Introducing Sarah Green and the Take 5 chosen by her from the upcoming
Modern British, 20th & 21st Century Art auction taking place on Tuesday 6 June.
Sarah Green is the Founding Director of MAMA, a curatorial platform that promotes the representation of women artists through short-run exhibitions in a pop-up style. MAMA embodies the idea that women artists, through greater exposure, will be pushed to the forefront in the contemporary commercial art sector. Green started MAMA due to her belief that, now more than ever, important landmarks are being made for women artists but there is still a major gender gap to be closed in order for women to achieve the same monetary and intellectual recognition as their male counterparts.
My first choice has to be Lot 10 Portrait of a lady looking in a mirror, by Dame Ethel Walker. We witness a woman, poised, and lost in contemplation before a mirror dressed in an evening gown with a revealingly low back. The setting, fluidly captured, is most likely a private bedroom or a luxurious dressing room. – a woman looking at herself in a mirror was a popular subject among eighteenth-century artists, particularly those creating intimate interior scenes. These types of paintings were highly sought after by collectors, often predominantly male, who appreciated the beauty and sensuality portrayed in such works. Dame Ethel Walker's painting seems to draw inspiration from this tradition, intending to appeal to the same art market. However, what sets Walker's painting apart is the subtle departure from the overt sensuality often associated with such works. Instead, she presents us with a gentler, more introspective portrayal. The lady's empowering gait, reveals a profound inner journey as she gazes upon her own reflection. Walker’s painting is reminiscent of Berthe Morisot's "The Mirror," currently on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery and part of the permanent collection at the distinguished Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. The likeness could suggest that Walker may have been an early influence on women artists exploring similar themes of introspection and self-reflection. By portraying a woman in a contemplative yet endearing moment, Walker's work possibly paved a trend among women artists who sought to express their own perspectives and experiences through art.
Lot 244: Winifred Nicholson, British 1893-1981 - Flowers; crayon on paper
My second choice is Lot 244 Flowers, by Winifred Nicholson. The composition is fluid and animated whilst executed in crayon on paper, it is a revealing portrayal into the artist’s psyche and initial exploratory process as the work is likely the first marks Nicholson made in depicting the scenescape she was actively observing. Aptly titled “Flowers” the vibrancy of the hues, skillfully blended and juxtaposed, evokes an emotional response within the viewer, almost spiritual, drawing us further into the realm of Nicholson's artistic vision.
Lot 358: Eileen Cooper OBE RA, British b.1953 - Untitled, 1982; charcoal on paper
My third choice is Lot 358 Untitled by Eileen Cooper. Again most likely an initial composition for a further developed work, Cooper animatedly portrays a nude figure on a swing by depicting two female bodies at different moments of time together. One figure is rendered with darkened, shadow-like contours, evoking a sense of movement and depth and the other is outlined as if the figure emerges, cleverly dramatising the act of swinging back and forth. Repetition of figures is often used by Cooper in her practice to suggest time-passing as well as the theme of sisterhood to create an overall euphoric sense of freedom and empowerment among women, here heightened by the dramatic charcoal strokes liberally applied to paper. On another commendable note, Eileen Cooper from 2010 to 2017 served as Keeper of the Royal Academy, becoming the first woman to be elected to the role since the RA began in 1768!
Lot 380: Nancy Fried, American b.1945 - Untitled, 1991; ceramic
My fourth choice is Lot 380 Untitled sculpture by Nancy Fried. Fried confronts the viewer with an isolated female figure's torso, the figure’s arms cross the body drawing our attention to a missing breast. Fried's own journey, marked by a series of medical procedures including a mastectomy, a bilateral ovarian cystectomy, and an appendectomy, can be understood as the driving force behind her artistic practice. These veristic self-portraits communicate a profound sense of human experience that resonates with viewers on a deep and emotional level. By drawing from the Classical tradition of the female nude, Fried overtly challenges the idealised representation of the female body. In this sculpture, Fried openly shares her pain and that of many other women effectively challenging society's inclination to mask loss whilst touching upon universal themes of vulnerability, strength, and resilience.
Lot 420: Rachel Howard, British b.1969 - Suicide Painting 2, 2007
My final choice, is Lot 420, Rachel Howard’s Suicide Painting 2. In Suicide Painting 2, Howard employs a dynamic and visceral approach, pouring blue and yellow paint onto the canvas, allowing gravity to dictate the flow and reveal the dramatic interplay of colors. The very act of pouring paint becomes a testament to the artist's engagement with her materials, as well as a manifestation of the expressive potential of the human body itself. This technique, reminiscent of the Abstract Expressionist movement, infuses the artwork with emotion, provoking the viewer to delve into the depths of their own visceral responses. The title of the artwork, Suicide Painting 2, adds an additional layer of contemplation and introspection. Suicide, often considered a taboo subject, is boldly explored and confronted through Howard's painting. By addressing this sensitive topic openly, Howard like Nancy Fried encourages dialogue and challenges societal taboos, opening up space for a deeper exploration of the complexities of human experience.
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