August 2016 – Toovey’s Blog

350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London

Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral amongst today’s building in the City of London

This weekend marks the 350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London in 1666 and I am visiting Christopher Wren’s remarkable Monument to this event in the City of London.

The blaze raged between the 2nd and 5th of September 1666. Samuel Pepys viewed the unfolding destruction from the Tower of London and attended on Charles II at Whitehall to report on what he had seen. The King went by royal barge down the Thames to observe the advancing fire for himself.

Christopher Wren’s Monument to the Great Fire of London

Measuring 202 feet, the height of Wren’s Monument matches its distance from where the fire broke out at Thomas Farriner’s bakery in Pudding Lane. The fire left 70,000 of the city’s 80,000 population homeless and destroyed Inigo Jones’ St Paul’s Cathedral, countless churches and medieval buildings.

With great resilience the city rebuilt herself. Christopher Wren’s Monument to the fire was started in 1671 and took six years to complete. At its top is a gilded sculpture of a vase filled with flames by Caius Gabriel Cibber.

Inside the column the spiral staircase, with its 311 steps, is narrow and perfect in its symmetry. As you look up you cannot see its end. Breathless and with heart pounding you emerge onto the circular balcony which affords a 360 ̊ panoramic view of the City of London.

The City of London always seems to be constantly renewing herself. After the Great Fire of London Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral and most of the city would have been enfolded by wooden scaffolding as it rose from the ashes. Today as you walk around the Monument balcony your eye is met not by wooden scaffolding but by enormous, towering cranes and steel girders. In the distance the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral rises above the endless construction of new buildings. On the other side the iconic, contemporary London skyline is defined by Foster and Partners’ ‘Gherkin’, Rafael Vinolyis’ ‘Walkie-talkie’ skyscraper, and Roger Stirk Harbour and Partners’ ‘Cheese-grater’ tower.

The contemporary ‘Gherkin’, ‘Walkie-talkie’ and ‘Cheese-grater’ buildings viewed from Wren’s Monument

The confidence, wealth and inventiveness expressed in these buildings reflect the qualities which have always allowed the City of London to re-invent herself and flourish over the centuries. There is every sign that it will continue to do so once the UK government triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and our nation embraces the new international opportunities of the post-Brexit era. But the UK government will need to exercise its restored sovereignty to encourage inward international investment, not just from Europe but from across the World, through regulation and globally competitive taxation.

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.

Dixon’s Gavel Bash!

Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings by Simon Dixon

Nick Toovey will once again be wielding his gavel on contemporary art, but instead of hosting a self-representing artist sale, he will be conducting a contemporary art auction to raise funds for a much loved and celebrated Brighton-based artist, the ‘daddy’ of pop art, Simon Dixon, on Thursday 29th September at the Naked Eye Gallery in Hove.

A host of artists originating locally but of national and international renown have donated works to raise funds for Simon’s therapy and care in his battle against cancer. The auction includes works by Antony Micallef, Simon Dixon, Sarah Shaw, Ian Hodgson, Chris Kettle, Charlie Day, Tori Day, Paul Ostrer, Sam Hewitt, Jim Sanders and Graham Carter. The auction will be a rare opportunity to buy works of art from a gallery with the price tags decided by the bidders and buyers.

Auctioneer, Nick Toovey, said ‘I can’t wait! The auction includes works from so many of my friends from the Toovey’s contemporary art auction days, not least Simon himself, who really needs some help with what he is going through at the moment. I love the community spirit of the art world and this auction exemplifies it.’

On the evening of the sale, the ‘Tree of Temptation’ will offer luxuriant treats donated by local artisans and businesses to buy and take home, but with a twist – find out more on the night!

Artwork offered for the sale can be previewed from 3rd September at the Naked Eye Gallery, 5 Farm Mews, Farm Road, Hove, BN3 1GH, where the auction itself will be conducted by Nick Toovey Thursday 29th September. Doors open at 7pm with the auction starting at 8pm. If you can’t make the auction but wish to try and buy, there are other ways to bid. Please ask for more details at the gallery.

Please visit the Facebook event page for further information.

Pots to make you smile on the Arundel Gallery Trail

Each dog is individually modelled with its own character — 'A Parliament of Dogs' by Josse Davis, each dog is individually modelled with its own character

What could be a better August Bank Holiday weekend treat than visiting potter, Josse Davis, at the Duff Gallery, Tarrant Street, Arundel, as part of the 2016 Arundel Gallery Trail.

Potter, Josse Davis with Stanley the dog and his ceramic sculpture ‘Parliament of Dogs’

The Arundel Gallery Trail is now in its 28th year and coincides with the Arundel Festival. More than 150 artists will be exhibiting in over 60 venues in and around Arundel.

Josse Davis has exhibited every year.

This talented potter feels a great connection with the countryside around Arundel. He explains that walking with his dog, Stanley, gives him time to imagine, away from the everyday.

As I approach the Duff Gallery I catch sight of Josse and Stanley beside his ceramic sculpture ‘Parliament of Dogs’. Wit and storytelling are at the heart of his work. He describes his pleasure in making the dogs. Each dog is individually modelled with its own character. Josse says “I add the eyes last – it gives them such life. These Raku ware dogs come out of the kiln when the glaze is still molten. The glaze cools suddenly and it shatters giving a crazed appearance.”

My eye is taken by a beautiful stoneware charger decorated with a shoal of Mullet. Josse smiles and describes how Stanley enjoys a morning swim. Sometimes they find shoals of Mullet in the Arun “You see them, hundreds thick, on a hot day as they swim up river. They light up the muddy river with their shades of blue, silver and greys.” The translucence of the scene he describes is perfectly represented in the dish. ‘Mullets’ has long been a term used for those born in Arundel.

A stoneware charger titled ‘Mullet’ by Josse Davis

I comment that his exceptional work is that of a potter, an artist, working at the height of his powers. Josse responds “I’ve reached a point in my work in which I’m comfortable not to have to keep searching for new glazes. My Raku and Stoneware glazes don’t let me down, which allows me to concentrate purely on the design and gives my craftsmanship a fresh confidence.” He concludes “I like to think my work makes people smile.” I agree. Josse Davis’ ideas always have a hint of wit about them.

There are bowls and dishes painted with witty scenes and individual dogs too. Prices range from £30 to £4500.

Exhibiting print maker, Melissa Alers Hankey in the Duff Gallery

Josse Davis is exhibiting with his partner, Melissa Alers Hankey and Victor Stuart Graham.

The Arundel Gallery Trail is open 2.00pm to 5.30pm during the week and 12 noon to 5.30pm this Bank Holiday weekend. It provides an exciting opportunity to enjoy and buy art from leading Sussex artists like Josse Davis. For more information on exhibiting artists and this celebration of Sussex as a centre of art go to www.arundelgallerytrail.co.uk.

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.

POTS TO MAKE YOU SMILE ON THE ARUNDEL GALLERY TRAIL

What could be a better August Bank Holiday weekend treat than visiting potter, Josse Davis, at the Duff Gallery, Tarrant Street, Arundel, as part of the 2016 Arundel Gallery Trail.

The Arundel Gallery Trail is now in its 28th year and coincides with the Arundel Festival. More than 150 artists will be exhibiting in over 60 venues in and around Arundel.

Josse Davis has exhibited every year.

This talented potter feels a great connection with the countryside around Arundel. He explains that walking with his dog, Stanley, gives him time to imagine, away from the everyday.

There are bowls and dishes painted with witty scenes and individual dogs too. Prices range from £30 to £4500.

Josse Davis is exhibiting with his partner, Melissa Alers Hankey and Victor Stuart Graham.

Rupert Toovey is a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington – www.tooveys.com – and a priest in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.

Image 1: Potter, Josse Davis with Stanley the dog and his ceramic sculpture ‘Parliament of Dogs’.

Image 2: Each dog is individually modelled with its own character.

Image 3: A stoneware charger titled ‘Mullet’ by Josse Davis.

Image 4: Exhibiting print maker, Melissa Alers Hankey in the Duff Gallery.

POTS TO MAKE YOU SMILE ON THE ARUNDEL GALLERY TRAIL

What could be a better August Bank Holiday weekend treat than visiting potter, Josse Davis, at the Duff Gallery, Tarrant Street, Arundel, as part of the 2016 Arundel Gallery Trail.

The Arundel Gallery Trail is now in its 28th year and coincides with the Arundel Festival. More than 150 artists will be exhibiting in over 60 venues in and around Arundel.

Josse Davis has exhibited every year.

This talented potter feels a great connection with the countryside around Arundel. He explains that walking with his dog, Stanley, gives him time to imagine, away from the everyday.

There are bowls and dishes painted with witty scenes and individual dogs too. Prices range from £30 to £4500.

Josse Davis is exhibiting with his partner, Melissa Alers Hankey and Victor Stuart Graham.

Image 1: Potter, Josse Davis with Stanley the dog and his ceramic sculpture ‘Parliament of Dogs’.

Image 2: Each dog is individually modelled with its own character.

Image 3: A stoneware charger titled ‘Mullet’ by Josse Davis.

Image 4: Exhibiting print maker, Melissa Alers Hankey in the Duff Gallery.

The Art of the Studio Potter

This week I am returning to ‘The Bishop Otter Art Collection: A Celebration’ exhibition at Chichester University to rediscover their remarkable British Studio Pottery.

The collection includes Modern British paintings as well as studio ceramics, sculpture and tapestries. Visiting professor Gill Clark explains the philosophy behind the collection “Sheila McCririck and the Bishop Otter College Principal Betty Murray founded the collection in the years after the Second World War. They both believed in the civilising influence of art and the educative value of its ability to challenge.” With this philosophy behind the collection it is un-surprising that the Bishop Otter teaching college should have also collected the work of artisan, art potters.

Britain led the world in the field of studio ceramics in the 20th century.

The British ceramics tradition is tied up with the vernacular. From medieval times its production has been widespread and diverse.

The artisan artist is at work in studio ceramics. Form, colour and decoration come together creating objects which are not only beautiful but, very often, useful as well. This is very much in the tradition of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Bernard Leach (1887-1979) is considered to be the most influential potter of the 20th century. He was born in Hong Kong and lived in Japan and Singapore. The Japanese tradition of artisan artists was fading when Leach decorated his first pot there in 1909. In 1920 he returned to England with the Japanese potter, Shoji Hamamda. Bernard Leach was persuaded to set up his workshop in St Ives. His lectures and writing would have a profound influence on a generation of British potters. Gill Clark points out that Norah Braden was the college’s first specialist pottery tutor and that she had been a pupil of Bernard Leach. His work is represented in the collection by the beautiful stoneware jug seen here.

Bernard Leach was initially critical of the work of Lucie Rie (1902-1995) but they would become great friends. In contrast to the influences of the rustic folk tradition and Chinese Sung apparent in Bernard Leach’s work Rie’s pots have a metropolitan, modernist quality. She enjoyed turning on the potter’s wheel but despite her remarkable control her pots never seem tight or mechanical. The beauty of her vases and their exceptional form cause your heart to quicken. It is readily apparent to the eye why she transformed modern ceramics.

Other studio ceramic gems in the collection and exhibition include the Sussex based ceramicist, Eric Mellon’s (1925-2014) ‘Horse and Rider’ dish. His years of research and experimentation into ash glazes brought him international recognition both as an artist, ceramicist and scientist. For Eric his art was his calling and vocation.

An Eric James Mellon ‘Horse and Rider’ dish

Alison Britton’s (b.1948) sharp-edged clay jugs seem to depict different facets of a landscape which in turn include human figures, trees, fish and insects. Their decoration has an immediacy reflecting Britton’s spontaneous method of drawing in response to the asymmetric planes of the jugs.

‘The Bishop Otter Art Collection: A Celebration’ runs until 9th October 2016 at the University of Chichester Otter Gallery and Pallant House Gallery. Gill Clarke has published an insightful accompanying book about the collection and its formation which is on sale at both venues. For more information and opening times go to www.pallant.org.uk and www.chi.ac.uk/current-exhibitions/bishop-otter-collection-celebration.

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.

A Postcard from Provence

The Roman Les Antiques at Glanum in Provence

Cicadas play in the bright sunshine as we rest beneath the deep lavender blue of the Provençal sky. Provence, as much an idea as a place, has gathered diverse peoples to her over millennia. Each have added to her richness and, in their turn, have been shaped by this remarkable land.

The ancient ruins of Glanum give voice to Caesar’s vast ghost whose shadow is all around. The Triumphal Arch and the Mausoleum of the Julii are known as Les Antiques. They would have stood on the edge of the Roman town. However Glanum pre-dates the Romans. It was the Celts who first built here to honour the healing waters, the gift of their God Glanis. The Greeks were also here and the Hellenic influence is visible in the town’s ruins.

Rupert Toovey visiting the St Paul Asylum where Vincent Van Gogh painted

Just an olive grove away is the St Paul Asylum where the Dutch Post-Impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh, painted the surrounding landscape and some of his most famous work including ‘The Irises’.

In the adjoining town of St Rémy de Provence people from many nations still gather. Their voices rise and fall in the heat of the market day. This celebration of life with its noise, colours and smells brings together local produce and souvenirs for the tourists. Away from the bustle of daily life we, with others, process into the cool stillness of the church of St Martin to light a candle and pray, remembering the people of Nice and the tragic murder of Fr. Jaques Hamel. All have been moved by the response of the French Muslims attending Mass across France. Amongst such momentous events the French people we speak to seem pleased and reassured that l’anglais are here despite the news of terrorism and Brexit.

The church of St Martin, St Rémy de Provence

The old town is encircled by cafés and restaurants shaded beneath the boulevards of plane trees. Outside the marvellous restaurant Decouvert we speak with an urbane American gentleman. Our conversation touches on the times we live in and our nations’ great friendship for which he thanks me.

Back at the villa the pool shimmers in the sunlight like a beautiful David Hockney. I sit in the shade beneath the canopy of fruiting vines and reflect upon how much we are viewed as an international nation by our friends in Europe and the broader world.

Great Britain, like Provence, is as much an idea as a place. We have gathered diverse peoples to our shores over millennia. Each have added to our nation’s richness and have, in their turn, been shaped by this remarkable land. I feel confident that our international outlook and place in the world will bless us as we go forward.

Against the song of the cicadas I raise a glass of rosé. My toast – “Wish you were here!”

By Rupert Toovey, a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington. Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette.