For the second instalment in our Arts & Collections series, we visit Jo Holdsworth, a London-based artist at her home studio in Wimbledon in south west London. Jo talks animatedly about her influences and inspirations, including Frida Kahlo and her Lowry roots, over a coffee or two with the spring light streaming through the open windows. Jo Holdsworth is a London artist who is beginning to make a name for herself in the art world. Already this...
Her artwork is avidly collected by Madonna, she appeared on a bracelet worn by Theresa May and her iconic style has influenced the aesthetic of Gucci’s autumn/winter 2017 collection. Even today, her face remains a symbol of hope, resilience and empowerment. Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón—commonly known as Frida Kahlo—was born 6 July 1907 in Mexico. Her artwork is often praised for its progressive outlook and stirring visual concepts. Kahlo’s influence on art, fashion...
Lincoln Townley, self-styled ‘art outsider’ and cryptocurrency champion, has emerged as one of the leading contemporary artists of his generation. Dubbed by Michael Caine as ‘the next Andy Warhol’, his global influence and impressive list of star-studded collectors make him a force to be reckoned with in the art sphere. But the London-born artist doesn’t play by the rules. Far from it: he flouts convention, eschewing the role of galleries and traditional auction houses. With social...
Maurizio Cattelan is one of the most controversial and elusive figures in contemporary art. Bizarre and highly provocative, his epithet—the ‘prankster of the art world’—alludes to the strange, sometimes legally dubious, way he approaches his work. Early life and work Born in 1960 in Padua, Italy, Maurizio Cattelan came from humble beginnings. His upbringing was spartan and his family always knew he was an artistic soul. In a premature bid for independence and in pursuit...
Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker. He is widely admired for his most famous artwork, The Scream (c.1893), although avid art enthusiasts know him to be one of the most prolific and influential figures of modern art. Born the son of a priest, Munch grew up in Ådalsbruk in Løten, Norway. Not long after his birth, Munch’s mother died from tuberculosis, leaving his father to raise him and his siblings. Munch’s father suffered from mental health...
Arts & Collections catches up with Joe Webb to get an insight into his creative mind. Contemporary art can take many forms. Some artists choose to embark on the traditional route of taking paintbrush to canvas; others have moved on to new media, using Photoshop and graphics tablets to create their images. Joe Webb started out as a graphic designer, but in an act of rebellion against the machine, he started creating collages—cutting and gluing...
Arts & Collections takes a look at one of the top female artists of all time, Georgia O’Keeffe. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was born in Wisconsin to an Irish father and Dutch/Hungarian mother and was the second of seven children. She studied art and painting from a young age—something her mother encouraged—and attended the Art Institute of Chicago after graduating from high school. O’Keeffe took classes with the Art Students League with whom she won an...
In a dramatic final farewell to the novelist, Terry Pratchett’s hard drive containing his unfinished works has been crushed by a steamroller—it was his wish for anything he hadn’t completed to be destroyed after his passing. The deed was done at the Great Dorset Steam Fair by a vintage John Fowler & Co steamroller. To make sure it was properly destroyed, Terry Pratchett’s ex-assistant Rob Wilkins had it rolled over several times by the six-and-a-half...
Arts & Collections takes you on a surreal journey through the life and magical works of renowned artist René Magritte. René Magritte (1898 –1967) was a Belgian artist, best known for his thought-provoking and sometimes comical Surrealist works. Magritte was struck by tragedy at a young age, with the suicide of his mother in 1912. Born the son of a wealthy manufacturer, Magritte quickly realised his love for the arts and decided to study at...
The Dulwich Picture Gallery may not be the largest in the U.K., but it certainly symbolises a significant point in history. It was in fact the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery, founded in 1811 by Sir Francis Bourgeois who bestowed his collection upon the public. Now the gallery thrives with a buzz of new and invigorating exhibitions, the latest being no different. Besides being a source of knowledge and inspiration for art fans, the...
