Mondrian || Nicholson: In Parallel

From today until May 20th, The Courtauld Gallery will be hosting and exhibition entitled Mondrian || Nicholson: In Parallel. This exhibition explores the relationship, similarities, and differences between the two artists and their work.

Ben Nicholson, June 1937,Tate, London, © Angela Verren Taunt

Piet Mondrian, Composition in White, Red, and Blue, Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, © 2012 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust

In a preview from Royal Academy of Arts Magazine, the author writes,

“Mondrian || Nicholson: In Parallel invites a comparison of Mondrian’s achievement with Nicholoson’s. Piet Mondrian was on of two artists who, in the years about 1915-20, took painting into the realm of pure geometric abstraction, in which there was no longer any apparent reference to observable reality.”

Piet Mondrian, Picture No.111, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Basel, © 2012 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust

Ben Nicholson, Still-Life- Greek Landscape, The British Council, © Angela Verren Taunt

If you’re unable to attend the exhibition, or if you see it and want to take it home, Paul Holberton Publishing has produced an accompanying book, similarly titled Mondrian || Nicholson: In Parrallel.

“This book accompanies an exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, London, that will be the first to offer a comprehensive account of the parallel artistic paths charted by Mondrian and Nicholson during this remarkable decade. It will bring together an extraordinary group of paintings and reliefs to show how each artist was driven by a profound belief in the potential of abstract art to attain the highest aesthetic and spiritual power.”

♥ Happy Valentine’s Day ♥

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are a few suggested reads:

1. Chocolate: The Definitive Guide (only 5 copies left!)

The secret of the uniquely, irresistibly seductive quality of chocolate, according to Sara Jayne-Stanes, is that it is the only substance to melt at blood temperature.

Another view of its attraction is indicated by the scientific name accorded it by Linnaeus: Theobroma, food of the gods. Chocolate is a loving homage to this extraordinary substance by one of Britain’s finest professional chocolate makers.

2. The Maud Allan Affair

Maud Allan, the famous exotic dancer was destroyed by the infamous libel trial brought by charismatic British Member of Parliament, and pilot, Noel Pemberton-Billing.In this wonderfully written book, Russell James charts her rise and fall from the days when she saved the 1908 London Olympics from failure to the outrageous miscarriage of justice of her trial which knocked the dark days of the First World War off the front pages of the national newspapers.

3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII

The story of Henry VIII and his six wives has passed from history into legend – taught in the cradle as a cautionary tale and remembered in adulthood as an object lesson in the dangers of marrying into royalty. The true story behind the legend, however, remains obscure to most people, whose knowledge of the affair begins and ends with the aide memoir ‘Divorced, executed, died, divorce, executed, survived’.

 

 

4.  Anne Boleyn

Although Anne Boleyn is perhaps the most engaging of Henry VIII’s Queens, but biographies usually concentrate on the period after she became a lady in waiting at Henry VIII’s court. This is the only book to tell the forgotten side of Anne early life and loves, written by the author of the best-selling Mary Boleyn: Henry VIII’s Favorite Mistress. For her he would divorce his wife of some twenty years standing, he would take on the might of the Roman Church and the Holy Roman Empire; he would even alienate his own people in order to win her favor and, eventually, her hand.

 

COMING SOON:

Accession Day Recipe

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne after her father’s death in 1952.

In honor of Accession Day, here is traditional British recipe from The Constance Spry Cookery Book. Its new edition is expected to be released before the end of this month.

Beefsteak and Kidney Pie

675g-900g/1½  – 2lb beefsteak cut in a thick piece
salt, pepper
1 Tb chopped mixed herbs, parsley predominating
225g/8 0z Ox kidney
2 shallots, finely chopped
seasoned flour
water
flaky pastry
a little good stock

The Wallace Collection Catalogues

The world famous London museum, the Wallace Collection, is known for its exhibition of decorative and fine arts. Established in 1897, the museum has 25 galleries devoted to Old Master paintings, porcelain, furniture, and more.

Thanks to Paul Holberton Publishing, parts of these galleries have been captured and documented in two outstanding books: Glass and Limogues Painted Enamels and Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour.

These two titles have received positive attention and reviews. In The Times review Wallace masterpeices shine in new musueum catalogues, Huon Mallalieu writes,

“The recent appearance of two important volumes devoted to parts of the Wallace Collection could prove to be a watershed between the past and the future for [the academic catalogue]…Both titles are as beautifully presented and generously illustrated as they are well researched.”

Mallalieu continues on about Glass and Limoges, writing,

“The author Suzanne Higgott is greatly to be envied. The specialist areas for which she is responsible consist of 58 pieces of glass, ranging from a mid-14th century Egyptian mosque lamp to a probably English early 19th century scent bottle and 29 Limoges painted enamel panels. She has been enabled to research not only these objects, but the socioeconomic context of their production.”

The Arms and Armour exhibit is composed of almost 2,500 pieces, making it the largest part of the Wallace Collection. In reference to Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour, Mallalieu writes,

“[The author] gives a fascinating chronological overview of the subject by discussing about 70 of the most important objects, from an early medieval Viking sword to a mid 18th-century flintlock pistol, and a number of firearms from the beginning of the 19th century”

Masterpieces of European Arms and Armour is also available as a boxed set which includes the book as well as a complete digital collection of European Arms and Armour.

The Spanish Line at The Courtauld Gallery

Yesterday, January 15, was the final day for the exhibition The Spanish Line: Drawings from Ribera to Picasso at the Courtauld Gallery.  

The Spanish Line displayed approximately 100 works by artists covering the 16th to the 20th century. The Courtauld Gallery described it as ” the first substantial exhibition on the tradition of Spanish draughtsmanship.”

The exhibit has received positive reviews. Timeout.com says,

“The actual drawings are frequently engrossing. Pieces are arranged roughly chronologically – although it actually makes more sense to think of them in terms of their function, the vast majority not being ‘finished’ works in any sense.”

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Pigs, c.1906. © The Courtauld Gallery, London

From Painter’s Table,

“This exhibition allows the wonderful Prints and Drawings department to unleash some of its magic and display a mere fraction of their 3,000 strong collection.”

If you missed out on the exhibit or want to learn more, Paul Holberton Publishing has released their accompanying book entitled Spanish Drawings in The Courtauld Gallery: Complete Catalogue that features 500 illustrations from the exhibition.

Miléna Recipe from Macarons by Pierre Hermé

Pierre Hermé’s English translation of Macarons is one of the most beautiful and well-made books we have seen yet. With 57 step by step recipes ranging from classics and fetish macarons to signatures and exceptions, this book gives you the tools needed to recreate Hermé’s famed pastries in your own home.

Published by Grub Street Cookery, Oct. 2011

To give you a preview of the incredible ideas found in this book, we’ve provided the recipe for Hermé’s Miléna macaron.

We’d love to hear if you tried it and how it turned out!

Miléna Macaron – Mint and Raspberry

Athena Catalog

Click on the image below to look through the Athena catalog