The Art Issue / March 2013

In an exclusive interview, Britain’s best loved contemporary artist talks about tapestries, television and a Taj Mahal in Essex

– P l u s –

Art in offices, At the tAte, in the shops And on the streets of VictoriA

g r ays o n p e r ry

Grayson favour

In anticipation of Grayson Perry’s tapestry ‘The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal’

going on display in Victoria, the artist talks exclusively about his love of textiles, his obsession with taste and his new project

to build a Taj Mahal for Essex i n t e r v i e w j a c k y k l e i n

You’re probably best known in the art world for your pots and ceramic works, but it was a tapestry that really brought your work to wider attention. Why did you decide to turn to this medium?It happened around 2009, when I was planning a new, large-scale work for the Victoria Miro Gallery. The result was ‘The Walthamstowe Tapestry’. It’s what I call my first ‘celebrity artefact’. Fifteen metres across, it shows the journey of life seen through shopping. It had an amazing response from the press and public. For the first time I had people recognising my work, rather than just associating me with dressing up or pottery in general. I remember cycling down the Farringdon Road one day, dressed up as Claire [Perry’s female alter ego, as whom he collected the 2003 Turner Prize], and this woman poked her head out of a passing car and shouted, ‘Loved your tapestry!’ ‘At last,’ I thought, ‘someone knows one of my works rather than just my persona!’

Above Grayson Perr y’s f irst

text i le work, ‘ The Walthamstowe

Tapestr y’ right The Vanity

of Small Dif ferences ser ies of tapestr ies

opposite Perr y working in another favour ite

medium, ceramics

uPdateWelcome to the victoria newspaper, your regular update on the transformation of Victoria. a vibrant district is

emerging that’s fast becoming one of london’s most desirable to live and work in. The latest addition to the ranks of new Victorians is jamie Oliver, who will be opening a restaurant beneath the new residences at kings Gate on Victoria Street. in

the meantime, look out for new hoardings with some familiar faces, as work starts there and on The Zig Zag building next door – both are due for completion in 2015. nearby, have a look at the windows of 62 Buckingham Gate, which form a 42m-long

exhibition space, showcasing new artworks. and continuing the art theme, although land Securities’ SW1 gallery has closed for the time being, its commitment to the arts has been temporarily transferred to the St james Theatre.

sign up to the Victoria newsletter at createvictoria.com for the latest news and events

What’s the specific appeal of this medium for you?I’ve always loved textiles of all sorts – quilts, samplers etc. I’d had ambitions to make larger work too but didn’t want to produce something that would take forever or be vastly expensive to make. Tapestry seemed great in that respect – it’s relatively cheap and, with modern technologies, it can be made quickly, without having to exploit vast amounts of hand labour.

I think tapestry’s now having a moment in contemporary art. It’s an attractive medium, not least for collectors who find it easy to install pieces like these. Talking openly about collectors is not part of the usual conversations about art, but I’m happy to think about my audience.

How did the idea for your most recent set of tapestries, The Vanity of Small Differences, come about?I was making a series of programmes for Channel 4 about taste, and we decided

that I’d make some artworks to go with the television series. The timetable of TV is such that they wanted the artworks immediately – yesterday! – so I had to come up with something I could make in the tight timeframe. Putting together an exhibition of pottery is very labour-intensive, as I make everything by hand. I also wanted to produce something large because I knew the work would get a lot of attention: I didn’t want objects that people would need to squint at or crowd around. And tapestries bring with them all sorts of class resonances that fitted perfectly with the subject matter of the TV series, as well as making reference to historic works such as the tapestries of the story of Abraham at Hampton Court. Those were commissioned by Henry VIII as a means to show off his wealth and status, and apparently cost as much as a battleship!

One set of the tapestries is touring the UK this summer, beginning in Sunderland, where you filmed some of your programmes. Was it important to you that they would be seen widely by the public?I suppose I did see them as a sort of public artwork. In many ways, this was the first time I’ve really embraced that idea fully. I made six editions of the tapestry cycle and I was keen that somewhere there would be a complete group that could be seen by the public. So my gallerist and I gifted a set to the Arts Council collection, which tours artworks around Britain. The works are co-owned by the British Council, which tours exhibitions abroad, so they can go globally too – perhaps as ambassadors of British society!

How do you feel that some sets have been split up to be shown individually – such as the one that will go on display at 62 Buckingham Gate in May (see the newspaper’s centre spread)? It’s fine, because visually I made them as standalone works. My priority is always first and foremost to make an artwork that looks good, so it was important to me that each one individually has its own strengths. If you like one image, you can take it away and it will quite happily survive away from the others.

It was recently announced that you’ve been given the green light on an architectural project to design a holiday rental house on the North Essex coast. Can you give us any hints about what it will be like, and when it might open for its first visitors?This is a project I’m working on with Living Architecture and the architectural

practice FAT (Fashion Architecture Taste). The house, like a lot of my work, is very much about place – in this case Essex, where I grew up. I decided to create a building based on a myth. My fictitious character is a woman named Julie, and I’m basing the iconongraphy of the building around her life. She’s a woman, born in Canvey Island in 1953, who becomes a secretary straight after school and gets married to a supervisor in the local oil refinery. He turns out to be a philanderer, like so many men, and she becomes a single mother. Then, in her forties, she decides to go to university, where she meets her second husband and goes on to have a more affluent, middle-class life. The building will be her Taj Mahal, becoming a memorial to her. Her

VicToria circle:a new stage for public artOnce the creation of Victoria circle

– the comprehensive upgrade of the

island site opposite the station –

is complete, not only wil l it contain

a fabulous mix of retail , residential

and office space but it wil l serve

as an exciting destination for art-

lovers too. Developers land Securities

have made an innovative proposal

to provide a rotating art exhibition

as the centrepiece of the site.

‘We hope it wil l work a lot l ike

the fourth plinth in Trafalgar

Square,’ says Victoria Fairhall ,

development director at land

Securities london, referring to

a scheme run since 1999 that

has seen temporary artworks

displayed on a vacant plinth

beside nelson’s column.

land Securities’ proposal for

Victoria circle is that it would

commission leading contemporary

artists to create a piece of work

for the space that would then

be on open display for up to six

months. Fairhall stresses that the

plan remains subject to approval

by Westminster city council but

believes that, if it does go ahead,

the scheme will offer artists

a unique opportunity.

‘We’d l ike to commission artists

to create the pieces that they’d

never have been able to afford

to do otherwise, and to help them

fulfi l their dreams,’ Fairhall says.

at the end of the six-month

period, the work would revert to the

artist and the ‘rolling exhibition’ would

continue with art by someone else.

This new approach to public

art wil l give passers by another

reason to visit Victoria circle

rather than just rushing past

to catch the 18.42.

story isn’t particularly special, but it’s one I hope a lot of people will identify with. The house should be completed next year.

You’ve made work in many media over the years – not just ceramics and tapestry, but also drawings, prints, cast iron – and presumably the building will push your interest in materials even further. Is there any medium you’re still curious to work with?As it happens, I quite fancy working in lead. There’s something mythical about it. I’ve also always loved cloisonné enamel [enamel shaped by metal compartments], and that would be an interesting challenge. My next show will feature work in a wide variety of media, but I can’t say more just yet. I like to surprise people.

the updated, expanded edition of Jacky Klein’s book grayson perry (thames & Hudson, £24.95) is available now. ‘the annunciation of the virgin Deal’ will be on display at 62 buckingham gate from May. the touring exhibition of the vanity of small Differences begins in June; artscouncil .org.uk

a render ing of Victor ia circle

"i wanted to produce something large because i knew the work would get a lot of attention"

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Making an entrance

The unveiling of Grayson Perry’s ‘Annunciation’ tapestry at 62 Buckingham Gate reveals the

latest dramatic artwork to grace the reception of a Victoria office building. So what are the benefits

of being greeted by art as you arrive at work?w o r D s c aT h e r i n e m O y e

top rob & Nick car ter’s ‘Water fal l ’ is a

prominent feature at 80 Victor ia Street

right ‘canopy’ by conrad Shawcross, at 123

Victor ia Street Above r ight The

reception of 123 Victor ia Street , with a paint ing

by Noemie Goudal

The Grayson Perry tapestry, which will be on display in the reception of 62 Buckingham Gate, together with a work by Stuart Haygarth, joins a diverse range of art in Land Securities’ properties – mostly by British contemporary artists. These include Rob and Nick Carter (80 Victoria Street), Richard Galpin and Boo Ritson (Portland House), and Conrad Shawcross at 123 Victoria Street.

As for the style and controversy of some modern art, Fairhall maintains the aim is to challenge without offending, to have something that stirs a conversation – but not because people hate it.

‘On the other hand, if you put something safe there, then people will say it’s boring and you haven’t tried hard enough. It’s a really fine line with selecting a bit of artwork,’ Burrows explains.

As Land Securities leases over one million square foot of office space in the Victoria area and will make a lot more available within the next few years, there are also potential tenants to consider. ‘Our aim is to appeal to everyone, whether they are from the financial, fashion, or media and marketing sectors,’ says Fairhall.

Burrows adds, ‘The tenant is always in the back of one’s mind but would not drive our decision.’

The art currently on display and planned for further reception areas is mostly visible not only to an elite few entering a building but to passers-by on the pavement. Take ‘Canopy’, by Conrad Shawcross, at 123 Victoria Street: an aluminium and steel kinetic sculpture inspired by the artist’s experience of sitting under a tree observing sunlight passing through the layers of leaves to the ground

that is not the method by which artworks are normally selected.

‘We always start from the point of view of the reception area and then we choose the artist who we think will best create a piece to work within that space,’ says Fairhall. ‘It’s a collaborative process : we’ll normally fund an initial project and then they’ll come back to us and show us their ideas. But, by the time we’ve selected an artist, we normally have absolute faith they’ll produce something that we’ll like.’

To select artists, Fairhall works closely with Patrick Burrows, director of Art Source, which acts as a link between artists and developers. Together they draw up a long-list of around 12 artists, which is then narrowed to a shortlist of four or so.

‘We really like to have an artist who has an active programme, who has an exhibition coming up in six months’ time or who might crop up later on at the Saatchi Gallery – something that adds another dimension,’ she explains.

There was a time when the most eye-catching decoration to be found in the the majority of office reception areas would be a cheese plant no one noticed unless they inadvertently bumped into it. But that was a time when the office buildings themselves could be somewhat drab.

Many of today’s new office buildings, however, are as much sculpture as architecture, so the visual impact of their entrances is paramount. Developments in Victoria are prime examples.

‘The new era of office buildings was the inspiration and the chance to properly incorporate art into receptions,’ says Victoria Fairhall, development director at Land Securities, adding that the advent of stirring, light-filled, super-high entrances ‘created open spaces that were well suited to works of art.’

The company recently acquired Grayson Perry’s ‘Annunciation’ tapestry (previous page) as a completed work, but

below. Pedestrians are invited to admire the installation through the building’s glass frontage. The same is true of Rob and Nick Carter’s ‘Waterfall’, a sculpture of 141 brightly coloured neon tubes in the entrance of 80 Victoria Street, which makes a big impact when you enter, but captures the attention from outside, too.

Land Securities’ new and proposed expansive reception areas may form a suitably fitting backdrop to large and ambitious contemporary artworks, but, as far as Fairhall is concerned, it is still more about the building than the art.

‘Our thought process is that it adds value to the building and therefore our portfolio,’ she explains. ‘It is not about the kudos. We love the idea of supporting the arts because it fits very well with what we do, especially the creative-design side of our buildings. But we are not worried about having an amazing collection of art pieces. It’s what it brings to the buildings that adds value to us.’

As it leases its commercial space, Land Securities’ artistic contribution ends beyond reception. It is up to tenants to decide how to adorn their premises with art that matches their professional image and perhaps lifts the spirits – and thus the working performance – of their employees. According to Sandi Mann, lecturer in psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, and an authority on the pitfalls of office life – especially boredom – they would be wise to do so.

‘Art can break the monotony and lead to creative thinking,’ she says. ‘Most of the time at work is spent thinking cognitively and in terms of solutions. Looking at art gives you the chance to use your mind in a different way; to think outside the box and engage other elements of the brain, such as emotion.’

Although most companies rely on their employees’ creativity, precious little time is allowed for it today, comments Mann. Provided it is not truly offensive, she believes even art you dislike

can be beneficial, as it still provides the opportunity to give your mind some respite and a chance to think in new ways.

‘People are mostly rushing around from meeting to meeting; and rarely are they given permission to just stop and stare,’ Mann explains. ‘Art on the walls can give people that permission.’

A striking example of a large corporation reaping inspirational as well as financial benefits from its investment in contemporary art is the insurance giant Hiscox. Mostly thanks to the passion of its proprietor, Robert Hiscox, its offices throughout the UK are festooned with artworks by such starry names as Lucian Freud, Gilbert & George, Banksy and Damien Hirst.

Whitney Hintz, the curator of the Hiscox collection, reckons that some of their more controversial works can be a dynamic addition to the working environment. She cites two of artist Richard Billingham’s brutally frank photographs of his parents Ray and Liz, which, to coin a phrase, ‘some viewers may find disturbing’.

‘We hang our more controversial works in our top-floor meeting rooms and those photographs were very problematic for a lot of people. Some have even complained they put them off their food,’ says Hintz. ‘But, for that very reason, we kept them there.’

Bold rather than decorative art is the best possible icebreaker, according to Hintz. ‘It’s so off the topic of whatever meeting you’re there for,’ she says. ‘Far from eliciting an awkward silence, it gets everyone talking and releases different parts of their personalities. The photographs are an interesting diversion topic for people before they get around to talking about business.’

For office buildings’ receptions, less unsettling, but equally bold contemporary art can look astounding in another way. And unlike that Seventies cheese plant, it doesn’t even need to be watered.

Victoria Street bears two historical beacons of architecture. at the

north end, stands the neo-Byzantine Westminster cathedral, whose

campanile (bell tower) was the tallest in london when it was completed

in 1910. inside, each chapel has its own artist – the idea was for succeeding

generations to add works of art to the cathedral – and there are wonderful

Stations of the cross designed by artist and typographer eric Gil l .

at the south end, is the huge Westminster abbey – and facing Victoria

is the architectural highlight: the Great West Door. it’s l ike a history of

architecture – there has been input from hawksmoor in the 18th century,

George Gilbert Scott in the 19th, and Sir edwin lutyens designed a new

entrance hall for it in the 20th century (although this was never built).

Between the two great churches stands one of my favourite buildings,

the often overlooked art Deco gem at 55 Broadway, its Portland-stone

facade adorned with sensuous allegorical sculptures by the then

avant-garde artists henry moore, jacob epstein and (again) eric Gil l .

i am thril led that, it seems, the beacon has been passed on to

land Securities to inject public art in the area. conrad Shawcross’s

piece ‘canopy’ [ left] at the newly renovated modernist building at

123 Victoria Street is testament to that. What appeals to me personally

about his work resides in his reference beyond the visual, to ideas of

philosophy and science, exploiting their allegory to communication –

for me, a perfect metaphor to define the future of Victoria.

follow nathalie hambro’s Ar t diar y at hambro-ar t .com

victoria’s visual geMsa rT i S T a N D W r i T e r N aT h a l i e h a m b r o Ta k e S u S o N a T o u r o f h e r faV o u r i T e a r c h i T e c T u r e a N D P u b l i c a rT i N T h e a r e a

Jacob epstein’s sculpture ‘Night’ on the ar t Deco masterpiece 55 broadway

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new MiniMalisMShorts, £35

Topshop, Cardinal Place

Inspired by the clean lines and futuristic ethos of the Bauhaus movement, Top-shop’s Arthaus collection for spring/summer is all sleek lines and geometric shapes. Strut your cultured stuff with these printed shorts and strappy block heels and use colour sparingly to really

nail the new minimalism.

conteMporary art ‘Untitled’ by Dan Rees

Phillips auctioneers, Howick Place

Founded in 1796, Phillips has long been the place to go for those in the market to buy at auction the art of the era. In recent times, it has become the go-to destination for collectors of the avant-garde, who travel from around the world to bid on pieces by the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jeff Koons.

Deco DeligHts Biba clutch, £189

House of Fraser, Victoria Street

If you’re styling your spring look on Dai-sy Buchanan in homage to Baz Luhr-man’s screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby, look no further than House of Fraser for Twenties Art Deco- inspired Biba handbags in gorgeous berry snake-skin or peachy suede to give your style a

glamorous vintage edge.

Whether you prefer Op Art geometry or the glamour of Art Deco, Victoria’s stores have your favourite artistic

movement covered for the wardrobe and home

p o p a r t ? s H o p a r t

art awarDs: SuPPorT for emerGiNG TaleNT

‘Warren’ by Noemie Goudal

DreaMing of art nouveau Adriana beaded cushion, £35

Monsoon, Cardinal Place

Be inspired by Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell and transform your home into an Art Nouveau paradise with bed linen from Monsoon. Team striking linens in vibrant shades of grape, raspberry and vermillion with embroidered paisley-

motif cushions and a Tiffany lamp.

MaKe-up goes pop! Nars eyeshadow palette, £39.50

Space NK, Cardinal Place

Add a pop of early Sixties style to your make-up bag with Nars’ limited-edition collection of eyeshadow palettes. Each features on its case a variation on Andy Warhol’s iconic self-portrait, evoking the pop artist’s super-cool, image-rich,

character-laden spirit.

geoMetric MoDShirt, £29.99

Zara, Cardinal Place

The geometric prints of the Op Art movement perfectly complement the bold shapes of the mod look, which has been colourfully updated here for the stylish contemporary man. Pair this sharp shirt with slim tailored trousers

for a hip, ultra-modern look.

noemie Goudal, mike Tuck, nicky

carvel, andreas Blank, nika

neelova, Frank ammerlaan. What

do these emerging artists have in

common, you may ask? Well, they

are all previous winners of the land

Securities Studio award.

With rents on the rise, one of

the biggest problems facing

recently graduated art students

is studio space. So, each year,

the land Securities Studio award

provides three of them with

a rent-free studio for 12 months,

plus a £5,000 bursary and a public

exhibition of their work.

‘land Securities wanted to do

more than just acquire artworks’,

says art advisor Patrick Burrows.

‘Studio space was becoming harder

and harder to find, so i suggested

how helpful it would be to support

graduates in this respect.’

The benefit of such support is

clear, al lowing artists the freedom

to concentrate on their work at

a vital stage in their budding career.

‘To have this time to be their own

person, without worrying about

overheads and costs and studio

space, means they can flourish,’

explains Burrows.

One such student is Frank

ammerlaan, who won the prize last

year. ‘as a graduating art student,

the biggest worry is getting a good,

affordable studio,’ he explains.

‘The land Securities Studio award

is one of the most-wanted! i ’ve got

a big exhibition in the netherlands

at the moment, and i ’m working on

a show in new york. i really don’t

think i ’d have been able to pull

either of these off without a studio.’

w o r D s Ta m S i n c r i m m e n S

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at land Securities, we believe a place is defined by its people. Together we are creating a vibrant new destination for londoners to enjoy, people

from across the world to visit and somewhere that businesses and individuals are proud to call home

To watch interviews with the creative people in our list of eminent ‘New Victorians’, visit our website

“What i like about Victoria is its vibrancy

and architectural variety: it provides a context that will allow great design to

flourish in the future. the fusion of different spaces and people is creating one

compelling destination.”

luKe scHubertHarchitect luke schuberth is the Managing

Director of aukett fitzroy robinson, and oversaw the regeneration of 123 victoria street

‘The Annunciation Of The Virgin Deal’ The artist explains the inspiration for his series of six tapestries, The Vanity of Small Differences

T h e b i G P i c T u r e

g r ays o n pe r ry

‘The story of my tapestries focuses on Tim Rakewell, inspired by Tom Rakewell from Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress. Tim makes his way up the ladder of class mobility from the working classes through to the upper ranks of the nouveaux riches, before meeting a tragic end. This is the fourth work in the series, and is going to be shown by Land Securities at its huge new office building at 62 Buckingham Gate in May. Tim has just sold off his computer company to Virgin for £270m. He and his wife are now firmly in the upper middle classes – she’s busy tweeting on her iPhone,

leaning against the Aga. It’s a sort of still-life of their home, so there’s a cafetière, Penguin mugs, recycling boxes, a Cath Kidston bag, a pebble bowl and organic vegetables. The title of the series, The Vanity of Small Differences, comes from Sigmund Freud, who talked about the “narcissism of small differences”. He noticed how everyone tends to get very defensive around ideas of their own identity, and the people we get most offended by are those who are very similar to us. Taste is the principal battleground for differentiation, so I wanted to play with that idea.’

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Snow Storm

One of the most famous, albeit almost certainly fictional, stories about JMW Turner was inspired by ‘Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth’. It is rumoured that, to better appreciate man’s insignificance in the face of the weather and the ocean, the artist asked to be lashed to the mast of the vessel as it sailed into the eye of a storm in Harwich.

Unlikely as such extreme devotion to the craft might be, Turner was un-doubtedly fascinated by the power of na-ture. Probably the greatest landscape artist of the 19th century, he was a pioneer in the study of light, colour and atmosphere. His paintings explored his-torical, literary, mythological and bibli-cal themes, while later works depicted dramatic sky- and seascapes.

‘Snow Storm’ illustrates perfectly Turner’s expertise in capturing swirling,

stormy skies and ships being tossed on fierce seas. The distant white glow above the steam-boat is one of his trademarks, borrowed from the 17th-century painter Claude Lorrain. Born into a working-class family in London in 1775 and accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy Schools while still in his teens, Turner worked in a period when it was de rigueur to show respect to the old masters by sourcing them in your work. During lulls in the Napoleonic Wars, he was able to travel to Europe and admire their paint-ings at first hand, visiting France and Switzerland for the first time in 1802, at the age of 27. When peace eventually came in 1815, he was able to roam more extensively, and took an extensive trip to Italy in 1819.

Although he was criticised in his life-time for his use of colour and for the

sheer energy of his compositions, Turner anticipated the French Impressionists, such as Monet, by challenging traditional representation and edging towards more abstract art. His work attracted several powerful admirers, such as the hugely in-fluential critic John Ruskin. In 1843, in the first of five volumes of his tome Modern Painters, Ruskin defended Turner, claiming that ‘Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth’ is one of the very grandest statements of sea motion, mist and light that has ever been put on canvas.’

Turner died in Chelsea in 1851 and is buried in St Paul’s Cathedral. His last words are said to have been, ‘The sun is God.’ While he may never have been tied to the mast of that storm-tossed steam-boat, he was indisputably always ahead of his time.

laDy lucy frencH oN The ST JameS TheaTre’S SPriNG ProGramme

With the impetus provided by a change

of season, our creative juices have

been bubbling away at the St james

Theatre. We recently rechristened

our brasserie carrara – a name

inspired by the sweeping, sculptural

staircase by mark humphrey,

crafted in carrara marble. We’re

sure you’l l love the menu – organic

and British, with an italian twist.

We’ve just launched our Sunday

Silver Screen afternoons – a classic

fi lm shown in the comfort of the

theatre, with a lazy brunch before

or a leisurely lunch afterwards. and

we’re currently showcasing the

Frank Worth collection – photos of

hollywood icons elizabeth Taylor,

marilyn monroe, Grace kelly, alfred

hitchcock et al. i love to amble along

the corridors soaking up the glamour.

The St james studio, meanwhile,

has an electrifying programme of

music, cabaret and comedy this season.

a bril l iant Wednesday-night fixture

is The Political Party with matt Forde

– an evening combining stand-up and

an interview with a politician – thus

far, nigel Farage and George Galloway.

if that isn’t provocative enough for

you, be sure not to miss The Thrill

of love, a new play about ruth ell is,

the last woman to be hanged in

Britain, which opens this month –

evidence, if you needed it, that the

arts really do push the boundaries, and

all in the cultural hub that is SW1.

stjamestheatre.co.uk

win! go to createvictoria.com for your chance to win tickets to a show at the st James theatre and a night at the brand new intercontinental Hotel in victoria

our columnist on the carrara staircase

tAt e b r i tA i n A r t i c o n s , n o . 3

Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth by JMW TurnEr

First exhibited in 1842; now on permanent display

W O r D S a M y r a p H a e l

Art in the heart of

the capitalFour years ago, two young men decided

to take advantage of the pop-up phenomenon and showed works in an empty commercial

space. now their Victoria gallery, Edel Assanti, is at the centre of a new art district

w o r D s a m y r a P h a e l

p H o t o g r a p H y T r e n T m c m i n n

In 2009, Charlie Fellowes and Jeremy Epstein talked their way into Westminster City Council offices. The recession was, as Fellowes says, ‘biting hard’ and buildings were lying dormant for weeks or months at a time. Why not allow the two young men, who had worked at Hamiltons and Gagosian galleries respectively, to open a pop-up gallery in an empty space? The council liked the idea and eventually a six-storey office building in the heart of Victoria became available.

In February 2010, the Edel Assanti Project Space opened at 276 Vauxhall Bridge Road. It was a vast space for Fellowes and Epstein, who are now 29 and 27 respectively. ‘We weren’t yet 30 and there we were in Victoria with six floors of gallery space,’ says Epstein, still clearly a little baffled at their ingenuity and luck. ‘Victoria is perfect for us because it’s still a blank canvas. Yet you’re only a 10-minute taxi journey from Mayfair.’

Galleries in Mayfair tend to be slightly corporate, while the self-consciously cool galleries in Bethnal Green have largely moved west to Fitzrovia, forced out of the East End by rising rents and the recession. Victoria, by turn, is unique. It has a steadily growing reputation as a new centre for art and a prime location. ‘It’s down the road from Tate Britain,’ says Epstein. ‘We’re a little bit on the edge of things while remaining easily accessible.’

Edel Assanti is now in the next-door building, in a more intimate space over two floors. Both owners favour concept-driven work that has something to say. They also admire technical accomplishment. One of the artists they represent, Gordon Cheung, certainly fulfils all their criteria. He also

has his studio in the gallery. ‘The way we work with artists is far from conventional,’ explains Fellowes, laughing. ‘Gordon was part of a group show we put on two-and-a-half years ago and it just so happened that, as the show was finishing, his studio in Mile End was being pulled down. We casually asked if he’d like to take some space at Edel Assanti and he jumped at the chance.’

Cheung graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2001 and, since then, has been forging an international reputation with his vivid and unsettling images of utopian and dystopian worlds. Fellowes and Epstein are looking for a balance of established artists such as Cheung and comparitively recent art-school graduates such as Noemie Goudal, a recipient of a Land Securities Studio Award who graduated from the Royal College in 2010.

Goudal’s photographs – of buildings semi-submerged in water, of a jungle of plants growing unexpectedly in the doorway of an anonymous white building – are striking and gently provocative. ‘Noemie is definitely one of the stars of the

Above r ight: charl ie fellowes (left) and Jeremy epstein of

edel assanti below: untit led

sculpture, 2013, in carrara marble,

by alex hoda

gallery,’ says Fellowes. ‘She has grown with us. We started as a pop-up gallery; now we’re a far more professional enterprise.’

Ask the gallery owners – who named the space after Fellowes’ Maltese great-uncle and Epstein’s Polish grandmother – how the recession has hit them and both laugh. ‘We started out in the most hopeless moment of it, so we don’t know anything different,’ says Epstein. They add, rather encouragingly, that ‘things feel as though they are picking up’.

Prices range from around £700 to £20,000 and, as such, aren’t accessible only to the Charles Saatchis of this world. ‘Owning art is a relatively new idea for young professionals, but I think people have realised that it’s a great way to enjoy your money.’

The pair can’t now imagine being based anywhere but Victoria. ‘We are so pleased we went to see Westminster City Council back in 2009,’ says Fellowes. ‘We were cheeky, but it paid off.’

edel assanti, 272–274 vauxhall bridge road, victoria; edelassanti.comc

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How long have you worked here?I’ve been here in Victoria for nearly two years – I joined InterContinental when this was a building site and now we’re weloming guests to the new hotel. It was a great opportunity to be involved in the group’s first London opening in 40 years.

How did you select art for the hotel?We wanted the art to reflect the area, so we approached well-known political cartoonists and also looked at up-and-coming artists. In the foyer is a piece called ‘The House Always Wins’, an in-terpretation of the House of Commons by two guys from Brighton called Evil Robot who use action figures – it’s a lot of fun. My favourite is the 3D image of St James’s Park by Peter Millard. It uses lenticular technology, so, wherever you are in the room, things in the image shift and change. As you walk past it, the flow-ers wink at you and lights in Bucking-ham Palace go on and off. It’s a little Alice In Wonderland, but it’s the eccentricity I really like.

What do you like about working here in Victoria?There’s a great mixture here: There’s the heritage, the iconic buildings and the whole political element, and then, on

the other side, you have this emerging regeneration of Victoria, which for us is very important; there’s real space for a hotel like this all of a sudden.

Where would you go to unwind after a long shift at the hotel?If I’m not going to drink here in our great Blue Boar bar, then I’ll go to one of the pubs nearby – there’s an incredible pub culture in Victoria. What I find re-ally encouraging is that, from all landla-dies and landlords, there’s a real belief in hospitality and a traditional approach to inn-keeping which is fantastic and why they’re so popular.

Any hidden gems in the area?I’ve just discovered the St James Thea-tre. It’s only recently opened, just like us. As well as putting on great productions, they’ve taken it beyond just being a the-atre: they do jazz in the evenings and there’s a whole café culture.

How would you spend your perfect day off in Victoria? I’d just go off the beaten track a little bit. There are so many incredible little side streets and quirky shops hidden away. There’s a real village feel here.

ichotelsgroup.com

How long have you lived in Victoria?I’ve lived here nearly all my life, since I moved to London aged 18. I’ve lived in various places, but always stayed in the area. I like the fact that it’s so central – the boundaries are wonderful: Chelsea, Belgravia, Pimlico, Westminster… and be-cause I’m always on the move, it’s ideal.

How did you first get into design?I’ve been involved with creative work all my life. I started in interior design, then joined Vogue as a contributing editor, followed by Elle Decoration, and then I started to do my own styling. I designed handbags, which were sold at a concession at Harvey Nichols [some are now in the V&A’s permanent collection], and worked with a series of different couture houses, creating jewellery using chain mail.

For the past six years, I’ve worked in the art world. My parents were always involved with art, so even as a child my life ran parallel to it.

What is your role at Phillips?What makes Phillips so special is that it’s the only auction house that deals ex-clusively in the contemporary and spe-cialises in photography, art and design. I work as a consultant, finding collectors who want to sell their entire collections,

and mediating between them and the auction house. Last year, I collaborated with Intelligence Squared and organised a debate here at Phillips about photography and paint. It was so interesting and a great way to raise the profile of the space we have here, as well as getting people to interact with one another over interesting subjects.

As an artist yourself, do you find inspiration in Victoria?Yes, I do. The area is so multicultural and there’s a great dynamic – my work is in-spired by that. I love the way Victoria is evolving. It was overdue but finally, in all aspects, Victoria will be returned to its original glory. It’s going to be a new fo-cus in the city.

How do you like to spend your weekends in Victoria?I like to cycle around the area and through St James’s Park. And I go to the farmer’s market, where I visit the cheesemonger and fishmonger – it’s wonderful. I also like the wonderful concerts at St John Smith’s Square, known as ‘Queen Anne’s Footstool’, where the acoustics are outstanding.

follow nathalie Hambro’s art Diary at hambro-art.com

Work / Lifei n T e r V i e W S c H a r l i e t e a s D a l e

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1. in the film layer cake, which actor is accessory to a brutal tea-related crime, in a scene filmed at the regency café on regency street?A . Daniel craigB. Daniel Day-lewisC. Daniel radcliffe

2. the striking red and white striped architecture of Westminster cathedral on Victoria st is typical of what style of architecture?A. Pre-raphaeliteB. Gothic revivalC. neo-Byzantine

V i c t o r i A q u i z

t H e K n o w l e D g e t e s t y o u r l o c A l s AV V y – A n d i f y o u n e e d s o m e c l u e s ,

y o u ’ l l f i n d t h e m o n t h e W e b s i t e At c r e At e V i c t o r i A . c o m

W O r D S c H r i s M a D i g a n i l l u S T r aT i O n t o b y t r i u M p H

1. Daniel Craig 2. Neo-Byzantine 3. Casino Royale 4. The Barbican

5. Mulberry bushes – unfortunately they bought the wrong kind of

mulberry 6. 8 7. A prison: Millbank Penitentiary

was used to hold convicts before they were transported to

Australia 8. The Black Horse 9. Eric Gill was a typographer who designed the popular Gill Sans font

10. Countdown 11. 1918 12. A brewery – it was demolished in 1959 and its name transferred

to a brewery in Mortlake

3. bond author ian fleming moved into a flat in Victoria square in 1953, the year his first novel was published. What was the book’s title?A. Dr noB. chitty-chitty-Bang-BangC. casino royale

4. the st James theatre in Victoria is the first new theatre to be built in london since 1982. before it, which was the last purpose-built theatre to open?A. The BarbicanB. The young VicC. The almeida

5. the site now occupied by buckingham palace was previously used by James i to grow what plants to feed silkworms?A. mulberry bushesB. SunflowersC. rhododendrons

6. Wolfgang Amadeus mozart lived in ebury street, Victoria, when he wrote his first symphony. how old was he?A. 18B. 14C. 8

7. What was previously on the site of the tate britain art gallery?A. The home of the Dean of Westminster abbeyB. london’s main customs houseC. a prison

8. highwayman dick turpin used to plan his heists in a pub on broadway. What was it called?A. The Black horseB. The mask & musketC. The Flask & Flintlock

9. eric Gill, who designed the stations of the cross in Westminster cathedral, is better known for what everyday piece of design?A. The Tube mapB. The typeface used on Penguin books etcC. The nhS logo

10. What was the first programme shown on channel 4, – which is based on horseferry road – on its launch night in 1982?A. channel 4 newsB. BrooksideC. countdown

11. emmeline pankhurst and the suffragettes held the first of their Women’s parliaments in caxton hall in 1907. in what year did women (at least, those over the age of 30) win the right to vote? A. 1911B. 1918C. 1921

12. part of the cardinal place development stands on stag place, named after a business that used to take up much of the Victoria area. What sort of establishment was stag?A. a cigarette factoryB. a brick factoryC. a brewery

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Phillips Auction Houseevents in victoria: march

tHe tHrill of loveSt James Theatre 27 March to 4 Aprila r ivet ing play examining the story

of ruth el l is , the last woman to be

hanged in Br itain , fol lowing the

murder of her unfaithful lover.

st jamestheatre.co.uk

castalian Quartet St Peter’s Church (above)11 April This year’s St Peter’s Pr ize winners

the castal ian Quartet return for

another spel lbinding per formance

at eaton Square, with a programme

featur ing pieces for str ings by

haydn, Schubert and Brahms.

eatonsquareconcerts.org.uk

rHs lonDon orcHiD anD botanical art sHowRoyal Horticultural Hall 12–13 AprilThe world ’s f inest orchid growers

showcase their best work, along

with some of the most beautiful

botanical ar t . This two-day show

features talks f rom experts on a

range of topics, with stunning

displays of tropical and hardy

orchids f rom around the world .

rhs.org.uk

piMlico farMers’ MarKetOrange SquareEvery Saturday 9am-1pmSet in the leafy surrounds of what

Pimlico locals know as Orange, or

mozart, Square (this address doesn’t

actual ly exist in the a-Z, but it ’s on

the corner of Pimlico road and

ebury Street) is one of london’s

best farmers’ markets, with f resh

produce from al l over the country.

lfm.org.uk/markets/pimlico-road

A r c h i V e

The end of 2012 saw a saleroom legend hang up his gavel when the famously flamboyant Simon de Pury stepped down as chairman of Phillips de Pury, the auction house that has its London headquarters in the former post office building in Victoria’s Howick Place. The auctioneer has returned to the name it held from 1796 to 1997: Phillips – named after its founder Harry, a former clerk of the established auctioneer James Christie.

Harry Phillips fast established him-self as a key player on the emerging sale-room scene and was soon holding sales that attracted the most distinguished collectors of the day, including Napole-on Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette and Beau Brummell.

Phillips even ‘invented’ the now de rigueur pre-sale evening cocktail, and his firm came to be so well regarded among the moneyed collectors of Brit-ish society that he is still the only auc-tioneer to have been allowed to stage a sale inside Buckingham Palace.

Following its founder’s death in 1840, Phillips continued to grow under the leadership of Phillips’ son, William Augustus, and developed a network of regional salerooms throughout the UK. In 1999, it was bought by LVMH chair-man Bernard Arnault, who oversaw the merge with De Pury and Luxembourg Art. In 2002, de Pury and Daniella Lux-embourg took control of the company and, since 2008, the majority share of the firm has belonged to the Russian luxury retail group Mercury.

Its 200-year-old name may have re-turned, but Phillips appears only to be looking forward. As the single major auction house to specialise exclusively in ‘contemporary culture’ – paintings, furniture, photographs, prints and jew-ellery – Phillips has become the default choice of young, upwardly mobile collec-tors from Europe, America and, in par-ticular, emerging markets such as Chi-na, Russia and India.

The new CEO is Michael McGinnis, who founded the contemporary art de-

Since the 18th century, Phillips has been an innovator as an auction house. Its saleroom in Victoria is a state-of-the-art space

for displaying and selling contemporary workW O r D S s i M o n D e b u r t o n

Above: Phil l ips’ london headquar ters in howick Place, designed by bi l l katz and

architects Nissen adamsbelow: New ceo michael mcGinnis is

promising ‘dramatic changes’ as Phil l ips takes on Sotheby’s and christie’s

partment and became its worldwide head after joining Phillips de Pury in 1999. He was appointed to the new posi-tion in October last year, shortly before the announcement that de Pury was to stand down.

In February, Phillips furthered its expansion by enlarging the gallery and office space at its US base on Park Ave-nue, New York City – although it is the

cutting-edge Howick Place premises that have helped the firm build its repu-tation for class-leading auctions of 20th and 21st century art. Phillips’ thrice-yearly sales of contemporary works in particular attract well-heeled interna-tional buyers in search of works by blue-chip names such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons and Gerhard Richter.

Covering an area of 36,000 sq ft, these glittering premises eschew many people’s image of a London auction house: old-fashioned salerooms hiding a warren of corridors and mysterious back rooms. Instead, the highly regarded art-space designer Bill Katz worked with British architects Nissen Adams to cre-ate an open-plan, light-flooded layout and winter garden that lends itself per-fectly to the sale and display of large, dramatic pieces while also providing perfect entertaining space.

In a recent interview with Bloomb-erg, McGinnis promised some ‘dramatic changes’ to the business in an attempt to increase its presence alongside its giant rivals, Christie’s and Sotheby’s – and those changes are expected to include further London expansion.

gloriousgoodwoodFor tickets or hospitality call: 01243 755055 or visit

www.goodwood.com2013 Fixtures May: 4, 9, 23, 24, 25, 31 June: 14, 21 July: 30, 31 August: 1, 2, 3, 23, 24, 25 September: 3, 25 October: 13

30 July to 3 August

“i love being so central. but, even though you’re in

the heart of london, there’s a real ‘village’ feel to Victoria.

there are so many independent shops and restaurants, the

neighbourhood has to be one of the best kept secrets in london.”

Daisy lewisDaisy lewis is an actress and has lived in victoria nearly all her life

at land Securities, we believe a place is defined by its people. Together we are creating a vibrant new destination for londoners to enjoy, people

from across the world to visit and somewhere that businesses and individuals are proud to call home

To watch interviews with the creative people in our list of eminent ‘New Victorians’, visit our website