by A Mayfair private view, a candid artist, and a coffee that turned into three hours
Spent this morning at a genuinely excellent exhibition opening near Mayfair, the kind of event that draws exactly the right mix of people, a few genuinely serious collectors, several artists visibly nervous about how their work is landing, and a scattering of people, myself included, who simply enjoy a good private view and the champagne that reliably comes with it.
The work itself, properly considered
Beyond the social element, the actual exhibition was genuinely strong, a mid career artist I had not previously followed closely working through a series that managed something I genuinely admire, taking a subject that could easily have felt heavy handed and finding, instead, a genuinely light, precise touch that made the whole room considerably more interesting to walk through than the press release alone had suggested it might be.
Spent a good twenty minutes talking properly with the artist herself, who was refreshingly candid about how uncertain she still felt about the whole series right up until installing it, a genuinely useful reminder that even people producing work this accomplished rarely feel the confidence from the outside that their finished work projects.
The gossip, because there is always gossip
Overheard, entirely by accident, a genuinely fascinating piece of conversation between two collectors about a considerably larger sale happening quietly elsewhere in the London art world this week, the kind of detail I will absolutely not print here but which has left me genuinely curious enough to make a few calls tomorrow purely out of personal nosiness rather than any professional necessity.
Caught up properly on the feed once home, and there was a piece specifically on this exact gallery scene that confirmed a suspicion I have been quietly forming for a while, that this particular pocket of Mayfair galleries is having a genuinely stronger year than the wider art market commentary elsewhere seems to be crediting it with.
An afternoon coffee that turned into three hours
Ran into someone I had not seen properly in over a year at the exhibition itself, and what was meant to be a quick coffee afterwards turned into a genuinely long, properly good catch up that reminded me how easy it is, in this city, to lose track of people you genuinely like simply through the sheer velocity of everything else constantly competing for the same limited evenings.
Making a proper effort to see her again soon rather than letting another year slide past on good intentions alone, which is, I recognise, a genuinely common London affliction that everyone diagnoses in themselves regularly and considerably fewer people actually fix.
Tonight
Home, properly, for once, working through the notes from today before they blur into tomorrow’s considerably busier schedule. A good day, genuinely, the kind worth writing down properly rather than letting slip past unrecorded.
More London arts and social diary at Vivienne Pratfall’s page, The London Prat.
The artist’s earlier work, briefly
Went home and properly looked up her earlier work before writing this, curious how the current series fits against what she was making a decade ago, and found a considerably rougher, less confident body of work that makes the current show’s precision feel like the product of genuinely earned growth rather than any sudden, unexplainable leap in ability. That kind of visible development is, I think, one of the more genuinely satisfying things to trace properly when you have the patience to actually look for it.
Sent her a message afterwards saying as much, and got a genuinely warm, slightly surprised reply, suggesting artists perhaps hear this specific kind of considered observation less often than the more generic congratulations a private view crowd typically offers on the night itself.
The gallery’s own trajectory
Worth noting the gallery itself has had a genuinely interesting few years, moving from a considerably smaller space further east to this current Mayfair location, a trajectory that mirrors, in miniature, the exact kind of quiet commercial confidence the wider feed piece I read later was describing across this whole pocket of the city’s art scene right now.
Made a proper note to follow up with the gallery directly about that quiet larger sale I overheard, purely out of curiosity rather than any professional obligation, though I suspect curiosity alone will be more than enough motivation by tomorrow morning.
A final thought on the crowd itself
Worth noting how genuinely mixed the private view crowd was today, considerably less homogeneous than these events sometimes are, students clearly there for the work itself standing comfortably alongside serious collectors, which felt like a small, genuinely encouraging sign about where this particular gallery is choosing to position itself rather than simply chasing the most obviously moneyed crowd available.
Genuinely grateful for that flask by the end of it, and fully intend to return the favour on whatever the next equally miserable shoot turns out to be.
Walking home afterwards, still thinking about the earlier, rougher work I had looked up, I found myself considerably more optimistic than usual about how much genuinely interesting art this city still has quietly circulating through its smaller, less obviously fashionable galleries.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
