During a recent visit to Brussels for Art Brussels, I met one of my favourite young Belgian chocolate makers, Laurent Gerbaud, in his shop opposite the cultural hub BOZAR. His store is like his chocolates: authentic, seductive and pleasant.
Packaged chocolates are displayed on a big central table for those who are in a hurry. For others who take the time to select their favourite, there is a proper “comptoir“ with a view onto the workshop. What I love about Gerbaud’s chocolates is that they are simple – almost basic – and at the same time unique in their combination of very fine 75% chocolate with exciting and unusual products. Gerbaud exclusively uses chocolate from a Turin maker, Domori, which creates exceptional quality products using fine cocoa varieties from renowned single origins.
Gerbaud’s grandparents were already in the pastry-making business, creating chocolates for special occasions. After studying medieval history, he decided to train at the CERIA school in Belgium. He later went to visit friends in China and stayed a few years in Shanghai, becoming fluent in Mandarin and beginning to create chocolates with a less sweet taste to meet the taste of local consumers. It was here that he started to combine chocolate with acidic and fruity ingredients, such as kumquat, bergamot or yuzu, as well as salty products such as salted nuts or even pepper. From his time spent in China, he also kept his current logo, which means “chocolate” in Chinese.
Following his return to Belgium, Gerbaud continued his experiments and produced his new range of chocolates in his grandmother’s basement. These were distributed in several countries including the UK in Waitrose. In 2009, he opened his shop in the historical centre of Brussels. The shop includes a tasting salon and he regularly organises tasting sessions comparing different chocolates of same cocoa percentage. He also takes part in many corporate events and incentives and he is regularly invited to exclusive resorts to give workshops.
His chocolates can be divided into three main ranges. The first category consists of various ingredients such as grapefruit, fig, pear, prune, ginger and orange, covered with pure chocolate. One of his new ingredients is physalis. The fruits are carefully selected, aged and stored to reach a certain consistence when covered with chocolate.
The second category consists of individual round “caraques” finely covered with a single ingredient such as coca beans, roasted Piedmont hazelnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts or pistachios. Some of these are also offered as chocolate bars. My favorite is the Yuzu bar, with the Japanese yuzu delivering a light, refreshing taste that fits perfectly with the bitterness of the Domori chocolate.
The last range consists of a variety of “ganaches”. The highlight is speculoos (a Belgian specialty similar to the ginger biscuit). Laurent collaborates with Biscuiterie Dandoy, a family owned company famous in Belgium for its range of speculoos.
This is the work of an artist: Laurent works intuitively and always explores new combinations. I can’t wait for my next visit.
LAURENT GERBAUD
Rue Ravenstein 2 1000 Brussels, Belgium
02 511 57 02
The Chuck Close exhibition at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam comprises 130 portraits printed in various media between 1972 and the present. Some of these works have taken years to produce, no doubt because the artist and his team force themselves continually to master new materials and techniques, varying from mezzotint to pulp-paper collage and Jacquard tapestry.
By taking the visitor through all stages of production from initial concept to final portrait, the exhibition provides a fascinating peek into the artist’s kitchen – or studio, rather.
Georgia, 1982 (pulp-paper collage on canvas), Courtesy of Chuck Close
Lucas, 2011 (Jacquard tapestry)
Well-known for creating portraits of family (Georgia, 1982), fellow artists (Keith/Mezzotint, 1972) and himself (Self-portrait, 2000), Close’s focus on portraits is a result of the facial blindness from which he suffers, making it very difficult to recognise faces. Imposing a two-dimensional grid on a photographic image allows him to build a portrait cell by cell.
Keith/Mezzotint, 1972 (mezzotint), Courtesy of Chuck Close
Self-portrait, 2000 (111-color silk screen), Courtesy of Pace Editions, Inc. and Chuck Close
It is not surprising therefore that Close’s work is all about process. In an interview with Phong Bui (Brooklyn Rail, 2008), the artist states: “I always say that inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” In his view, rather than sitting around waiting for inspiration, creativity is achieved by imposing limitations on yourself and the process you go through while trying to overcome these limitations.
The exhibition is thoroughly enjoyable and not just because there are a large number of quality artworks on display. The curators have succeeded in demystifying the process of making art and aptly demonstrate that good art is not churned out on a whim. Instead, much thought, time and effort goes into its creation.
Chuck Close, Copyright Vincent Mentzel
The exhibition, Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, can be seen until 20 May 2012 at the Kunsthal, Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA, Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
Contemporary art by the UK’s finest emerging and unrepresented artists that is showcased on their own terms – it can only be The Other Art Fair, back in central London for a second highly anticipated year.
The art fair, which runs from 10 to 13 May at Ambika P3 in Marylebone Road, delivers an open platform to connect art buyers of all tastes and experience directly with 100 fresh, talented artists before they are signed. It also helps the artists to further their careers by meeting numerous gallerists, collectors, dealers, journalists and curators.
Black Lace – Charlotte Anderson
The exhibiting artists have been whittled down from hundreds of applicants and reflect a huge range of skills, styles and interests. Artworks on show range from Tony Broadbent’s vibrant and emotive mixed media paintings and Jebila Wolfe-Okongwu’s striking banana-motiffed sculptures through to the stunning portrait and documentary photography of London-based Kiwi photographer Charlotte Anderson.
Lifting Salt – Charlotte Anderson
With more than a thousand pieces to buy from £50, you are sure to find something that appeals at this art exhibition. This is an experience that makes art enjoyable.
Fashion and art combine with charitable giving at the British Heart Foundation’s second Tunnel of Love fundraising party. This unmissable event, which will be held at Camden’s Proud on 29 May, returns with a 1920s twist and will be bursting with swinging entertainment, luxury prizes and a glittering guest list.
Guests will enjoy fabulous auctions of couture fashion, stunning art and unique experiences, all aiming to raise money for the BHF’s Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. The party has already received auction lots from artists including Damien Hirst, Sir Peter Blake and Dan Baldwin. Fashion lovers can bid on the Mulberry outfit Alexa Chung wore to London Fashion Week this year, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has donated her knock-out red Antonio Berardi dress and you can also bid on jewellery from Cartier and Stephen Webster.
Daisy Lowe wears a heart necklace donated by Stephen Webster for the Tunnel of Love auction,
Photographed by Jason Hetherington.
Other auction items include tennis lessons with Tim Henman, a walk-on part in Mamma Mia, a week in the Maldives staying at Soneva Fushi, and bespoke Barbour jackets with flashing hearts.
Guests at the party will be entertained by Frisky & Mannish and the Broken Hearts DJs. There will be the chance to play unique games and win prizes: spin the Radley roulette wheel to win a Radley bag or mend the broken heart puzzle to win a luxury stay with Hotel Missoni. You can even browse La Boutique for fashion from Tod’s, Temperley, Alexander McQueen and DKNY.
All of the proceeds from the Tunnel of Love party on 29 May 2012 will support the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. The BHF anticipate 1 million people in the UK will be living with the progressive condition within five years, and around three quarters of people with severe heart failure will die within five years – a prognosis which is worse than most forms of cancer. The BHF is determined to raise funds for innovative science that they hope will lead to a breakthrough in heart health.
At last week’s second ever London Coffee Festival, Lawfully Chic came across Café Art – a newly-launched initiative that aims to give talented, homeless artists the chance to exhibit their works for all to see. The project is designed to boost self-esteem and confidence amongst the homeless, helping them on their journey to personal recovery.
The works are exhibited in various coffee shops around London, which can be located on the Café Art website where you can also read a short synopsis of each artwork and vote for the best artwork of the month (or year). Any shop that wants to participate can contact info@cafeart.org.uk. If you really like the artwork you’ll soon be able to purchase it online too as Café Art hopes to have a wide selection of artworks sold as originals /one-offs, overprinted onto postcards, cups and prints.
The variety of artworks on show is impressive. Artists from eight homeless organisations have signed up to the project so far, including Broadway London, The Connection at St Martin’s, St Mungo’s, SHP, 240 Project, Providence Row and Holy Cross Centre Trust.
What’s more you don’t have to suffer bad coffee in the process of admiring the works: the cafes involved so far usually fall into the ‘artisanal independent’ category. Participating cafes include the Soho favourite Flat White and Taylor St. Baristas in Shoreditch, both of which produce delicious, ethically-sourced coffee (Flat White use Square Mile and Taylor St. Baristas use Union). Now you can hang around, get caffeinated and stare at the artwork without feeling the slightest bit of guilt, unless you’re supposed to be at work of course…
For more information on some of the top London Coffee houses, The London Coffee Guide is now available to buy: www.londoncoffeeguide.com
The title of Nick van Woert’s second solo show at Amsterdam’s Grimm Gallery takes its name from a US Army Technical Manual which describes how to transform everyday household objects and materials into weapons.
Improvised Munition, 2012 (bronze), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Arsenal, 2012 (steel, aluminum), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Installation View: Improvised Munition and Arsenal, Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
“Improvised Munition” consists of a row of spindly objects stacked against a wall. They are reminiscent of the pitchforks that 18th Century farmers protected themselves with when there was a lack of swords or guns. “Arsenal” is our modern-day DIY equivalent: the potentially lethal wrenches, hammers and pliers are innocently suspended within their neat circular display. “Erratic” is a construction of clear stacked boxes containing ingredients such as hair gel, chlorine and Coca Cola. Seemingly straight out of a scientist’s lab, this work is a toolkit for the biological warfare of choice.
Erratic, 2012 (mixed media), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Installation View: Erratic, Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
By taking these mundane materials out of their context, van Woert forces us to question the very progress they represent, a recurring theme in the artist’s oeuvre. Although there is no denying that the show is successfully sinister in its subject matter, another – more positive – conclusion could be drawn. Progress in and of itself is not the problem: it is how we use this newly acquired knowledge. Luckily, the human propensity to do damage does not exist on its own: it is the flip side to a resourcefulness that has the potential to reverse such behavior – and this exhibition is part of the latter.
The exhibition, Improvised Munition, can be seen at Grimm Gallery, Frans Halsstraat 26, 1072 BR, Amsterdam until 31 March. Grimm Gallery’s next show by artist Charles Avery; ‘New works from the Islanders Project’ can be seen from 5 April.
‘Pick Me Up’, the UK’s first annual contemporary graphic art fair and festival, celebrating graphic arts in all its forms, returns to Somerset House again this Spring (22 March to 1 April 2012). It showcases some of the very best illustrators, graphic novelists, cartoonists, and graphic designers from around the UK including A Two Pipe Problem, Soho Warriors Football Club, Nelly Duff, SOMA, Many Hands, Print Club London, Puck Studio, Peepshow, People of Print, Landfill Editions, YCN, Ship of Fools, Beach London and Catchejack.
“Aida”, Nelly Duff. All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
This selection of the most exciting graphic art collectives and galleries have been invited to occupy Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries to create unique spaces and installations, including Nelly Duff, the London gallery which represents (among others) Barack Obama’s favourite street artist Ben Eine, and the fine line drawings of Jessica Albarn, sister to Blur’s Damon Albarn.
The fair offers the opportunity to meet the artists, watch them work and get involved, with a lively events programme ranging from a children’s illustration weekend to a portrait booth with Guardian regulars Modern Toss, workshops on comics and cartooning from Pick Me Up favourites NoBrow and SelfMadeHero and a Paper Toy Workshop with Creative Review magazine. New this year will be a space dedicated to workshops, live music, spoken word and live drawing with a bar open every evening.
“Lipstick”, Brooks
This year, Pick Me Up’s artists in residence has been the London based illustration collective Peepshow, who will present their Museum of Objects and Origins and invite a roster of special guests, as well as running workshops throughout the fair.
Also part of the fair is Pick Me Up Selects, an exhibition of 20 specially selected international rising stars of the graphic arts world including Riikka Sormunen, Mimi Leung and Zim and Zou. Each will be producing new, exclusive work to see and buy.
“Cachete Jack”, All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
As well as providing a platform for emerging talent, Daily Specials has brought the finest names in illustration to the heart of the gallery on a daily basis including legendary graphic artist George Hardie, who was responsible for many cult 60s and 70s album covers such as Led Zepplin’s debut and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon. Other guests will include Mr Bingo, character designer James Jarvis, children’s book illustrators Bruce Ingman and Marion Deuchars, who will run her Art Factory workshop for families at the fair.
“Zoo”, Nelly Duff, All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
Other highlights include East London based gallery Nelly Duff’s pop-up zoo of animal characters made from a jungle of newly commissioned prints and independent publishing champions Beach London’s selection of prints and range of limited edition and small-press artists’ books and zines displayed in a vintage library setting. There are also international contributions from Netherlands gallery Ship of Fools and Spanish duo Cachetejack, as well as a special focus on talent from the South West of England from SOMA gallery and Scrumping with Puck Studio.
Pick Me Up Opening hours: 22 March – 1 April 2012, daily from 11.00 to 20.00 Address: Somerset House, Embankment Galleries, Strand, London WC2R 1LA Tel: +44 (0)20 7845 4600 www.somersethouse.org.uk
Admission: one day ticket £8, concessions £6, multiple entry pass (valid 22 March – 1 April not including talks in the screening room) £12
The Fleming Collection has become known as the embassy for Scottish art in London. The collection comprises over 750 oils and watercolours that span from 1770 through to the present day including works by Raeburn, Ramsay, Wilkie and the iconic paintings of the Highland Clearances, The Last of the Clan by Thomas Faed and Lochaber No More by John Watson Nicol.
It is particularly noted for its works by William McTaggart, the Glasgow Boys, DY Cameron, Anne Redpath and a superb group of paintings by the Colourists. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of The Fleming Collection’s public gallery in Mayfair.
Peonies in a Chinese Vase Oil on board, 61 × 50.8 cm (24 × 20 ins)
Courtesy of The Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation
The collection has two very different exhibitions taking place this year. “W. Barns-Graham: A Scottish artist in St Ives”, held in association with the Barns-Graham Charitable Trust, runs until 5 April 2012. This major exhibition marks the centenary of Barns-Graham’s work and is currently being held at The Fleming Collection at 13 Berkeley Street, London W1.
View of St Ives 1940, Oil on canvas, 63.5 x 76.5 cm (BGT3271)
The painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham is usually classified as a St Ives School artist, yet her Scottish roots and her continuing close links with her homeland had a huge influence on her work. This exhibition reappraises her career looking at the influence of her artistic training in Edinburgh, the inspirational resource she found in Scotland and its continuing creative importance as she divided her time between Cornwall and Fife.
Barns-Graham was born in St Andrew’s, Fife on 8 June 1912 and, after deciding that she wanted to be an artist while at school, enrolled at Edinburgh College of Art in 1931. The exhibition at The Fleming Collection will examine her training in Edinburgh under the tutelage of such senior figures in Scottish art as William Gillies, John Maxwell, SJ Peploe and briefly William MacTaggart. The delight in drawing instilled by Gillies never left her and the influence of both Gillies and MacTaggart can be seen in her sensitivity to and use of colour. The show includes works which have their origins in the rigorous academic training that Barns-Graham received in Edinburgh.
The Blue Studio by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham c1947-8. Courtesy of The Barns-Graham Charitable Trust
The forthcoming exhibition “Made in Scotland” celebrates Scotland’s contemporary artists and craftsmen at the Fleming Collection. This exhibition will run from 17 April to 2 June 2012.
Silversmiths, jewellers, glassmakers, ceramicists, tapestry makers and engravers will be among those showing their work in the selling exhibition at 13 Berkeley Street, London W1. Proceeds will go to The Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, the charity that runs The Fleming Collection.
Among those exhibiting in Made in Scotland will be Malcolm Appleby, considered to be one of the most original and highly skilled craftsmen working anywhere in Britain today. Known primarily as an engraver, his prolific output ranges from sculptural table pieces to small silver buttons and he has also established a reputation as a brilliant designer and engraver of sporting guns. His commissions have included a condiment set for the Prime Minister’s home at 10 Downing Street, the sculptural table centrepiece for Bute House, the First Minister of Scotland’s residence, and the Seal for the Board of Trustees of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
“Promoting the work of Scotland’s contemporary artists and craftsmen is an important part of what we do,” says Selina Skipwith, Keeper of Art at The Fleming Collection. “In 2010 and 2011 we held selling exhibitions of works by Scottish artists and this year we have extended the formula to cover a wider range of disciplines. There is so much talent north of the border.”
Silver cups by Michael Appleby
The Fleming Collection
13 Berkeley Street
London W1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 5730
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 5.30pm
Gallery One showing the Barns-Graham exhibition. Admission free.
Gallery Two – The Fleming Collection Highlights including The Glasgow Boys, Scottish
Colourists and Anne Redpath. Admission £3.50. Free for Friends and Members
With the London Olympics almost here, it seems appropriate to share a discovery I made during one of my recent visits to Brussels. In a beautiful house in Boulevard Saint Michel, former banker Jean-Louis Lamot displays part of his unique collection. He has spent the last 23 years traveling the world to build one of the biggest private collections of vintage original posters and memorabilia relating to sports and the Olympic Games.
Jean-Louis Lamot with a life-size model of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson
It is a comprehensive collection covering the whole history of the Olympic Games. The poster collection includes close to 1,600 different original posters. The practice of creating a main official poster for the Games started in Stockholm in 1912 with a poster designed by Olle Hjortzber, a well-known Swedish artist and decorator.
Since 1968, the year of the Mexican Olympics, the number of posters increased with multiple approved designs. Posters became real works of art with both historical and artistic value. Famous artists and graphic designers were commissioned such as Yusaku Kamekura (Tokyo, 1964), Andy Warhol (Sarajevo, 1984), David Hockney, Victor Vasarely and R.B. Kitaj’ (Munich, 1972). The tradition continues for the 2012 Games with designs from a list of artists including Tracey Emin, Rachel Whiteread, Chris Ofili and Martin Creed.
Poster designed by David Hockney
The memorabilia, which is also an important part of the collection, include books, official reports, postcards, diplomas, photographs, programs, mascots, and medals. To illustrate each game, Lamot has selected objects relating to Olympic rituals and symbols such as, for example, the Olympic hymn (1896), the flag with the rings (1914), the oath (1920) and the relay of the flame (1936). He has also selected the main stars for each Game (Johnny Weismuller, Sonja Henie, Jesse Owens, Emil Zatopek, Cassius Clay and so on).
Among the beautiful objects displayed in the gallery, one can find, for example, a Sèvres vase offered to Olympic winners at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games and an Art Deco scarf designed by A. Plas for the Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928.
A Sèvres vase, similar to that displayed in the Lamot Collection
The Lamot Gallery is well known for building private collections and lending posters and memorabilia to exhibitions abroad. For more information, also contact Michele Fajtmann at michele@frommycity.com.
Georgia, 1982 (pulp-paper collage on canvas), Courtesy of Chuck Close
Keith/Mezzotint, 1972 (mezzotint), Courtesy of Chuck Close
Black Lace – Charlotte Anderson
Lifting Salt – Charlotte Anderson
Daisy Lowe wears a heart necklace donated by Stephen Webster for the Tunnel of Love auction,
Improvised Munition, 2012 (bronze), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Arsenal, 2012 (steel, aluminum), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Installation View: Improvised Munition and Arsenal, Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Erratic, 2012 (mixed media), Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
Installation View: Erratic, Courtesy of the artist and Grimm
“Aida”, Nelly Duff. All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
“Lipstick”, Brooks
“Cachete Jack”, All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
“Zoo”, Nelly Duff, All Rights Reserved – Kevin Meredith
