The Easel

8th June 2021

Epic Iran at the V&A review: five millennia of glittering culture

An ambitious show on Iran’s artistic heritage somewhat obscured by writers and critics trying oh-so-hard to not cause offence. Iran’s culture is just as accomplished as that of Egypt – the first written records around 5000 years ago, political unification in 550BC, a flowering of Persian art around 1000AD. The writer’s summation is very clear– “The stuff is incredible … [contemporary works are] as vivid as the rest” A potted history of Iranian heritage is here.

1st June 2021

Barbara Hepworth: Art and Life review – a blockbuster of diminishing returns

Hepworth vies with Henry Moore as Britain’s pre-eminent modernist sculptor. A new biography documents how her career was hampered by being a penniless single parent with four children. Hepworth thought it a “miracle” that she produced any work. After those years, she was prolific. The verdict on a major retrospective is mixed: “Its sheer, dogged tastefulness makes it easy to like … difficult to love … [but] undeniably imposing.”