CONTENTS June 2013
EDITORIAL
From The Archives
L.S. Lowry’s upcoming retrospective at Tate Britain puts paid to the myth that the popular painter has been sidelined by the British art establishment. Indeed, a review by ‘Perspex’ in May 1938 saw him elevated above Hepworth and Nash.
EDITORIAL
Editors' Letter: Apollo remembers
June sees the opening of the 55th edition of the Venice Biennale, the London summer fair season and Art Basel.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Collectors' Focus
The finest baroque instruments are still in use today, and highly sought after by both collectors and virtuoso musicians. While wind, brass or keyboard players tend to use modern copies, the market for original stringed instruments is likely to remain robust.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Around The Galleries
Master Paintings Week and Master Drawings Week come together under the umbrella of London Art Week – and with the inclusion this year of sculpture, the summer season in London promises something for everyone.
ARCHITECTURE
Architecture
Despite the vulnerability of high-rise structures, architects and patrons have always striven to build upwards. Hadlow Tower in Kent, now magnificently restored by the Vivat Trust, survives as a spectacular example of a soaring 19th-century folly.
The Art Market: Market Review
Rare Isfahan carpets come to the block in New York, while London sees a collection of early silver spoons go under the hammer. In April, the ever-popular Salon du Dessin in Paris saw major institutions acquiring works on paper.
The Stranger’s View
Some of the most influential views of London were painted by artists who were not native to the capital. Their apparent simplicity often belies their subtle details and complex viewpoints.
Green Leaves
The J. Paul Getty Museum holds an outstanding collection of illuminated manuscripts. Many of these – both religious and secular – feature abundant garden imagery, providing rich insight into how gardens were conceived and imagined during the Renaissance.
Rotten with Stories
Philip Guston’s centenary year presents a fine opportunity to reconsider the painter’s legacy. Increasingly, it is his controversial late style – with its unsettling motifs and deceptively scruffy finish – that looks to have produced the most enduringly original of his works.
Cream of Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly once rivalled Versailles in splendour, and is now being restored to its former glory through a €70m partnership between the Aga Khan and the Institut de France. Apollo profiles the history of the estate, and meets the key players driving the project.
Burn the Gondolas!
Since its inception in 1895, the Venice Biennale has evolved to become one of the landmarks on the international calendar. Apollo traces its evolution over more than a century, and profiles the 55th edition, opening in June.
Poor Fido
Has the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum ever been presented so poignantly, asks Nigel Spivey
Fugitive pigments
Alexander Adams savours a superb exhibition that delves into Van Gogh’s technique.
Jekylls and Hydes
James Purdon welcomes a survey of the diverse artistic production of Julian Trevelyan.
White spirit
Elizabeth Upper is impressed by a study of the cultural and religious politics of whitewash.
Off the Shelf
Apollo's selection of recently published books on art, architecture and the history of collecting