On 16 October the Kettle’s Yard Patrons were kindly invited for a special breakfast visit to the London home of two of our Director’s Circle Patrons, Dr Carol Atack and Alex van Someren.
To arrive at the property Patrons walked along the Grand Union Canal and were greeted with stunning views of Grand Union Walk housings’ aluminium canal-side exterior. Built in 1988 to a design by renowned architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw these highly imaginative, postmodern houses were part of a larger redevelopment project for Sainsbury’s and use a variety of industrial materials in their unique design.
Carol and Alex welcomed the group of Kettle’s Yard Patrons and staff with coffee and warm croissants, before Carol led a tour of the house, spotlighting artworks in their collection including Flotilla by Peter Liversidge and a painting by Tess Jaray. Central to their collection and installed on the wall of the double-height dining area was a beautiful, minimal installation by Rana Begum – its fluorescent yellows and pinks reflecting onto the white walls in the early morning light.
Following the tour of Carol and Alex’s home, the group made their way to Frieze Masters to visit Modern British Art, Gentle Messiah: Jim Ede’s Vision at the Osborne Samuel Stand. The exhibition highlighted Jim Ede’s unique role in shaping the story of Modern British art and featured two loans from Kettle’s Yard, including the bronze cast of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska’s Bird Swallowing a Fish and Alfred Wallis’s Two ships and steamer past a port-Falmouth and St. Anthony lighthouse from the reserve collection. Senior Curator Dr Inga Fraser gave an introduction to the Kettle’s Yard collaboration with Osborne Samuel – followed by a spotlight tour of works by Naum Gabo, Henry Moore and Winifred Nicholson from Osborne Samuel Director Tania Sutton.
After the event, Patrons made their way to a café for some coffee and cake before setting off to explore the rest of Frieze Masters.
Kettle’s Yard Patrons
This event formed part of our engaging Patrons’ programme. Becoming a Kettle’s Yard Patron means joining a community of likeminded individuals committed to supporting Kettle’s Yard’s mission of making great art accessible to all. The generous support of our Ede Circle and Directors’ Circle enables us to continue to commission artists, plan conservation projects and deliver our innovative exhibition, music, and learning programmes.
