a shared love of Northern Soul, Disco and fashion set us on our path. But as in Lucienne's words 'the practice of design was virtually unknown' back in the 30s and 40s, the term design wasn't used in our households and the concept of going to study to be a designer would never have crossed our minds. But 20

just as DIY, decoration and dressmaking was part of the everyday family life during the Days' formative years, Gerardine and my family households constantly featured the whir of sewing machines and the smell of paint and wood glue. The Days' first home, a flat in Markham Square, Chelsea, was described as 'make do and mend modern'. Their creative reuse of furniture chimes with the philosophy that Gerardine and I bring to our homes and projects.

Like the Days, it has never been a desire for wealth or fame that has driven us, but rather a sense that many things in life could and should be better. We, like the Days, have always been evangelical about design and its ability to be a force for good and the importance of it permeating all levels of society. Gerardine and I were on a mission in the early days of Red or Dead to bring designer fashion to the masses. In the mid 80s we broke all the then rules by selling fashion collections to Top Shop and Miss Selfridge and shoe collections to Dolcis.

Today we are proud of our success with tiles in Topps Tiles and wallpaper and shed in B & Q. If the Days had operated in the modern retail world where retailers have responded to the public and mass media's increasing hunger for well-designed products, I have no doubt that their influence would have been pervasive.

Robin Day was a great believer that designers should not be pigeonholed and this drove him on to produce great graphic design, advertising, award-winning and iconic furniture for Hille, interiors, exhibition design, TVs for Pye, public seating for British Rail and the London Underground, and even retail stores for John Lewis (where Lucienne joined her husband in almost two decades of productive consultancy with the retailer). Robin Day's desire to bring great design to the masses best manifested itself in his polypropylene stacking chair and, unlike many designers, he never apologised or felt compromised by mass commercialisation.

Our avowed intent when we established Red or Dead was to bring designer fashion to the reach of everyone and, by selling ranges to Top Shop and Miss Selfridge in the mid 80s, we achieved that to the horror of some of the elitist designer industry. Today we too work with John Lewis, a business that shares a commitment to design and social fairness. When we sold Red or Dead, the reason was partially born out of a desire to spread our wings and a need to prove to ourselves that all our thoughts about most mass housing estates being poorly conceived and executed were well founded; as well as expressing our dissatisfaction with the availability of affordable,

forward-thinking decorative products, the lack of cool sheds and even the summer festival scene. All of this chimes very much with the Days take on the world.

At the moment Gerardine and I are working with the South Bank in London on this coming summer's 60th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Holding meetings in The Royal Festival Hall, sitting on Robin Day Hille chairs and watching Lucienne Day print stationary selling rapidly in the Festival Hall shop says everything about the durability of these design heroes.

Oh yes, and I mustn't forget that we eat off Midwinter Pottery's Homemaker china that we started collecting over 25 years ago and we have just found out that one of the decorative drawings on Homemaker is a Robin Day lounger!

Lucienne and Robin, like Gerardine and I, confounded all those relationship experts who said that working day in day out in the same room as your wife/husband/lover is a recipe for disaster. Clearly love, friendship and a shared passion for creativity can be a powerful bond.

SDCF are organising a conference featuring a series of perspectives from invited industry speakers on Thursday 14 April (10am–4.30pm) For more information visit www.scdf.org.uk 21

sir terence conran

Right Sir Terence Conran Opposite Page Robin Day, London, October 1997 Photograph by Anne-Katrin Purkiss

Sir Terence Conran is one of the world's bestknown designers, restaurateurs and retailers.

Born in 1931, he attended the Central School of Art and Design in London. His first professional job came when he was recruited to work on the 1951 Festival of Britain, helping design the main South Bank site. In 1956 Conran founded the Conran Design Studio and later the Habitat chain of home furnishings stores that revolutionised the UK High Street in the 1960s and 1970s.

My earliest memories of Robin are actually ones of intense jealousy, believe it or not. While most young designers like myself were welding away in grotty back rooms making our own designs in a rather unsophisticated manner, Robin had the backing of the manufacturer Hille at a very early stage in his career.

Even then the work he was producing was much more refined and he was where we all wanted to be. But my jealousy could not have been more misplaced Robin was nothing less than a true and kind hearted gentleman but, most importantly, he was a hard working young designer who had earned every last bit of his success. He has and always will be a huge inspiration to me.

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In so many ways he was ahead of his time and one of the first to fully use the mass-manufacturing opportunities of injection moulding. His work at the time felt iconic but has that timeless quality and still looks fantastic today, indeed we sell several of his designs at the Conran Shop.

Robin was symbolic of the Festival of Britain, where the UK eventually cast off its Edwardian mantle. It was a time of experimentation when anything seemed possible and Robin, as always, played a leading role. I was only 19 and working for the architect Dennis Lennon doing a range of projects. I designed quite a lot of furniture for the Homes and Gardens pavilion, but nothing as elegant as the furniture Robin Day did for the Royal Festival Hall.

I always remember the opening of the Royal Festival Hall and particularly seeing Robin and Lucienne looking fabulously glamorous. Then eventually when I got inside it was fantastic, just extraordinary, and it seemed to me a dream of the future.

He was a dear friend and a true champion of British design. A generous, humorous and kind man who played a huge role in improving and enriching our lives through his extraordinary career in design.

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A Tonic to the Nation Dr Paul Rennie, Head of Graphic Design at Central St Martin's London, introduces a display of memorabilia marking 60 years since the 1951 Festival of Britain

The Festival of Britain took place between May and September during 1951 to mark the centenary of the Great Exhibition. Conceived as a celebration of the British people and their achievements, it conceptualized a uniquely British form of post-war modernity based around an integration of art, architecture and design.

For the visiting public, this was a first sighting of the sunlit uplands of reconstruction and utopia, understood as a moment of light relief, a kind of national village fĂŞte, and promoted as 'A Tonic to the Nation'.

Yet, for most people, the Festival offered up a future that would remain beyond reach until much later. The consumption of the leisure economy and the amazing abundance and diversity of its products would have seemed incongruous, particularly given the recent experience of austerity. These feelings were exacerbated by the series of political and economic upheavals that played themselves out through the later 1940s. The necessary focus on exports meant that the British people were often the last to benefit from the material dividends of peace.

It is against this background that the objects created to commemorate the Festival should be viewed.

Generally, souvenirs are understood as objects invested with a specific feeling of memory. In Britain, our souvenir culture has developed around the national significance of Royal succession, but, as coronations cannot be made to occur at regular intervals, the range of worthy royal events has been gradually extended to include weddings and anniversaries to ensure the survival of the industry.

The keepsakes of 1951 may be divided into the officially sanctioned and the unofficial. The official souvenirs were selected by committee to carry the emblem of the Festival designed by Abram Games. The unofficial souvenirs were those overlooked by the Souvenir Committee or produced in parallel to these channels. Some were produced with an eye to the commercial main chance, some were homemade. Whatever their origins and status, it is noticeable that most of the Festival souvenirs are mass-produced and inexpensively priced. The democratic ambitions of the Festival were served in this respect at least. One of the most charming characteristics of the smaller Festival celebrations is their implicit reference to county shows, village fetes and garden parties. These events are commemorated by a multitude of memorabilia ranging from printed guides to amateur snapshot photographs.

The Festival was spectacularly ephemeral. The immediate destruction of its physical environment effectively drew a line under the project so the souvenirs associated with the Festival speak of something that has literally disappeared from view. The unlikely possibility of combining the future and the past has made the sort of collecting described here especially interesting.

'A Tonic to the Nation' is in the De'Longhi Print Room from 15 March to 8 May. Dr Paul Rennie discusses the story of the Festival and its impact on public spaces in Britain on Thursday 31 March, 6pm. Naomi Games, daughter of Abram Games, discusses her father's iconic designs on Thursday 7 April, 6pm (page 46). www.pallant.org.uk

Herbert Williams, The Festival of Britain (detail), 1951, Lithograph

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Mervyn Peake and Sussex To mark the centenary of the birth of Gormenghast writer and illustrator Mervyn Peake his son Sebastian Peake explores the influence of the Sussex countryside on the artist’s unique fantasy visions

My father, Mervyn Peake, was born in Kuling, Central China, on 9 July 1911. He was to have his first story published at the age of eleven and go on to become a novelist, illustrator, painter, poet and playwright.

His parents, Congregationalist medical missionaries, supported his wish to write and draw and from an early age employed a calligrapher to teach the technique of producing characters in Mandarin.

At the age of twelve my father was sent to Eltham College in South East London, a school for the sons of missionaries.

The long sea journey via the Cape to England would inspire one of his first stories, 'Mr Slaughterboard', and set in train a lifelong love of pirates and buccaneers. At school he would take in his surroundings, the teachers' physical idiosyncrasies, the quadrangle, his fellow pupils and the ancient tree that abutted one wall of the college. Later these sights and experiences would make their appearance in the first of his very visual novels, 'Titus Groan'.

After leaving Eltham he spent a term at Croydon Art School before beginning a Fine Art course at the Royal Academy in London, where in 1931 he had a painting selected for the Summer Show.

In 1933 he left London and spent two years on Sark in the Channel Islands where he produced innumerable paintings and drawings. So prolific was his output there that even now some are still coming to light. Drawing was in his blood, and on the rare occasions when he was without a pencil or pen to

record what he had seen, he would ache for the tools of his trade. Paintings of Sark fishermen or clowns at Bertram Mills Circus, his children, beautiful women, friends, actors, writers or animals dominated the walls of our houses - especially images of my mother Maeve Gilmore - in a ubiquitous display of colour. Drawings and illustrations, poems and writing emerged from the empty sheet in a non-ending stream of artistic energy and only when cut down by Parkinsons in his mid 40s did his former command falter, but not quite evaporate, until the very end.

In January 1940 I was born in a seafront nursing home in Littlehampton. My grandfather himself delivered me before driving the few miles back to the house in Wepham he had recently built. Reed Thatch, with its sloping lawn and fish pond, lay in the centre of the hamlet, conveniently close to the tiny flint cottage my parents were renting on a short lease from the Duke of Norfolk. As the premier Catholic family of the country, the Norfolk seat was the magnificent castle perched on an escarpment above the town of Arundel, and the fast-flowing Arun below the ramparts.

The castle, whose vast crenellated outline could be seen clearly in the distance across the watery plain from Wepham, was to play an important part in my father's early career as a writer. The Sussex Downs which loomed high above my parent's cottage and the ubiquitous flint stones which, like primordial bones, emerged after heavy rain to the surface from beneath the ground, added to a sense that here in this ancient

Treasure Island © Mervyn Peake Estate

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green land were the remains of early history made manifest. From medieval times a white trail known as the Leper's Path, its outline as clear today as ever, wound around the base of the Downs, provoked many of my father's thoughts. A dead rat found on the path one day and described in a poem dedicated to the miniature moribund corpse, looked beyond the rodent itself to the inevitability of death and the eventual return of all things to the earth from whence we came.

Thus this quiet unchanging part of rural Sussex could be viewed as one of the primal sources for much of my father's inspiration in the early years of the war.

Equipped with a deft ability to transfer what had been observed onto paper or canvas, the time spent in Wepham, at least while on leave from the Army, formed the backdrop and opportunity for characters and situations to develop. In his first published novel, 'Titus Groan', a book now translated into over 30 languages and still read 65 years after conception, those flints, paths and skies from wartime act as a reminder of a period when it was touch and go whether Hitler might cross the channel and subjugate the British as he had already done to other European nations.

The war over, the family moved back to London and to the first of several flats, houses and artist's 28

studios in both Chelsea and Kensington, where we lived until my father's premature death in 1968.

The blue plaque on the front of the elegant flatfronted Georgian house at No 1 Drayton Gardens, Kensington, tells of the former resident while the passer-by knows nothing of the final tragic years the writer spent there. But frequent visits to Wepham and Burpham continued for many years, the family keen whenever possible to visit my uncle, my father's brother, who had inherited Reed Thatch from my grandfather, where he lived with his wife in far grander style than we ever did. The impact the villages had on our early life as both parents and children remained forever seared in all our memories, their quiet changelessness an irresistible lure. On occasion the Burpham cricket team would play a nearby village, our side often captained by a cousin, who would be encouraged by our cheering from the grassy wings.

A favourite walk involved descending Jacob's Ladder, a series of steps that begin near a far corner of the cricket field, and after several hundred yards eventually reach the tall reeds standing on the banks of a tributary of the Arun.

From between the swaying high marsh stalks the

eponymous castle could be spied. The numerous towers, where once archers defended the 950 year old stronghold from its near impregnable battlements, never failed to impress.

On a headstone in the graveyard of the 11th century St Mary the Virgin church in the centre of Burpham and where my parents are buried, the first line of a poem by my father is etched into the grey granite 'To Live at all is Miracle Enough'. An eloquent epitaph not only to his own life and that of my mother, but our existence per se.

It was to these extraordinary, multi-talented parents, that I was born. In the summer of 2009 my middle daughter discovered the manuscript of my mother's conclusion to the Titus Trilogy in a Clapham attic. Using as inspiration the page and a half of 'Titus Awakes' my father had begun but later abandoned soon after due to illness, my mother writes a moving account of the eponymous character as he revisits real-life events. In a denouement of almost Wagnerian proportion, Titus the wanderer transmogrifies into her own husband, in a climax that both chills and liberates. It is the final act in what to anyone aware of the actual tragedy, can only view as a very English Liebestod.

The 'Mervyn Peake: Centenary' exhibition is in Room 4 from 9 April to 17 July 2011. A concurrent exhibition is at the Otter Gallery from 26 May to 17 July 2011. Sebastian Peake will give a talk about his father in the Lecture Room on Thursday 14 April at 6pm (page 46). For more information and the full events programme please refer to the 'What's On' leaflet or visit our website at www.pallant.org.uk.

Images from Far Right Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor © Mervyn Peake Estate Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde © Mervyn Peake Estate The Titus Books © Mervyn Peake Estate Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm © Mervyn Peake Estate

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A PASSION FOR PRINTS Dr Mark Golder and Mr Brian Thompson have supported the development of Pallant House Gallery's print collection since 2001, providing an annual purchasing fund dedicated to the acquisition of works on paper, supplemented with further gifts of work from their own collection.

A celebratory exhibition, A Passion for Prints, marks the tenth anniversary of the Gift, featuring an extensive range of works acquired over this period. Assistant Curator Julie Brown talks to Mark Golder about the history of the Gift.

Graham Flack, Of Man and Angel, 2004, Lithograph on paper, Pallant House Gallery (The Golder - Thompson Gift, 2004), Š The Artist

Julie Brown: What sparked your interest in art and where did the urge to collect come from?

Mark Golder: Brian has enjoyed drawing since childhood. I was creating Egyptian tombs in plasticine at the age of five, but at 14 my art teacher cruelly, but accurately, told me I was rubbish and so my direct creativity came to an abrupt halt. Nowadays I love art galleries and am fascinated by artists. Strictly speaking, I collect and Brian allows me to collect. He is interested in art but is not an insanely passionate collector. As a young man I collected nothing, intending to enter a monastery. As a student, I heard Walter Hussey speak of the joys of art patronage. The monastic vocation withered, but the urge to collect took root.

The collecting, however, had to be linked to giving and sharing.

JB: Why did you choose to collect prints?

MG: I agree with Colin St. John Wilson (architect of the British Library and the Pallant House Gallery new wing, and fellow benefactor to the Gallery) who said that prints are 'democratic' artworks. You may be unable to afford an expensive painting, sculpture or installation, but you might be able to afford a good print. As teachers, neither Brian nor myself have had large sums of money at our disposal; but we have been able to buy some interesting works on our limited budget. By purchasing prints we are also then directly supporting artists.

JB: Why have the prints been predominantly from Scotland?

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MG: This goes back to my leaving the monastery 25 years ago: I met a Spanish artist in Edinburgh, Roberto Gonzalez-Fernandez, who spent every summer in Scotland and used the Edinburgh and Glasgow Print Studios for the editioning of his prints. I bought work by him and then was introduced to the work of Murray Robertson. I talked a lot with John MacKechnie, Director of Glasgow Print Studio, and thought it would be fun to concentrate on collecting in one area: Scotland. The early buying was rather ad hoc, a mixture of what Brian and I liked as we went around the printmaking studios.

Once we began the Gift to Pallant House Gallery in 2001 we became more systematic.

JB: How did the relationship with Pallant House Gallery begin?

MG: I knew that Hussey had enabled Pallant House Gallery to get started, and so I approached the Director, Stefan van Raay, to see if he would be interested in acquiring Scottish prints. What I did not know was that Stefan had been involved in the Glasgow art scene and he readily agreed. Both Brian and I are pleased that we have – in a modest way – helped Pallant to become the 'Gallery of Modern British Art in the South' where British does not just mean English.

JB: It seems to me you have developed an interesting model of a collector/gallery working relationship. How has this evolved?

MG: I would be intrigued to hear about how other collectors work with galleries. Most seem to favour bequests but we like the hands-on approach which accompanies collecting contemporary work and putting it on display. I think this is a more American way of doing things. As donors, Brian and I provide prints directly from our own collection and I put money into a fund which provides £225 per month (increased in value by Gift Aid, and helped by generous discounts).

Pallant House Gallery is not just a passive recipient and in terms of how this money is spent, Frances Guy (former Head of Curatorial Services) once spoke of the constructive differences of opinion which occur when donors and gallery staff get together. We argue, we disagree, we wax passionate... and then agree on what to buy. We do have a vision of what we want to achieve over time; and the Gift is open-ended. It is a living organism.

JB: As teachers, I believe the educational potential of the collection is important to you?

MG: Yes. Brian was a Special Needs teacher for decades and, since his stroke in 2004, has become very interested in disability issues. I teach Philosophy

and am interested in aesthetics. Like all teachers we want to share our interests with others. If we look at 'The House of Fairy Tales' (the most recent purchase, part funded by an anonymous donor) we can see the importance of education for the Gift. The prints are by artists, many of whom teach, and for whom printmaking is important, but not their main area of expertise. The prints can be used to introduce children and adults to modern printmaking – either as something to look at or something to create for themselves.

JB: The new exhibition celebrates the first ten years of The Golder - Thompson Gift. How do you see it developing?

MG: As long as I am employed, I intend to add to the Gift. We will still buy Scottish prints (building up a 'snapshot' of Scottish art since 1975). Dundee and Aberdeen have never been 'mined' systematically.

Edinburgh Printmakers' 'Prints of Darkness' have been earmarked as the 2012 purchase. Brian loved these when he saw them last summer on our annual pilgrimage.

In format they look like LP covers and are created by printmakers, a number of whom are also musicians. This also relates to the strong 'pop' element in the Pallant House Gallery Collection. From time to time I will add things from the galleries I frequent in London. I have a growing interest in photography and am also interested in the developments in digital printmaking.

JB: What will be your highlights of the exhibition?

MG: 'Miracle and Ordeal' by Murray Robertson (gifted in 2002) because it is the woodcut/silkscreen version of the pastel which was the first work by a Scottish artist I bought. 'Crumpled' by Paula Rego (2007) because it offers a flashback to when I found Brian lying in a crumpled heap on the floor following his stroke. 'Bridge' by Philip Reeves (2009) is a favourite of Brian's because he likes the more geometric/abstract prints. Finally, 'Lux Aeterna I' by Ana-Maria Pacheco (2010) because, for me, she represents all that is best in artists: passion, commitment, vision and humanity.

A Passion for Prints: Ten Years of the Golder - Thompson Gift is on from 19 March to 19 June 2011. Mark Golder and Julie Brown will lead a tour of the exhibition on Wednesday 1 June at 2pm (page 46). For more infomation and the full events programme please refer to the What's On leaflet or go to www.pallant.org.uk Opposite Page Top Ana Maria Pacheco, Lux aeterna I, 1995, Drypoint, Pallant House Gallery (The Golder - Thompson Gift, 2010), © The Artist/Pratt Contemporary Bottom Murray Robertson, Miracle and Ordeal, 1992, Pallant House Gallery (The Golder - Thompson Gift, 2002), © The Artist/Glasgow Print Studio

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Robert MacBryde, The Singing Man, Oil on canvas, © The Estate of Robert MacBryde

Collections News Simon Martin The collector Colin (Sandy) St John Wilson, who donated much of his remarkable collection to Pallant House Gallery, always regretted 'the ones that got away': the sacrificial works that had been sold in order to buy others. Recently one of these works was reunited with the Wilson collection when his friend Owen Watson donated a 1940s Robert MacBryde painting called 'The Singing Man' and an early 'Self Portrait' by Sandy that he had sold many years before. Perhaps in due course other 'lost' works will be rediscovered and rejoin the Wilson collection, and if so we can look forward to seeing works

by Francis Bacon, Spencer Gore, Giacometti, Hockney and others. Other recent donations have included a 1960s abstract gouache by John Hoyland and trio of teapots by the Studio potters Emmanuel Cooper, Ursula Mommens and Trevor Chaplin.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Golder– Thompson Gift, which is celebrated in our spring exhibition, Mark Golder and Brian Thompson have generously donated a further ten additional prints and drawings. These include a drawing by Mario Dubsky, screenprints by Scott Myles, Graeme Todd, etchings by Ana Maria Pacheco and Roberto Gonzalez Fernandez, and lithographs and screenprints by Jack Milroy and Breon O'Casey. Through the Golder-Thompson Fund, 34

and an anonymous donor, the Gallery has purchased the 'House of Fairytales Portfolio' which features 22 prints by contemporary artists on the theme of storytelling and fairytales. Its acquisition means that artists including Fiona Banner, Dexter Dalwood, Cornelia Parker, Bob & Roberta Smith, Gavin Turk and Rachel Whiteread are now represented in our permanent collection.

The significance of the collection means that we are increasingly approached for loans to other museums and galleries. This spring we will be lending Duncan Grant's painting 'Bathers by the Pond' (1920–21) to the exhibition 'Radical Bloomsbury: The Art of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell 1905–1925' at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery (16 April–9 October), Henry Moore's alabaster 'Suckling Child' (1930) to Leeds City Art Gallery, Eric Ravilious' watercolour 'New Bungalows' to the exhibition 'Eric Ravilious in Essex' at the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Waldon (24 April–14 August). Several of our John Pipers, including a group of studies for the Chichester Cathedral Tapestry, will be featured in the exhibition 'John Piper in Kent and Sussex' at the Mascalls Gallery in Paddock Green, Tunbridge Wells Museum and Scotney Castle (9 March–21 May). Finally, our iconic Futurist painting, Gino Severini's 'Danseuse No. 5', will be a key feature of the major Severini exhibition at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris (the city in which it was painted) and the Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto in Italy.

Simon Martin is Head of Curatorial Services at Pallant House Gallery.

ANDRÉ DURAND

SOLOMON, SHEBA & MENELIK IDEA FINE ART www.andredurand-gallery2000.com

www.durandwhollypictures.com

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Mervyn Peake: A Centenary Celebration Otter Gallery 26 May – 17 July

Marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mervyn Peake, this exhibition features Peake’s nonsense and poetry illustrations including The Hunting of the Snark and Rhymes Without Reason.

There will also be selected works from the Gormenghast series.

Otter Gallery University of Chichester College Lane Chichester PO19 6PE Free admission

www.chi.ac.uk/ottergallery

01243 816098

This exhibition is based on an original exhibition curated by Maison d'Ailleurs, Museum of Science Fiction, Utopia and Extraordinary Journeys in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.

Image: Rhymes Without Reason, Mervyn Peake © Estate of Mervyn Peake

the textile space A place to create and make all things textile.

Everything from making your own little black dress to free hand machine embroidery.

See the workshops we have on offer at

www.thetextilespace.co.uk Charlton Barns Charlton, Chichester West Sussex PO18 0HX t: 01243 811300 m: 07976 800965 e: debs@thetextilespace.co.uk

Partners in Art Vivienne and Nicola

Nicola Hancock and Vivienne Van Dyk

Partners in Art is an innovative project which pairs artists with support needs and volunteers.

Established in 2002 with just four partnerships, over 120 people have since benefited from it.

Vivienne and Nicola Our partnership began almost three years ago now and from the very start we have looked for art in anything and everything. We have travelled light with only pencils, crayons, pastels and paper, Vivienne's tartan rug, peanut butter and jam sandwiches and flasks of tea, and we have looked everywhere. We started with the obvious beauty of Bosham Harbour and the Cathedral. We moved on to the safely grazing sheep and the oaks in West Dean Gardens. We tried seaside bike rides and countryside walks. Then we took the whole thing very seriously and thoroughly investigated the sweet colourful comfort of Swallow Bakery and Orchard Tearooms, went singing in St Paul's church, swimming and even raspberry picking.

All of these said something, but nothing quite brought to life the picture of the world that we were experiencing together. Until, that is, an unlikely collision in which animals from Africa met stained glass windows. With that our art sprang into life as colourful creatures, far from mundane, celebrating the particular character that makes each individual special. And we haven't looked back.

Vivienne Partners in Art has opened up my life and made it more fulfilling. By meeting Nicola I have found

another way of expressing life I didn't think possible; not only with art but the meeting of minds, interjected with much laughter and our sense of surprise at what we have brought to life together. My art work has developed from delicate flower drawings to big blossoms of colour in strange shapes and in any forms that take our fancy (this is what Nicola does to people).

It also feels so special to be asked for, and be able to give a loved one, something that I have created.

Nicola I have complete faith in art and its capacity to give back the life force it arises from. Our partnership has given me a wonderful opportunity with Vivienne to offer that capacity and invite her to be there with me.

It is a delight that she has been willing to join me and we have each poured in our particular ingredients and allowed the magic of art to take shape and shape us.

We have joined creative forces and made something we could not do alone. That in itself connects us more deeply and gives us the capacity to grow, both individually and as a partnership. All in all, Vivienne sums it up for us both when she says, 'I am now able to share peanut butter and jam sandwiches with a wonderful person.' We do hope you can come and see our fabulous creations on show in the Gallery in April.

Selected works from Nicola Hancock and Vivienne Van Dyk's partnership are on show in the studio from 29 March to 1 May. For more information about Partners in Art go to www.pallant.org,uk/community

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Creating Communities Marc Steene

Ian Sherman by Lynn Weddle

Marc Steene is the Head of Learning and Community at Pallant House Gallery and has pioneered many key innovative projects such as Outside In and Partners in Art. Over the past eight years Pallant House Gallery has developed a pioneering and well-respected Community Programme. A key principle is acknowledging that people do not fit into boxes and, with this in mind, we have aimed to provide a distinct programme that is inclusive to a diverse range of people's needs. We are also alert to the importance of taking an individualised approach in developing long-term relationships with people from the local community.

Through our work and programming we are seeking to create a new type of arts organisation by removing barriers and allowing people to engage with us, and to grow and make their creative journeys without judgement. This approach aims to pose a challenge to the idea that art is for only one sector of society which is vitally important if art is to move beyond a position of elitism and become more relevant to the vast majority of people's lives.

As part of this ambition we are rethinking the organisation and the many opportunities it offers - this could be in volunteering, training or employment. It no longer seems adequate to think that hanging people's work on the walls of a gallery and boosting their selfesteem is all we can do. Recently, through Step Up, we have been training a group of marginalised artists 38

to deliver workshops on our programmes. We have also been working with the same group of artists, supporting them in researching the Collections at the Gallery from their own perspectives, thereby providing new narratives and interpretation and enabling new audiences to engage with the Gallery.

A recent project attempted to make visible this new holistic approach at the Gallery. Staff, volunteers, participants and artists involved with the Community Programme were supported by photographer Lynn Weddle to take their own portrait, to form the basis of a touring exhibition 'Creative Communities'. The result is a moving, sometimes funny and beautiful series of photographs that celebrate and share the stories of the people involved. 'Creative Communities' has since been on display at Petworth House and Pallant House Gallery and also at the Chichester offices of Thomas Eggar, sponsors of the Community Programme.

Projects like 'Creative Communities' are a visible testimony of our ambition. I feel it both appropriate and apt that the word 'community' is derived from the Latin communitas, meaning with-gift. The Gallery believes strongly that the members of our community with an art interest or skill should be nurtured and given the opportunity to thrive and develop.

For more information about the Community Programme at Pallant House Gallery please go to www.pallant.org.uk/community

C U LT U R A L TO U RS & MUSIC HOLIDAYS f o r

d i s c e r n i n g

t r a v e l l e r s

A range of carefully crafted escorted itineraries for those with an interest in art, architecture, gardens, archaeology, history and music. Tours typically consist of between 12 and 22 participants.

Join our small groups in the company of a tour lecturer or book one of our exclusive music festivals.

Our destinations include Romania, Syria, Jordan,The Pilgrim’s Way from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela,The Palaces & Galleries of St.Petersburg and the Gardens & Villas of Rome. Music Holidays include visits to the Puccini Festival in Italy, Schubertiade in Austria and The Budapest Spring Festival. Exclusive Kirker Music Festivals in Venice, Suffolk and Bolton Abbey and aboard Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch cruising to St Petersburg and The Baltic Capitals.

A SELECTION OF OUR CULTURAL TOURS FOR 2011 A Weekend in Istanbul

Palladio & The Villas of the Veneto

The 6th Kirker Music Festival on Ischia

Istanbul is one of the world’s most fascinating cities with a colourful and complex history spanning the centuries. Our 5 night holiday will introduce you to the history and monuments from both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

There will be a comprehensive programme of sightseeing with one free afternoon to explore the wonderful Bazaar.

Price from £1,262 for 5 nights at the 4* boutique hotel Celal Aga Konagi, including three dinners & one lunch Departs 20 April & 19 October

NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Join Melvyn Tan, the Sacconi Quartet and Joan Rodgers in a wonderfully varied programme of music by Rameau, Mozart, Chausson and many more. Concerts are given at La Mortella, the fabled garden created by the late Lady Walton. We include a half day tour of the island and there will be an opportunity to book optional excursions to Herculaneum and Sorrento on the mainland.

Price from £1,995 for 7 nights at the 4* Albergo San Montano, including 7 dinners and 6 concerts Departs 18 October

Staying in the lovely village of Follina nestling in the foothills of the Dolomites, we will explore the unspoilt Veneto countryside dotted with grand villas designed by Andrea Palladio including the Villa Barbaro and the Villa Emo. We will also see other works by Palladio including the wooden bridge at Basssano del Grappa and the Teatro Olimpico and Villa La Rotonda at Vicenza.

Price from £1,876 for 6 nights at the 4* Hotel dei Chiostri in Follino, incuding 6 dinners & 1 lunch Departs 21 June & 26 September

To make a booking or request a brochure please call us on

020 7593 2284 please quote source code GPH

www.kirkerholidays.com

MUSIC · ART HISTORY · GARDENS · ARCHITECTURE · ARCHAEOLOGY

De'Longhi Continues Support For 2011 With its ongoing sponsorship of Pallant House Gallery

De'Longhi continues to invest in arts and the local community through its third year of sponsorship of Pallant House Gallery. Since our last gallery booklet, several artists who have a close relationship with Pallant House Gallery, including Bourke de Vries, Polly Morgan, and Barnaby Bradford (inset), have benefited from our partnership and were profiled through a series of De'Longhi sponsored columns in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.

De'Longhi will continue to contribute to the work of the Gallery in 2011 and maintain its sponsorship of the Print Room, which is set to feature a variety of exhibitions over the next 12 months. You can also look forward to an opportunity to sample a De'Longhi coffee at our upcoming events.

For more information about De'Longhi, its products, offers and coffee events visit www.seriousaboutcoffee.com

Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction 2011 On Tuesday 27 September the celebrated Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction returns to London's art and social calendar at its new home of Bonhams of Mayfair.

The auction, now in its fifth year, will see pieces of modern art go under the hammer with all proceeds donated directly to Macmillan Cancer Support. To date, the charity event has raised over ÂŁ500,000 to help people whose lives are affected by cancer.

For more information about the artwork being sold, to request a lot book or enquire about applying to receive invitations to this VIP entry auction, please contact Claire Ingram at Clarion Communications. cingram@clarioncomms.co.uk or 020 7343 3142

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Chairman of the Friends' Letter Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required) Lady Nicholas Gordon Lennox

Dear Friends, Patrons and Gallery Club Members It is rewarding for the Friends' Events Working Group to find the events they plan are so well attended. This season Sarah Quail and her team have once again organised a programme of events which we hope you will find enjoyable and interesting. The Art Book Club has moved from Thursday evenings to Sunday afternoons and we hope this is an easier time when more Friends will be able to attend. A delicious tea is served by Field and Fork during the discussions.

Following last year's successful visit to Goodwood House, James Peill, Curator of the Goodwood Collection, has invited us to return for the next Goodwood Connoisseurs' Day on 4 May. In addition to the Collection, the Friends will have a rare opportunity to see the Shell House and Carne's Seat. Full details are on page 43.

As the Art Lunches have proved so popular we have decided to hold more this year, with the special theme of creative partnerships rather than the usual focus on an individual artist. The first lunch, to coincide with the spring programme, is Robin and Lucienne Day – A Creative Couple. You can read more about this and the history of the Art Lunches in Jillie Moss's article on page 42.

The season of Pallant Proms given by talented young musicians from the Royal College of Music continues to be very popular. However, we need to spread the word further as there is space for twice as many people as currently attend. The recitals are open

to the public as well as Friends for whom admission is free though donations are appreciated. Two of the pianists who played last year returned to play again and said how much they enjoyed performing in the Gallery.

The final performance of the season is on Saturday 26 March 12 until 1pm.

The full spring programme of Friends' events are on pages 43 to 44 of this magazine. Gallery talks and tours are on page 46. From now on the rest of the Gallery events will be found in the leaflet enclosed with the magazine.

Finally, this year the Annual General Meeting reviewing the financial year 2010/2011 will take place on Monday 25 July at 6pm. This is a good opportunity for those Friends who are interested in the running of the Friends of Pallant House Gallery to be kept informed and to meet the Trustees of the Friends. By giving you advance notice of this date I hope that many more of you will be able to join us at the AGM this year.

The Friends' private view of the spring exhibition on Sunday 27 March will start at 10am when I hope to see many of you at the Gallery. Once again my thanks to you all for being so supportive and such good Friends of Pallant House Gallery.

Pallant House Gallery Friends

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Art on a Plate Jillie Moss

Robin and Lucienne Day, Courtesy of Robin Day

A recent comment by Diana Taylor, President of Chichester Decorative and Fine Arts Society, gives some indication of the strength of feeling the Art Lunch already inspires amongst its growing base of loyal fans: 'I would live on baked beans all week', she declared, 'in order to treat myself to the stimulation of the Art Lunch'.

Now in its third year, the original concept was born out of a series of talks given by the Gallery Guides in 2008 with the two-fold aim of providing visitors with the opportunity to explore in-depth many of the artists in the Gallery's exemplary collection and exhibition programme, and to raise funds for the Gallery. To make it even more appealing we asked Sam Mahoney of Field and Fork to use his culinary talents to create imaginative lunches to reflect the artworks.

And so the Art Lunch was born, as an art history course with three delicious ingredients: an illustrated talk about a great British artist, private lunch by Field & Fork in the gallery surrounded by major artworks, and a discussion in front of key examples of the artists' work in the collection and archive of Pallant House Gallery.

Over the last couple of years not only have the Gallery Guides excelled themselves but Sam Mahoney et al at Field & Fork have provided food which looks like art on a plate using ingredients to complement each artist. Recent lunches have included Spiced South Downs lamb tajine for Ivon Hitchens and delicious seafood for the St Ives artists.

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Being involved with the concept, management and participation of the Art Lunch is a stimulating and rewarding fundraising experience. Besides the obvious financial benefit the Gallery has gained from many participants joining as Friends. A group who attended the initial course of Five British Romantic Artists were so impressed by the 'superb' series of lectures, lunches and discussion tours that they have contributed to the restoration and framing, currently in progress, of a John Piper design.

For 2011 the Art Lunches are designed to focus on the spring and summer exhibitions, exploring the creative relationships between artist couples. In May the designer couple Robin and Lucienne Day who inspired each other but worked in separate fields and in September the tempestuous relationship of the infamous duo Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Future plans for 2012 Art Lunches are to spotlight women artists who are successful in older age such as Paula Rego and Lee Krasner.

The next Art Lunch will take place on Thursday 5 May from 10.30am – 2.15pm. See p44 for full details. The Art Lunch is sponsored by Cawley Financial Services Ltd. www.pallant.org.uk/friends

What's On Friends' Events Tours A Passion for Prints: Ten Years of the Golder-Thompson Gift Friday 15 April, 2pm A special Friends tour with Assistant Curator Julie Brown in conversation with Mark Golder. £5 (£2.50 student Friends) includes tea and biscuits.

Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior Wednesday 27 April, 11am Gallery Guide Jock Johnston will lead this exclusive Friends Tour. £5 (£2.50 student Friends) includes coffee and biscuits.

Mervyn Peake: A Centenary Celebration Friday 20 May, 11am Julie Brown in company with Professor Bill Gray of the University of Chichester and the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy will together lead this Friends tour. £5 (£2.50 student Friends) includes coffee and biscuits.

Gallery Events Friends Private View Sunday 27 March, 10am An opportunity for Friends to enjoy their own private view of 'Robin & Lucienne Day' and 'A Passion for Prints' Free. Coffee and biscuits.

Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required)

Friends Coffee Morning Wednesday 18 May, 10.30am12 noon Canon Anthony Cane, Chancellor of Chichester Cathedral, represented the Chapter on the selection panel of the Hussey Mermorial Commission fund. Here he will talk about the commissioning process. £5 includes coffee and biscuits.

Visits Modern British Sculpture at the Royal Academy, and the Redfern Gallery Tuesday 5 April, 9am-8pm This exhibition celebrates the development of British sculpture in the 20th century in a broad international context. Important work by Jacob Epstein, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Anthony Caro, Tony Cragg and Damien Hirst will be on display. Morning coffee and lunch can be obtained either there or in a café or restaurant in Piccadilly. Mid-afternoon we shall take a short walk up to Cork Street to the Redfern Gallery. We shall have drinks there before returning home. £32 includes coach travel, tips, and drinks at The Redfern Gallery. The price does NOT include entrance to the exhibition or lunch. (Exhibition: £12 adults, £10 concessions. Free to Friends of the Royal Academy).

John Piper in Kent and Sussex Wednesday 20 April, 8.30am6.30pm (approx.)

A major exhibition across three sites – Mascalls Gallery, Paddock

Wood; Tunbridge Wells Museum; and Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst - telling the story of the artist's love of the local landscape as well as his later collaborations on the 'Shell Guides', set designs for Benjamin Britten's operas at Glyndebourne and stained glass and tapestry projects. £25 includes coach travel and tips.

Entrance to Mascalls Gallery and Tunbridge Wells Museum is free (Scotney Castle is £12.60 for nonNational Trust members). Lunch is NOT included. We shall break for lunch in Tunbridge Wells where there are plenty of places for you to find food near the museum.

Connoisseurs Day at Goodwood House Wednesday 4 May, 10am–1pm A guided tour of the Furniture and Picture Collections with Curator James Peill and Goodwood Guides and an opportunity to visit two buildings not normally open to the public on the hillside to the north of Goodwood House: Carne's Seat (built 1743 by Roger Morris and a more elaborate edition of his Council House in Chichester) and the Shell House, decorated by the second Duchess and her daughters in the 1740s, and reckoned by Pevsner to be one of the best in the country. £28 includes all coach travel (to Goodwood from Chichester and back, and to Carne's Seat and the Shell House), Connoisseurs Day entrance fee, and morning coffee and pastries.

Pallant House Gallery Friends

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Friends' Events Gilbert White's House and Garden, Selborne Wednesday 25 May, 1pm– 5.30pm (approx.)

A half-day at The Wakes, the fascinating house and garden of 18th century pioneering naturalist Gilbert White. We shall have an introductory talk on Gilbert White and the recently-completed redisplays and a guided tour of the gardens, which have been restored to Gilbert White's original designs, followed by a cream tea. £28 includes coach travel and drivers tips, admission, and cream tea.

Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required)

£25 (includes coach travel and tips) + additional fee for minibus and entrance to The Homewood paid on day (£9.80 or £3.40 for National Trust members). Lunch is NOT included either. Bring a picnic or buy your lunch in the Claremont tea-room. If you want to visit Claremont Landscape Garden while we are there, entrance is free for National Trust members and £5.40 for non-members.

Art Book Club

Keeping the World Away by The Homewood Margaret Forster Friday 17 June, 11.30am– Sunday 20 March, 2.30–4pm 5.30pm (approx.)

The fictionalised adventures over To complement the Robin and a hundred-year period of an early Lucienne Day Exhibition, a visit to a twentieth century painting and twentieth century Modernist house the women whose lives it touches and garden in Esher designed by the beginning with Gwen John who architect, Patrick Gwynne, reflecting painted the picture. the style and ethos of the Modern £5 includes tea and Field & Fork cake.

Movement. Access to the house is via a minibus from Claremont Landscape Garden only, and we are booked on to the 2pm and 3pm 3634 ad v1:3634 ad v1 23/2/10 14:29 Page 1 tours (maximum 15 on each tour).

The Art Lunch Creative Couples – Part 1 Thursday 5 May 10.30am– 2.15pm The spring session of the Art Lunch will focus on Robin and Lucienne Day, the celebrated designer couple whose names are synonymous with post-war modern design. An illustrated lecture will talk about their inspirational designs of the 1950s and 1960s, followed by a private lunch by Field & Fork and a tour of the Gallery exhibition, Robin and Lucienne Day. £60 (Friends £54)

Performance Pallant Prom Sat 26 March, 12 noon Sergey Sobolev of the Royal College of Music will play a programme of pieces by Chopin, Liszt, Schubert and Scriabin. £5 (Students £2.50) includes Gallery admission. Friends free but donations gratefully received.

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Pallant House Gallery Friends

Patrons of Tickets 01243 774557 (Booking Required) Pallant House Gallery We are immensely grateful to the following Patrons of Pallant House Gallery for their generous support: Mr and Mrs John Addison Smith Keith Allison Lady Susan Anstruther John and Annoushka Ayton David and Elizabeth Benson Henry Bourne & Harriet Anstruther Vanessa Branson Frank and Lorna Dunphy Lewis Golden Paul and Kay Goswell Mr and Mrs Scott Greenhalgh Mr and Mrs Alan Hill Kevin A S Jamieson

James and Clare Kirkman Lefevre Fine Art Ltd. Robin Muir and Paul Lyon-Maris Angie O'Rourke Catherine and Franck Petitgas Charles Rolls Sophie and David Shalit Tania Slowe John and Fiona Smythe Tim and Judith Wise and the many other Patrons who wish to remain anonymous and our much valued Gallery Club members

If you are interested in becoming a Patron of Pallant House Gallery, please contact Elaine Bentley on 01243 770844 or e.bentley@pallant.org.uk

      

    

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Talks What's On Gallery Talks and Tours

Talks Post-war Promenades: The Festival and Pleasure Gardens of 1951 Thursday 31 March, 6pm Dr Paul Rennie, Head of Context in Graphic Design at Central St Martin's London, explores the story of the Festival of Britain and its impact on public spaces in Britain. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine Abram Games: A Symbol for the Festival Thursday 7 April, 6pm Abram Games was the most significant graphic designer of his generation and celebrated for his logo for the Festival of Britain. To mark the publication of her new book, his daughter Naomi Games discusses her father's iconic designs. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine The Life & Work of Mervyn Peake Thursday 14 April, 6pm An illustrated talk by Sebastian Peake, son of Meryn Peake, charting the evolution of his father's life as an artist, from his birth in China to his emergence as an illustrator and writer. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine The Days: Pioneers of Contemporary Design Thursday 12 May, 6pm The leading authority on Robin

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and Lucienne Day, design historian Lesley Jackson considers the highlights of their pioneering modern designs for textiles and furniture. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine Printmaking: A Contemporary Perspective Thursday 19 May, 6pm Artist, writer and renowned exponent of printmaking, Professor Paul Coldwell from the University of the Arts London, will talk about the challenges and delights of contemporary printmaking. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine Lucienne Day and British Women Textile Designers Thursday 26 May, 6pm Dr Jennifer Harris, Deputy Director of the Whitworth Art Gallery, explores how Lucienne Day and her contemporaries helped pioneer a colourful and playful mid-century aesthetic. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine Ana Maria Pacheco: Artist's Talk Thursday 9 June, 6pm Former Artist in Residence at the National Gallery, featured in 'The Art of Etching' and 'A Passion for Prints', Ana Maria Pacheco discusses the relationship between printmaking and her powerful sculptural installations. £8 (£7 students, £6.50 Friends) includes a glass of wine

www.pallant.org.uk Telephone 01243 774557

Tours Robin and Lucienne Day Tour Wednesday 18 May, 11am An opportunity to find out more about the exhibition with guide Pat Hugill. £8 (students £4.50) A Passion for Prints Tour Wednesday 1 June, 2pm Mark Golder gives a personal insight into the works and the history of The Golder - Thompson Gift, in conversation with Julie Brown, Assistant Curator. £8 (students £4.50) House of Fairy Tales Tour Wednesday 15 June, 11am An opportunity to find out more about the works on show and the House of Fairy Tales project with Julie Brown, Assistant Curator. £8 (students £4.50) Mervyn Peake: A Centenary Celebration Thursday 30 June, 11am A tour by Professor Bill Gray, Professor of Literary History at the University of Chichester and Director of the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy. £8 (students £4) For full details of the rest of the events programme including Gallery workshops please see the What's On leaflet. www.pallant.org.uk

From the 1950’s to today – the Kenwood Chef is still going strong

For over 60 years, the Kenwood Chef has been a staple in the kitchen, making daily life easier. Giving consistent performance, in classic designs, the Kenwood Chef fits with the style of the kitchen of our time.

Please visit www.kenwoodworld.com/uk for more information on the current 2011 Chef range.

Kenwood is pleased to support the Robin and Lucienne Day Design and The Modern Interior exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, 26th March 2011 to 26th June 2011.

HOUSE Open – selected work by Open House artists The Regency Town House, May 2010 Image: Jerry Webb

Brighton & Hove

Artists Open Houses 7 - 29 May 2011 over four weekends This May Artists Open Houses celebrates its 30th year.

250 venues, citywide, offer a great opportunity to look around the houses, meet the 1,300 artists and buy work directly from them.

www.aoh.org.uk

Artists Open Houses Celebrating 30 years 48

HOUSE Festival 2011 Partner festival HOUSE is in its third year and shows contemporary experimental work at venues around Brighton & Hove

www.housefestival.org

What's On Booking Form Please print and check all details carefully.

Incomplete forms and incorrect details will delay the processing procedure.

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All events are fundraising activities for Pallant House Gallery (Charity Number 1102435) or the Friends of Pallant House Gallery (Charity Number 278943) Postage (Please tick) I have enclosed a Stamped Addressed Envelope I will pick up my tickets from the Gallery Donation (Optional) I would like to give a donation to the Gallery to help preserve its Collections for current and future generations.

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Concessions Please note concessions are given to students and Friends with recognised proof of status.

Please indicate your concession if relevant.

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Payment Details I enclose a cheque payable to 'Pallant House Gallery Services Ltd' Please debit my credit/charge card Visa Mastercard Other (We cannot accept American Express)

Please cut the completed form from the magazine and send, with a stamped addressed envelope and payment to: Tickets Office Pallant House Gallery 9 North Pallant Chichester PO19 1TJ

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Friends receive an advance notice booking period for all events as part of their membership. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that they are on a waiting list.

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A refund on Gallery events is only available if the event is cancelled.

Refunds for Friends events may be possible if there is a waiting list and we are able to resell your ticket.

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Terms and Conditions Credit/charge card is the preferred method of payment. Cheques should be made payable to 'Pallant House Gallery Services Ltd'. Please leave the actual amount open in case we are not able to provide all the tickets you request.

For security 'Not above ÂŁ...' can be written at the bottom of your cheque and we will advise you of the cheque total.

We endeavour to accommodate any special requirements. Please ring 01243 774557 to discuss your needs.

Gallery News

Cover for Household Tales © Mervyn Peake Estate

Twin Peakes Pallant House Gallery have joined forces with Otter Gallery and the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy to mark 100 years since the birth of writer, illustrator and former Sussex resident Mervyn Peake. The birthday celebrations include exhibitions at both sites and a weekend conference (15 and 16 July). For more information about the exhibitions and events please see page 9 or go to pallant.org.uk, sussexfolktalecentre.org and chi.ac.uk/ottergallery.

Northbrook intervenes Climbing plants growing up the walls next to fireplaces and behind furniture; an imagined shadow in a window recess drawn directly on to the gallery wall, the much-loved fir cones which forbid visitors to sit on the antique chairs replaced with amorphous objects crocheted from copper wire and surreal soft sculptures hanging unexpectedly in a cupboard. These are just some of the interventions you can expect to see when eleven Fine Art students unleash their artistic skills in 'Interventions', a collaborative project with Northbrook College (2 May to 5 June 2011).

Join our Club Over 100 artists and craftspeople flocked to Pallant House Gallery for the first of a new Artists' Club earlier this year, developed by Pallant House Gallery and Unity Arts Trust alongside the Joy Gallery, Mill Studios and other local artist groups, as a chance for artists to get together to share ideas and provide mutual support. The club is free and open to all artists and craftspeople, art students, students, arts graduates and people with an art interest and will take place monthly on Thursday evenings when the Gallery stays open until 8pm. For more information please contact sophie.adams80@hotmail.co.uk.

Mum's the Word To help you celebrate Mother's Day this year (3 April 2011) Pallant House Gallery are offering free entry for all mums accompanied by their offspring (whatever their age). Simply pay the full adult, student or child price where applicable and mum's entrance will be absolutely free. Offer valid all day, 11am-5pm.

Pallant's Got Talent More than 100 works were submitted and £4000 was raised towards supporting Partners in Art in the fundraiser, 'Pallant's Got Talent'. Participants were invited to buy a £20 ticket to take pot luck on the chance to win an original work of art by artists from the unknown to the famous. The draw took place in the Studio at Pallant House Gallery on Tuesday, 1 February where all the work was on display for one day only. Congratulations to all involved for making it such a successful event.

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The way we were

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Our ancestors’ homes and the way they built them, their animals and the way they raised them, their crops and flowers and the way they grew them... Explore the Museum’s village, working watermill and superb collection of rescued buildings set in glorious Sussex countryside. Children are free to run, play and learn. Come and discover six centuries of our rural heritage.

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The South Coast Design Forum is a regional membership network run for and by designers and creatives from all disciplines with branches in Brighton, Coastal West Sussex, Chichester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester and Petersfield.

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Our aims are to • Promote good design on the South Coast • Raise standards and expectations • Inform and educate • Provide a voice for designers • Address specific local issues • Aid strong links between education and business For more information or to join SCDF visit www.scdf.org.uk

www.pallantbookshop.com Telephone 01243 781293

Bookshop

< Robin & Lucienne Day: Pioneers of Contemporary Design by Lesley Jackson As Britain’s most distinguished designers of the post-war period, Robin and Lucienne Day pursued celebrated careers for more than fifty years.

This updated book celebrates and offers an insight into their remarkable success. Produced to coincide with the exhibition Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior at Pallant House Gallery from 26th March 2011. £25 (Hardback) > Festival of Britain Print

by Herbert Williams An original Limited Edition Lithograph on cotton woven paper produced to mark the 1951 Festival of Britain Exhibition. £POA

> An Old Crab and a Young Print

by Edward Bawden Giclée Print 'An Old Crab and a Young' produced exclusively by Pallant House Gallery Bookshop.

Reproduction print from the original linocut, based on one of Aesop's fables which was commissioned by the designer John Lewis for his book 'A Handbook of Type and Illustration' (Faber & Faber 1956). £95

Lucienne Day Tea Towel Made in Ireland using 100% linen, the Lucienne Day tea towel works as a stand-alone artwork, as well as a household tool. Available in four different designs: Too many cooks, Provencal (picture), Night & Day and Batterie de Cuisine. £16

< DESIGN: Festival of Britain 1951

by Dr Paul Rennie This book is the first to present the story of the Festival of Britain, held in 1951, through its souvenirs. This most recent addition to the popular Design series, places these souvenirs and objects into their historical context and explains the continuing appeal of these modest artefacts. £14.95 (Hardback)

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CHICHESTER FESTIVAL 2011 THEATRE

FESTIVAL 2011 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

Call 01243 781312 for a brochure or go to www.cft.org.uk for details

9 May - 5 November

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A Word To and From Our Patrons

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Robin and Lucienne Day became our Patrons prior to our launch in 2006 when we approached them to support our work at the Forum.

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As iconic designers of their time, with such strong influence that still remains today, Robin and Lucienne understood and encouraged what we were aiming to do: raise the profile of design on the south coast.

We were honoured to be associated with them both and we hope they found some pleasure in being associated with us, too.

“We are glad to hear of the progress SCDF is making… The rapid development of South Coast Design Forum is splendid” – Robin Day

www.scdf.org.uk

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Opening of Contemporary Eye: Crossovers and Gods and Monsters Spotted yourself on our photo pages? Photographs from all our Private Views are available to view and buy online at www.photoboxgallery.com/pallant.

The password is 'pallant'. All photographs by Jason Hedges

(Left to Right) Kelly McCallum. artist with partner, Bouke de Vries, artist, Susie Allen, Artwise, Vanessa Branson, Simon Martin, Laura Culpan, Artwise, Deana Vanagan, Artwise, Lise Bjørne Linnert, artist

(Left to Right) Freya Walker and Robin Muir, Mark Robinson, Hugo Reeve, Emma Glenn-Camfield (Zero C Holdings) and Livia Marin, artist

(Left to Right) Tom Chilton and Lee Rogers, Spencer Finch, artist, and Angie and Christ Drake, collectors

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Artwork of the Month: 'Kaisarion in All His Beauty' by David Hockney, 1961 Simon Martin

Although perhaps best known for his portraits and iconic images of sun-drenched Californian swimming pools, David Hockney (b.1937) is also one of the most accomplished printmakers of post-war Britain. While still a student at the Royal College of Art (1959–61) he received the prestigious Guinness Award for Etching.

It was not only the innovation of his prints that made him stand out, but also the bold emotional honesty with which he drew on his personal life to inform his work. Hockney even etched his own Diploma at the end of his studies, having been threatened with not getting a real one for failing to comply with the requirements of the General Studies Department. With his Yorkshire accent, bleached blond hair, Geek-chic glasses and frank homosexuality (even before it was legalised in Britain in 1967), he was a remarkable figure in the burgeoning Sixties Pop Art scene.

Hockney initially turned to graphic work as a student in 1961 because he could not afford painting materials. However, it coincided with an important moment for printmaking at the Royal College when the artist Julian Trevelyan as Professor of Printmaking was encouraging his students to push the boundaries of the etching process. 'Kaisarion with All His Beauty' relates to Hockney's use of handwritten, graffiti-like text in his paintings of the 1960s, and a seemingly naïve, sketchy figurative drawing style.

Whilst still living with his parents in Bradford, Hockney had discovered a volume of poetry by the Modern Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy (1863–1933) 56

in the local library. Like Walt Whitman, Cavafy was a literary hero for Hockney because of the homoerotic nature of his writings. This print is inspired by Cavafy's poems 'Kaisarion' and 'Alexandrian Kings' which describes the son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra being presented to the crowds at a military parade: Kaisarion was standing a little forward/ Dressed in pink tinted silk/ On his dress a garland of hyacinths/ His belt a double row of sapphires and amethysts/ His shoes were tied with white ribbons/ Embroidered with rose coloured pearls/ Kaisarion all grace and beauty.

The print depicts Kaisarion standing on a cloaked figure, possibly the artist, and to one side a stylised Egyptian portrait of Hockney's mother as Cleopatra, with the Royal College insignia as a crown. The poetry of Cavafy offered Hockney much inspiration and he later made a series of memorable etchings entitled 'Fourteen Illustrations for Poems from CP Cavafy' (1966).

From Rembrandt to Freud: The Art of Etching is on show in the De'Longhi Print Room from 10 May to 26 June 2011. The Artwork of the Month talk and workshop are on Wednesday 25 May 2011.

Please visit www.pallant.org.uk for more information.

David Hockney, Kaisarion with All His Beauty, 1961, Etching and aquatint on paper, Pallant House Gallery (Wilson Loan), © The Artist

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