Wikipedia

Spectrum London

51°31′10″N 0°8′28″W / 51.51944°N 0.14111°W / 51.51944; -0.14111

Spectrum London Gallery, September 2006, during the Stuckists "Go West" show.

Spectrum London was a London art gallery which showed contemporary figurative painting, photography and sculpture. It staged Go West, the first commercial West End show of the Stuckists, and a retrospective by Sebastian Horsley. It closed in 2008.

History

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In June 2005, the Spectrum London had a show of photographs by Dennis Morris documenting the daily lives, ceremonies and rituals of the Mowanjum Australian Aborigine community.[1] The gallery was blessed by Aboriginal tribe leader, Francis Firebrace, wearing body paint and tribal dress.[1]

 
Ella Guru is interviewed by Richard Quest of CNN International during Go West at Spectrum London, October 2006

Spectrum London was the first West End commercial gallery to show the Stuckists, in the exhibition Go West in October 2006.[2][3][4] This "major central London exhibition" elevated the hitherto artworld outsiders into "major players", and occasioned controversy because of a satirical painting of Sir Nicholas Serota and nude paintings of Stella Vine by her ex-husband Charles Thomson."[5][6][7] Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited.[8] Thomson's and Joe Machine's paintings sold, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.[9]

Royden Prior, the director of Spectrum London, said, "These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work."[2][10] Edward Lucie-Smith wrote an essay for the show.[11]

The gallery also exhibited work by Michael Dickinson,[12] who was released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting a collage of the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdoğan, as a dog.[13]

In March 2006, in association with Sceptre publishing and the Italian Cultural Institute, Spectrum London presented author John Berendt in conversation with Venetian artist, Ludovico de Luigi, during the artist's first solo show in the UK.[14]

 
Sebastian Horsley and his mother, at a retrospective of his work at Spectrum London, 2007.

In September 2007, it staged Hookers, Dealers, Tailors, a retrospective by Sebastian Horsley.[15] Horsley became known when he underwent a crucifixion in the Philippines; this show documented his diving in Australian shark-infested water and copiously ingesting deadly drugs.[16]

Other artists previously shown at the gallery include Lennie Lee,[17] Rita Duffy, Peter Murphy, Cheryl Brooks, Peter Burke, Antonio Riello, Gerry Burns, Sir Peter Blake and Eduardo Paolozzi.[18]

Spectrum London exhibited at the London Art Fair and Art Madrid.[17]

The gallery was at 77 Great Titchfield Street, London W1. It shut in 2008.

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b "Gallery is blessed by Aborigine", BBC News, 6 June 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Stuckists art group in major show" BBC online, 23 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  3. ^ "The Stuckists go west at Spectrum London" Archived 5 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine artdaily.com. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  4. ^ "Go West" telegraph.co.uk online gallery. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  5. ^ Morris, Jane (2006)"Getting stuck in" The Guardian online, 24 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  6. ^ Barnes, Anthony (2006) "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge" The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 9 October 2006, from findarticles.com
  7. ^ Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) "Modern art is pants" Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard, 22 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Go West", The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  9. ^ Gleadell, Colin (2006) "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago" Daily Telegraph online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  10. ^ "The first West End show for the Stuckists" saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  11. ^ Lucie-Smith, Edward (2006) "Stuckism" Archived 21 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine spectrumlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  12. ^ "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West" stuckism.com. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  13. ^ "Keeping Turkey out of the EU" (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  14. ^ "Ludovico De Luigi in Conversation with John Berendt" Archived 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine Italian Cultural Institute web site. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  15. ^ Higgins, Ria. "Relative Values: Sebastian Horsley and his mother, Valerie", The Sunday Times, 9 September 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
  16. ^ Lack, Jessica. "Preview: Sebastian Horsley", The Guardian, 8 September 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
  17. ^ a b "Spectrum London" Artfacts.net. Retrieved 9 October 2006
  18. ^ "Laptop dinner by Pii at Spectrum London" allinlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006
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