As museums and galleries tentatively re-open, it would be remiss not to visit Huxley Parlour’s concurrent Cecil Beaton and Pablo Picasso exhibitions. Tucked into a Mayfair side street, the gallery boasts two floors of pristine, sparkling space; often occupied by a dynamic roster of 20th and 21st century photography and art.
The first floor of the gallery is currently exhibiting over 40 of Cecil Beaton’s vintage photographs, following his early works in the 1920s through to the 1960s. Playing an important role within the ‘Bright Young Things’ group, Beaton held unobstructed access to the socialites and aristocrats of 1920s London, often photographing portraits of its prominent members. Indeed, his monochrome pictures glitter across Huxley-Parlour’s immaculate white walls with a jewel-like quality. In a search for recognisable faces, one is spoilt for choice. Beaton socialised with a glut of celebrities, and this exhibition boasts models including Salvador Dali, Coco Chanel, and even Queen Elizabeth herself.
Beaton’s photographs are elaborately composed, brimming with intricate props, costumes, and hand-painted backdrops. Beaton was no stranger to busy patterns, heavy lines, and elaborate textures. In an almost heavy handed fashion, he often loaded his compositions to bursting point. However, these exaggerated photographs are not without elegance and style. Each photograph is methodically constructed, creating a surreal picture plane that shares influences with the avant garde Surrealist movement happening simultaneously.
This 1930 portrait of Corinne Griffith emanates with a melancholic beauty. Griffith is seated in a relaxed position, with her fingers delicately crossed and her body angled away from the camera lens. She peers demurely from under a silk scarf, her porcelain features appearing smooth and creamy in the low light. Griffith is bathed in a soft, sepia glow that forms a surrounding orb above her. Her shoulder, the highest point on her body, glistens as if she has just swept her arm forward in a deft movement. This luminescence encircling Griffith’s face and upper torso has a distinct spiritual quality. Certainly, a gleaming halo above her face would not look out of place. Here, her lone, wistful figure is transformed into a quasi Mary/Muse. However, after considering the surroundings of the image, Griffith’s identity changes once again. The ornate arches looming above her are reminiscent of the architecture within classical Greco-Roman palaces, and amongst them Griffith becomes a Goddess. She is thus timeless. Simultaneously biblical and mythical, steeped in an elegant melancholy that exists beyond her portrait.
On the bottom floor of the gallery, directly below Beaton’s collection of photographs, is a group of Pablo Picasso ceramics. Vastly different to Beaton’s faithful monochrome colouration, Picasso’s ceramics rely on an energetic and vibrant use of colour. The sturdy table the objects sit on has been painted an orange ochre, and the ceramics feature earthy splashes of blue, brown, yellow, green, and red. Sitting on the table is an array of vases, plates, jugs, and bowls; many of which adopt the form and features of animals or women. ‘Vase with Two High Handles’ remains obscure, dancing between the functionality of a kitchen utensil and a distinct human form with two rotund arms. The vase exudes a whimsical air, taking the form of a petulant child complete with impatient hands on hips. Picasso often used his creations within his own home, and there is something truly romantic imagining the artist pouring milk from his own jug into his morning coffee. Surely many of these objects lead independent lives of their own before ending up in a gallery in Mayfair.
The differences between Beaton’s photographs and Picasso’s ceramics are stark. Indeed, they are intended to be regarded as separate exhibitions. However, both artists share an appreciation for the female form; and Picasso’s ‘Dishevelled Woman’ would likely fit comfortably amongst Beaton’s angular compositions. Differences aside, the two exhibitions exist in muted conversation with one another.
Pablo Picasso: The Ceramics https://huxleyparlour.com/exhibitions/pablo-picasso-the-ceramics/
Cecil Beaton: https://huxleyparlour.com/exhibitions/cecil-beaton/
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