The Easel

4th June 2024

Stroke of Genius: How 34-Year-Old Flora Yukhnovich’s 21st-Century Spin on Rococo Turned Her Into an Art-World Phenomenon

When does a young artist become noteworthy? If they make brilliantly original work, undoubtedly. A contemporary alternative is to get huge prices at auction. Yukhnovich has done the latter and, perhaps, also the former. Her semi-abstract paintings riff on the rococo style of 18th century France, and a major London museum will hang two of these over the summer. Does that justify the triumphant headline above? Not really, but then Yukhnovich’s achievements are not nothing either. A video (2 min) is here

Sir Elton John and David Furnish talk us through their upcoming V&A exhibition ‘Fragile Beauty’

Does a celebrity’s photography collection deserve a show in a public gallery? The problem is that there is a fine line between a show that celebrates great images and a show that is simply a homage to the collector. That risk is even greater when the collector is Elton John, a name that will pull in the crowds. The show is “rammed full of iconic images” says one critic. It works because its link to the singer gives it “a story, and an iconic story at that”. More images are here.