Happy halloween everyone!

 

 

Wild Thing

Great news for fans of great sculpture. At The Royal Academy of Arts, in London, from Oct 24 to Jan 24, is an exhibition called WILD THING featuring Epstein, Gaudier-Brzeska (see example above) and Gill. Can't wait.

If you know me well enough you know that I constantly sing the praises of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska as one of the greatest sculptors of the twentieth century; tragically killed in the 1st World War in his early twenties. If he had lived on he would have towered over his contempories Epstein and Gill; as it is he stands shoulder to shoulder with them; and as you glory at his work remember it was Ezra Pound that made sure the world knew of Henri, another reason why I have greatly admire Pound for what he did for poetry and the arts in general.

Go to this exhibition it will open your eyes like no Hirst or Emin can ever do.

Hilary Mantel - I remember you well

Congratulations to Hilary for winning the Man Booker Prize with her book: Wolf Hall.

 

When we had our bookshop (The Old Butchers Bookshop & Gallery) in Cley, Norfolk, Hilary regularly came in when she was visiting our part of the country. We used to chat and I never felt then that I was in the company of someone with such imagination and writing ability. Her looks and demeanor beguile her enormous talent.

 

I have enjoyed many of her books and Wolf Hall is one of them, although being such a might tome I am only part way through it. One of her books I can heartily recommend, and is not very often mentioned, is The Giant, O'Brien. A ripping good yarn.