Peter Blake & Derek Booshier at Pallant House

This weekend is the last chance to see the Peter Blake and Pop Music  and the Derek Boshier: David Bowie and the Clash exhibitions at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester (a bit off the SW patch, I know, but worth the journey).

Latest addition to my print collection

I didn't find the Blake exhibition quite as interesting as the A Museum for Myself exhibition at the Holbourne last year - largely because this show is focused exclusively on Blake's work for the music industry. However, the Derek Boshier stuff was all new to me (in the sense of recognising his contribution to rock art). The exhibition reminds us that Boshier appeared with Peter Blake, Pauline Boty and Peter Phillips in Pop Goes the Easel, the seminal film made by Ken Russell for the BBC's Monitor series in 1962. Incidentally, for a great account of the neglected Pauline Boty's life and work see the posts (part 1 and part 2) in Jez Winship's Sparks in Electrical Jelly blog.

... also the proud owner of this one, on tin

Also showing until the 7th is the Artist Pop Stars exhibition which complements the Blake show and contains material by rock luminaries such as Ian Dury and Bryan Ferry. Taken together, these three exhibitions are a fascinating insight to the close links between the art school and rock.

Got a Girl - my favourite - but I've only got a postcard ...

The Pallant also has its own collection of Modern British Art which includes examples of work by many important artists; and (again until the 7th) has a small exhibition of record cover art which includes 'references to the imagery of post-psychedelia, gith surrealistic and art-nouveau designs'. Who could ask for more?

Ian Dury - Danny Bubbles

The Pallant is a unique place. It consists of two conjoined modern and not-so-modern buildings. The not-so-modern part also houses many paintings and artefacts of note and, at the time I visited, a memorial exhibition of paintings by Adrian Berg (now finished) - This was terrific, by the way, especially for those of us now desperately trying to improve our drawing and painting skills to avoid failing our Access to HE art course ... Finally, the gallery also has a restuarant which serves excellent food and a shop which contains more than just the usual art gallery bits and pieces.

Lodger - Boshier and Bowie - got the LP ...

The Blake, Booshier and Artist Pop Stars exhibitions all finish on the 7th October. I recommend that you get down there, if you can.

Adrian Berg

Jamaica Inn

Often on the way down to Cornwell we've thought about calling in at Jamaica Inn at Bolventor, and last week we finally did.









Today's Inn seems a million miles away from the dark and mysterious building portrayed in the book by Daphne Du Maurier and in the postcard below.

The sunshine of a Cornish summer day, combined with the picnic tables, the cheery yellow-jacketed car park man and the constant motor noise from the passing A30, all conspire to debunk any illusion of the 1820s and the wreckers of North Cornwall.

However, Jamaica Inn is not without interest. Apart from being the focus of the Du Maurier novel, the potted history - The Inn on the Moor by Rose Mullins - describes how in 1988 the collection of Walter Potter's stuffed animals was bought by the then landlord and put on display. Items exhibited included tableaux of kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs and more, acting like humans - playing croquet, taking tea, having lessons etc.

The collection was an attraction for the next 15 years, until the taxidermist who maintained it died in 2003 and then it was auctioned off.

Some of the collection ended up with Peter Blake (and has been on display at the Holburne as part of the Museum for Myself exhibition - now finished). Other parts were on show at The Museum of Everything exhibition 3 (now closed). Exhibition 4 ran at Selfridges from 2nd September to 25th October (also now closed). All that is left of Potter's collection at Jamaica Inn are a few photographs like these.

On the way out through the Inn shop I picked up a copy of Jamaica Inn and read the first half in a single sitting - It's a thumping good read and recommended for anyone exploring the area around Bolventor and Bodmin.

Peter Blake at the Holburne Museum

The Holburne Museum in Bath has had a £15m refit and extension, and was re-opened by the Godfather of Pop Art, Peter Blake, earlier this month. See the TV coverage on The West Country Tonight.

The opening exhibition (until September) is A Museum For Myself which brings together a small selection of Blake's collections and related artwork. Well worth a look (especially seeing the great man himself at the opening). The rest of the Museum has been completely remodelled and contains a collection of ceramics and paintings which are all displayed imaginatively. The highlights include a number of Gainsboroughs and the odd Turner.

The photos below give a taste of the re-opening and the Blake exhibition:

An excellent 144 page exhibition catalogue, with commentary by Peter Blake, is available from the Holburne Museum shop, together with the Elephants and 'Museum for Myself' postcards above, and lots of other PB related stuff. Access to the museum is free.

See also my post on Peter Blake at the Coombe Gallery, Dartmouth.