"London Collects" is an exhibition of artwork lent to London collectors and their accompanying stories.

For two weeks in February London collectors were asked to hang a piece of art from the gallery in their home or office. Instead of letting the client choose, we decided which piece each collector lived with.  Our goal was to find a work of art that was outside their normal comfort zone that we knew would work in their space.

After the two weeks each collector wrote about the experience of living with their particular work of art.  The purpose was to encourage our collectors to take risks and to think regionally, nationally and internationally when considering an artist.
David Alexander - "Gibralter Pink Scrape"
Acrylic on Canvas, 2005, 42 x 50 in.
Jack Chambers - "TV Saturday Morning"
Photolithograph, Edition 65/70, 1973, 20 x 20 in.
"The image that entered our home was one of Chambers most familiar realistic living room scenes. Did I like this image because of its composition or because it was a Jack Chambers? Did it conjure up a lost era in the London arts scene? Are you collecting art because of a visceral reaction to the image or because of the posthumous reputation of the artist. I was searching not so much for the serene living room but for something impalpable from the legacy of his bold lifestyle. "London Collects" allowed me to focus on the fundamentals of why we collect art in our home."
Christine Kirouac - "Amputee"
Oil on Canvas, 2005, 54 x 60 in.
First Impression of the Artwork:

"Competely alien and defamiliarizing. It's frustrating and confusing because clearly it's supposed to be something. So, it's somewhere between representation's meaning and abstraction's senselessness, but you can't tell which.  It refuses to fit - but it's like a fetish: you want it to."
Duncan de Kergommeaux
"Lake Huron #113 (2)", Oil on Canvas,
21-10-1986, 24 x 24 in.
"Loved the bright colours and the Lake Huron setting - one of our favourite places"

"Added energy to our front entry and added vibrancy to the colour of our walls"

"Could sense the warmth, sounds and peacefulness of being on the shore and gazing across the water"

"After the painting left us - if felt the same as when the Christmas tree is taken away - something special was missing and a time of excitement had passed"
Greg Hardy -"Yellow Fields, Change in Weather" Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 66 in., 2005
Suzie Smith -"Action Figure: Frida Kahlo"
Silkscreen on Fabric, 13.5 x 6.3 x 2 in. 2005
"When my gift wrapped package arrived two weeks ago it came as a delightful surprise. I was expecting a painting but instead received a cute, clever and funny work. Art challenges, surprises and makes me think. This work was no exception. It's a clever comment on art history, but reminds me also of tourist trade dolls found in flea markets."
Dominique Rey -"Selling Venus"
DVD, 2005, 16:10 minutes
How did you feel after the work of art was removed?: "In our case the work of art was shut off, which made us wonder when this type of art would be shown again.  I continued to think about this piece as I drove to work the day after I watched, which meant they certainly made an impression on me. "
Roly Fenwick -"White Icon"
Oil on Linen, 2004, 30 x 30 in.
My initial impression was looking forward to spending the next two weeks enjoying the art; I was excited to have the opportunity to invite such a nice piece in our home and the painting certainly worked well in the space. I was suprised at how the painting appeared different to me during different times of the day with the changing lighting conditions and the winter season outside. The painting became the main focual point for the eye despite all of the other items living in the space.


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