Tripping along sunny Albemarle Street on my way to BECTU’s Freelancer’s Fair today, I couldn’t resist visiting Connaught Brown’s current show of post-war European abstract works. Stepping inside, the gallery almost vibrates with the strong colours and contours on the walls, the poetic visions of artists who were inspired by natural forms, unlike their Abstract Expressionist counterparts working across the ocean. Lyrical paintings by Kandinsky and Vieira da Silva, and more vigorous works by Poliakoff, Hartung and Hilton interact with flowing sculptures by Moore, Hepworth, Calder and Caro. Arp stands out with his uncompromisingly simplified sculptural painting. This important selection of organic abstract works is worth a serious visit.
Abstracting from Nature, Connaught Brown. 6th May to 3rd July.