OCTOBER 2014 GALLERIES
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Gallery, along with other images
ofthe Tudors.
And sometimes there is playful
and purposeful reframing. Earlier
this year, for example, the Art
Fund made liberal use ofthe
term ‘selfie’ to keep Antony van
Dyck’s final self portrait in
England, comparing the
distinctly contemporary,
instantaneous digital medium to
the 373-year-old oil on canvas.
Use ofthe term was gently ironic,
the marketing strategy took and
the campaign was successful.
So, whatever the reasons for
their various reimaginings,
portraits rarely stay frozen in
time.
With all these new looks at old
faces, it’s a perfect year for
Colnaghi Gallery’s upcoming
exhibition, The Artist:
Observations + Reflections. In
this show, opening 8 October,
Colnaghi will bring together a
collection ofportraits that spans
Portraits, in one way or another,
are subject to constant
reinterpretation by those who
neither painted nor sat for them,
and 2014 has been a particularly
good year for offering new ideas
on well-known faces.
Often the new interpretations
simply provide answers
(sometimes temporary) to long-
running debates over attribution.
The National Trust announced in
March, for example, that its
Rembrandt portrait, previously
believed to have been painted by
one ofhis students, is in fact a
selfportrait.
Other times, accidental
misunderstandings ofthe sitter
are put to rights. A recent
pigment analysis ofthe Darnley
Portrait proved Queen Elizabeth I
to have been rosier cheeked and
less severe looking than
previously imagined. The results
ofthis analysis are currently on
display at the National Portrait
the eighteenth through the
twentieth centuries and includes
several media. Held with
Emanuel von Baeyer, this
exhibition, like the two galleries’
earlier collaboration, The Artist in
Art (2007-08), promises to offer a
beautiful sampling of images.
To say any more ofthe works to
be shown at Colnaghi might be
to risk redefining them myself,
and in 2014, this job should be
left to the viewer.
CODA
HORST P HORST
Frances Allitt
his addition ofsurrealist
influence, subtle erotic overtones
and a love ofbeauty create a
dream world ofglamour.
Arguably his most famous
photograph, Mainbocher’s
Corset of1939 is studied in the
V&A show – its conception (he
sketched out many ofhis
layouts) along with its touching
up (pre photoshop), the admiring
reaction to it and many years
later, the homage paid by
Madonna who recreated it – all
add to the understanding ofthis
most dedicated ofphotographic
technicians.
Not all his work was fashion
led – War intervened and he
joined up, becoming a naturalised
American and the army’s official
photographer. His later male
nudes are glorious subtle studies
ofskin and form, his travel
photography and his images of
natural patterns and, by the
1940’s, his extraordinary eye for
colour are all included and the
whole leaves you awestruck and
inspired. Horst worked all his life
until his sight made it impossible;
he died in 1993 aged 93.
CM
Two exhibitions toast the master
of photographic glamour this
month: a large and exhaustive
retrospective at the
Victoria and
Albert Museum
and a delightful
addition from
Hamiltons
Gallery
. Both pay tribute to Horst
P Horst, one of America’s best
loved fashion photographers.
Born in Germany in 1906 he
studied design before arriving in
Paris in 1930, working as an
apprentice to Le Corbusier prior
to befriending George Hyningen-
Huene, the
Vogue
photographer.
By 1935 Horst had also
established himself with
Vogue
working not only with leading
fashion designers but Hollywood
and society stars. His innovative
use of dramatic lighting and
elaborate set dressing (many
self-built in the early days) along
with his quirky sense of humour,
Horst P Horst Jean Pratchett, 1950’s
at Hamiltons Gallery © Horst Estate
Peter Fendi (1796-1842)
‘Printmaker Johann Nepomuk Passini
at work’ at Colnaghi Gallery
