The Easel

Archives: The Telegraph

7th June 2015

Francis Bacon & the Masters, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, review: ‘compelling’

One pairing in this exhibition has a Michelangelo sculpture placed next to the Bacon painting that it inspired. Were he alive, Bacon might rightly regard this curatorial approach as terrifying. (Two such ‘head on head’ pairings can be seen here.) Everyone seems to agree that the show is interesting but most reviewers do struggle to keep their eyes off the masterpieces.

Leon Underwood was a giant of 20th century art – why is he so neglected?

Wikipedia hints at the breadth of Underwood’s talents: “sculptor, painter, draughtsman…writer, illustrator, scholar, teacher, philosopher…” And, by the way, he taught Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Perhaps this eclecticism and a decidedly non-commercial outlook help explain why it has been nearly 50 years since his last show. An interview with the curator is here.

6th June 2015

Leonora Carrington: last of the great Surrealists

Carrington was presented at Buckingham Palace as a debutante but eloped to Paris with Max Ernst and subsequently escaped the Nazi’s to Mexico City. Her significant artistic achievements have received little recognition in England. This affectionate biographic essay by her journalist cousin describes the background to a retrospective which has just opened at the Tate Liverpool.