As you walk into the courtyard to Burlington House you are hit with Jeff Koons’ colourful outsized sculpture that dominates the area. As I walked around the piece my eyes were drawn towards a more traditional sculpture in the shape of a war memorial, dedicated to the World War 1 Rainbow Division by James Butler. The attention to detail is captivating as you come to terms with its dramatic presence.
On entering the first gallery I was expecting a ‘wow-factor’ piece to lay down a bench mark for the others to follow; fat chance of that as we were greeted by what appeared to be a pile of old chairs waiting to be taken to the dump, valued at £60,000 pounds. This was minimalist Martin Creed’s centrepiece and it made me feel uncomfortable. As I tried to look at the photographs in the gallery, I was still sensing its irreverence for the occasion. It was a bit like turning on the television in the morning and finding its on Daybreak and you can’t find the remote control quick enough. I feel this may have had a different effect on me if it was placed in a better position. It was forcing me out of the room quicker than I would have liked, but I couldn’t fight it.
This was my first ever visit to the show and I was expecting wall to wall paintings crammed up against each other. However, the Summer Exhibition Committee had achieved the impossible by displaying a wide spectrum of paintings without diminishing our enjoyment. Individual works had space to breathe and I could all the better appreciate the creativity and wit of pieces like Simon Brundret’s “Dog in a Bin”. One piece that did catch my eye was Cathy De Monchaux’s charging beaked monsters riding unicorns. This reminded me of a Lord of the Rings battle charge. Another piece was By Dae H Kwon. It was a small sculpture of a man with both hands in his pockets looking down to the floor. With many public servants about to lose their jobs this most poignant little man seemed to sum up their situation quit beautifully.
On the whole I think the show gave a feeling of creativity, expression and satisfaction of a job well done. Having a love for sculpture, this show had it in abundance and the quality was top dollar. I didn’t have the time to salivate on every story behind every piece and I feel guilty to all the artists and sculptures that are not in my pick of the show. I have picked my own personal top 8 and have left many creditable pieces out.
'Coloring Book' by Jeff Koons
War Memorial Dedicated to the World War 1 Rainbow Division by James Butler
'Entitled 250510R' by Dae H Kwon
'Think Pink' by Allen Jones
'Sweetly The Air Flew Overhead, Battle with Unicorns No.9' by Cathy de Monchaux
'Dog in a Bin' by Simon Brundret
'Marilyn Monroe "Heads made from matchsticks"' by David Mach
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