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We are thrilled that the National Portrait Gallery has been shortlisted for The Art Fund, Museum of the Year, 2024. The NPG has been announced as one of five finalists along with an outstanding group of museums and galleries from across the nation. The prize is as much, if not more, for the programme and the outreach to communities than for their architectural reinvention. I cannot express enough my admiration for the NPG learning and audience & community teams who have made the most of the new spaces since the reopening. From the end of June until the end of February, when these figures were released: 1.4 million visits +31% on pre closure First time visitors +66%, Families +61%, Aged 16-34 +34% and... for me an incredibly moving statistic... Disabled visitors +357% in comparison to pre-closure It makes all the hard work and care so very worth while. @nationalportraitgallery @artfund @historicengland @dcmsgovuk @nicholascullinan @nissenrichardsstudio @purcell.architecture @priceandmyers @maxfordhamllp #artfund #museumoftheyear #portrait #portraitphotography #art #sculpture #historic #historicfabric #public #access #forall #space

One final post about my recent @scaffold_podcast , episode 98 @blndrfld Matthew Blunderfield took me right back to my student days to discuss my final University of Toronto project which was a reworking of St James Town. This cluster of poorly built 1960’s modernist towers were by 1986 already being considered for demolition. With Delirious New York in hand, I proposed to remove two towers to create a central park and build three more to form a strong periphery (image 3) Stripping the substandard cladding away and working with the existing concrete structure, long before 'Adaptive reuse' was coined. This strategy allowed the project to focus on the freeing the ground plain (image 4) and imbedding public functions into the unified underground floors; a school, a sports centre, cinemas, even rehousing the existing police station and a subterranean club modeled loosely on the baths of Diocletian (bottom right) (image 5) I used (very rough) photo montage to explore conceptual ideas. The first was about the complexes original aspiration of swinging 60's Toronto (image 1), and the final photo montage was a critique of the Miesian dream of the modern nuclear family, even the tea pot and stereo are Mies towers. If you look closely Mies is on the telly. All the drawings were hand drawn (there were no computers then) in ink on mylar, a plastic paper with a fine opaque surface. Working on one sheet for weeks at a time, building it up slowly, was one of the benefits of pre-computer architectural practice. Image 6, is a 3d drawings, a view of the lobby, drawn in red and green in two overlapping perspectives. When viewed with 3d glasses the two images merge and create the illusion of depth. This, rather mad, idea lead to me being given the graduating drawing prize of $1,000 which I set aside to pay for my flight and accommodation to come to London the following year. #architecture #modernism #toronto #stjamestown #drawing #architecturaldrawing #handdrawing #towers #miesvanderrohe #delerious #distopia

Episode 98 @scaffold_podcast Vilhelm Hammershøi, Danish artist, b.1886, d.1916 Matthew had indicated that we might begin our conversation discussing images that I had often used at the beginning of lectures, but I was surprised the extent that the conversation came back numerous times to these artists, there work, and later, their lives. We spoke at length about this particular painting that had been used in an article I wrote (with @bennaschellhorn ) about the Hammershøi exhibition at the RA in 2008 (so long ago). So I thought I’d share it here, and two details we discuss. As well as two of the endless set of paintings he made of his courtyard windows. I loved the way the light interacts with material: polished wood, plush fabric. The light is a “quiet visitor” in the room. He captures the atmosphere itself. #hammershøi #danish #painter #art #painting #atmosphere #light

“Sowing Doubt: Clues about Indigenous Representations in Colombia” After visiting museums showing indigenous artefacts it was wonderful, if at times confusing, to visit this powerful exhibition “looking at the role of indigenous cultural production within the context of Colombian art history. Touching on concepts such as identity, modernity, and the sacred, Sembrar La Duda offers a unique perspective on the evolution of indigenous culture as both expression and visual storytelling.” (From the catalogue) I was particularly taken by two artists: Eduardo Pradilla 1 - Anaconda, 1991 2 - Jaguar, 1991 Carlos Jacanamijoy 3 - Agua azul, 1994 4 - A la hora hacker los instruments, 1994 Powerful and evocative works. #art #contemporaryart #gallery #exhibition #painting #indigenous #culture #bogota #colombia🇨🇴 #painting #powerful

In his fifth collaboration with Jamie Fobert Architects, filmmaker Tapio Snellman (@tapiolito)has created a wonderful new film that takes us on a tour of the recently transformed National Portrait Gallery in London. The film begins with the public forecourt both before and after the transformation, capturing the bustle of Charing Cross Road. It then moves in through the newly cut entrance doors, which feature 45 portraits in bronze by artist Tracey Emin. Arriving into the generous entry hall, we go on to tour the galleries on the upper floors, which have not only undergone complete refurbishment but also a comprehensive re-display and reinterpretation of the world’s largest collection of portraits. We also pay a visit to the new Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre and its courtyard. Link to film in bio @tapiolito @nationalportraitgallery @nicholascullinan @traceyeminstudio @purcell.architecture @priceandmyers @maxfordhamllp @nissenrichardsstudio @alexcochranearchitects #london #architecture #art #portrait #gallery #artgallery #transformation #westminster #public #publicspace

Never miss an opportunity to contemplate a Morandi in person. It’s a great privilege to live within walking distance of the Estorick Collection in Canonbury. They currently have a show of Giorgio Morandi, with work spanning 1918 to his death in 1964. Like all exhibitions here it is small and perfect. The loan is from a single collector who knew Morandi well from 1936 and collected his work over 30 years. 1) Still Life 1953, is a quintessential late work. The household objects he painted again and again are arranged in a near flat composition, where the space between the objects is, for me, the subject. There is a calm tension in the work. The objects collectively forming a single block hovering on a soft horizon. 2) The Courtyard on Via Fondazza, 1954. This is the view from Morandi’s tiny studio in Bologna. The (almost) blank neighbouring wall blocks the view, creating a tension of compression and the infinite space beyond. The crack in the render so lovingly painted in a single line. 3&4) Landscape 1924, the exhibitions has many incredible etchings as well as some lovely pencil drawings. This view of two rural buildings is a fine example of Morandi’s exceptional skill as an etcher. Again, it is the space between that is Morandi’s subject. The final photo shows the seemingly simple technique of cutting single straight lines into the copperplate. The skill is in knowing how dense and how deep to cut each line to create the three dimensional image. When you step back these individual lines become whole forms in space and in light. It is no wonder architects have admired Morandi’s work; his careful reworking of the same themes over such a period of time is astounding. #morandi #giorgioarmani #estorickcollection #london #italian #artist #inspiation @estorickcollection

Five years of the new Kettle’s Yard. It was with great pleasure that last Friday I attended the fifth year celebration of the opening of the new galleries and learning centre @kettlesyard I was joined by our client, the director @andrewnairne (seen in the first photo) in speaking about this wonderful place, so dear to so many. It was great to have so many supporters and artists present. And particularly, for me, the wonderful Jennifer Lee and curator Sarah Griffin with whom I worked on Jeff’s exhibition in 2019 (see photo 3) I spent a blissful hour alone in the House, created by Jim and Helen Ede and designed by Sir Lesley Martin and David Owers in 1970. Jim’s ability to bring objects together is brilliantly seen in my last image, where he places a rare Lowery ‘lonely landscape’ ‘Mountain Lake, 1943’ next to Lucy Rie’s ‘Bowl, 1971-74’. While most would never see a link between these two artists, Jim saw a formal and tonal connection. No amount of time spent in this place is wasted time. The magic never stops unfolding. Many thanks to @mylinhlephotography for the speech photos. Ps. It’s not normally pink. That was just party lighting. #kettlesyard #cambridge #art #gallery #architecture #celebration #modernart #modernbritishart #ceramics #lucyrie #lowry

For the past few days the JFA team have been exploring Matera, Basilicata, Italy, an ancient city carved out of the tufa (soft limestone) cliffs of a steep ravine. For thousands of years the people of Matera lived in Sassi, cave homes and worshiped in churches carved into the cliffs. Poverty and disease propelled the Italian government to forcibly drive the people from these homes into a New Town built on the plateau above. In 1964 the abandoned city was used as the setting of Jerusalem in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘The Gospel of St. Matthew’ (6th image). But in the past decades the old city has come back to life, maybe with a few too many hotels and restaurants, but the fabric is extraordinary. A single material city of immense beauty. The churches carved in tufa with fragments of frescos dating back to the 10th century were so moving. And the laughter of the team at our Xmas dinner and late night Christmas quiz (thanks to @thomas_longley) made it all the more wonderful. #matera #city #architecture #caves #fresco #stones #italy #magical

It’s been four years since I last walked on the roof terrace of Tate St Ives. We created it as a public space for the town, with places to sit and look out to sea, as well as a more gentle route from town down to the beach. Here are a few shots: 1) the ceramic clad pavilion reflected the sloping glass of the light chambers. 2) A granite clad light chamber frames a view to the sea. 3) The slight tilt of the hand glazed shiplap tiles reflects the colours of the changing sky. 4) Here the complex layering of colours is seen, even a purple hue emerged in the centre. 5) The granite chapels of St Ives cemetery seen beyond the final light chamber of the landscape. 6) People from the town using the route down to the beach. #tate #tatestives #landscape #granite #form #local

Two years and six months after having been made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) I was finally able to have the investiture on Wednesday morning. The day was beautiful and my brother and two sisters from Canada came to Windsor with Dom and me. Prince Charles did the ceremony and we had a brief chat about the work we are doing at the National Portrait Gallery. I don't recall exactly what I said that generated the laugh in the first photo, but I think I said we'd do our best to get his family portraits back on the walls as soon as we could. The visit to Windsor was followed by an afternoon and evening of celebration. Photos of these to follow. While the honour and the ceremony were lovely, it was the day surrounded by family, colleagues, supporters and friends that left me with a deep sense of gratitude. #cbe #commanderofthebritishempire #architecture #honour #windsorcastle #princecharles #architectureaward #lovelyday #grateful

Over the past few weeks I’ve been spending time creating observational studies in pencil and watercolour. They are reflections on the nature of the light as it alters through the day on the tiled facade of our building at Tate St Ives. The tiles were hand-glazed in multiple layers of green and blue onto pale yellow ceramic. Tilted gently upward they capture the light and shifting sky of St Ives. In series - Dusk - Midday - Dawn. These studies are, as has been noted, very much influenced by the work of the great Agnes Martin, who is without a doubt one of my favourite artists. But for me they remain architectural drawings, grounded in the language of the measured drawing and material representation. @tate @tatestives #tatestives #watercolour #elevations #cornwall #ceramics #glaze #architecture #architecturedrawings #measureddrawing #ephemeral #shifting