The Easel

19th March 2019

‘A Black Aesthetic: A view of South African Artists (1970 -1990)’ A challenge to existing ideas of South African art history

Can a “landmark” exhibition change South Africa’s awareness of its own art? That’s the aspiration of a show of art made during the apartheid era. This ‘black aesthetic’ was distinctly modernist, mainly non-political, and still influences current South African art. “A cornerstone [show] for what art made by artists who are black … is all about.”

12th March 2019

The Helmet Heads review – Henry Moore should never have gone near a chisel

An excoriating review. Moore’s fascination with armour led to a decades-long series of modernist heads. “The Helmet Heads are Moore’s answer to Bacon’s screaming popes. The trouble is, they have none of Bacon’s cruel genius. [They have] neither the immediacy of a photograph nor the imaginative impact of truly original art. Moore is always a few miles from life.”