John Moores Exhibition 2016 Most of Europe’s countries are either bankrupt or in economic meltdown, their infrastructure crumbling and public services reduced; the Middle East and Levant are in post-apocalyptic ruin, in part the result of lies told in our own Parliament; an exodus of desperate humanity is seeking refuge from a criminal death-cult; innocents… Continue reading Pictures of nothing and very like
Der Clapham Strassenbahn
When very young, and when not train spotting, I was a keen bus spotter. It was an ideal apprenticeship for a fledgeling art historian. It involved identifying, sometimes at a considerable distance (through rain), the beautifully crafted, hand-built models, of which there were many different marques and specifications. Every town corporation in the county had… Continue reading Der Clapham Strassenbahn
Glyn Thompson: Duchamp’s Urinal – I – He Lied
Presented with an easy choice between making a great deal of money for doing nothing and telling the truth, Duchamp voted for his pocket.
Glyn Thompson’s meticulous research here proves that virtually everything Duchamp said in 1966 about Fountain was a calculated lie. This inconvenient truth, which many scholars refuse to acknowledge even in the face of compelling evidence, is that Duchamp stole the idea, and the work, from Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven.
Glyn Thompson: Duchamp’s Urinal – II – Not Mott, Not Mutt, Not Marcel
Glyn Thompson: Duchamp’s Urinal – III – Richard Mutt’s Saccharine Centenary
Glyn Thompson: Duchamp’s Urinal – IV – Faulty Reasoning and Pure Fiction
Mary Wollstonecraft Memorial, Newington Green
A silvery bronze sculpture of pioneer feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) by Maggi Hambling has been unveiled on Newington Green in north London. Revolutionary thinker Wollstonecraft lived nearby. The £143,000 cost, which took ten years to collect, was raised by public subscription, some of which donors may now be wishing they had more productively spent their… Continue reading Mary Wollstonecraft Memorial, Newington Green
Laura Gascoigne: The Experience Economy – January 2019
Laura Gascoigne January/February 2019 The buzz of anticipation in the COL Ballroom in Davenport Iowa is audible, the audience murmurating like a flock of starlings; then the first twangs of an electric guitar tuning up, followed by a smoky voice: “I’m going to ask one question before we start: Are y’all experienced?” “Yeah!” roars the… Continue reading Laura Gascoigne: The Experience Economy – January 2019
Laura Gascoigne: The Gold Standard – November 2019
Laura Gascoigne November/December 2019 In October of last year, under the title ‘The Midas Touch’, Sotheby’s held a special sale of ‘objets de vertu’ made of gold. “In a world that speaks 6,900 languages,” cooed the catalogue, “the language of gold remains universal”. To prove it, the auction house promised to take collectors “on a… Continue reading Laura Gascoigne: The Gold Standard – November 2019
Laura Gascoigne: Dirty Money and Plenty of It – September 2019
Laura Gascoigne September/October 2019 Among the many examples of the wit and wisdom of Sir Thomas Beecham is the story of the great conductor seeing a tombstone inscribed: “Here lies a great organist and an excellent musician” and remarking in surprise: “What, both in the same grave?” I was reminded of this when seeing Wafic… Continue reading Laura Gascoigne: Dirty Money and Plenty of It – September 2019