Yesterday (Monday) was a busy day so I'm writing my blog entry this morning.

"Art was, seriously, the only thing I'd ever wanted to own. It has always been for me a stable nourishment. I use it. It can change the way I feel in the mornings. The same work can change me in different ways, depending on what I'm going through." 

David Bowie

I went over to Sotheby's on New Bond Street to have a look at the remarkable art collection of David Bowie before the auction sale at the end of the week. I was worried there would be long lines, but I got right in. I had never been to Sotheby's before and that alone was an interesting experience. I had to walk through other galleries before I got to the stairway leading up to Bowie/Collector. I overheard one of the Sotheby's employees say that they have been getting 5,000 people a day in to look. I lost count of how many rooms contained his collection of 355 pieces, but there were at least eight. Every one was a delight.

Bowie collected many works by 20th century British artists, including Damien Hirst, David Bomberg, Peter Lanyon, Glynn Williams, Patrick Hughes, Frank Auerbach, Eduardo Paolozzi, Stanley Spencer, Alexander Mackenzie, John Bellany, and Henry Moore. It also includes a lot of German Expressionist prints, a really nice Man Ray chess set, a couple pieces by Marcel Duchamp, some contemporary South African works, and a couple of Picasso ceramics.

I'll list some of my favorites and the estimated price. This one by Patrick Hughes spoke to me, perhaps because I recently polished off a bag of Liquorice Allsorts.

Liquorice Allsorts, Patrick Hughes,£10,000-15,000 

Fanagalo Store, Norman Catherine, £10,000-15,000

Sibyl (Version 1), Kenneth Armitage, £30,000-50,000

Beautiful, hallo, space-boy painting, Damien Hirst with David Bowie, £250,000-350,000

Papageno/Bird Catcher, Glynn Williams, £2,000-3,000

Muker Farm and Casole D'Elsa, Tuscany, Alexander Mackenzie, £700-1,000 and £1,200-1,800

Sitting, Holding, Looking, Glynn Williams, £5,000-7,000

Shroud, Lee Wagstaff, artist's blood on linen, £1,000-2,000 

Family Group, Henry Moore, £250,000-350,000

I liked this one but thought the frame was bizarre.

Terwick Mill No 11 Early Autumn, Ivon Hitchens, £50,000-70,000

This is one of two large triptychs by Bellany.

Valhalla, John Bellany, £20,000-30,000

Dawn, Odd Nerdrum, £60,000-80,000

E.O.W.'s Reclining Head, Frank Auerbach, £250,000-350,000

The estimated value of most of the collection was incredibly high, but I did find two lovely little pieces that were in my price range.

Portrait of a Man, Pietro Annigoni, £300-500

Afternoon Tea Boy, David Bromley, £300-500

I may register to bid on them, but I'm sure there are hundreds of people like me who would relish owning something from this collection and they don't have the £20,000 to £350,000 to bid on most of the other art.

The collection also includes 100 pieces by Ettore Sottsass, George J Sowden, Michele de Lucchi, and other members of the Memphis Group, the Italian Postmodern design group of the 1980s. I didn't care for it and enjoyed reading later that it has been described as a "shotgun wedding between Bauhaus and Fisher-Price."

Most of the people seemed to be like me, interested, but not serious about or financially in a position to buy anything. We were just happy to be there enjoying the artwork. Except for one couple I noticed who seemed pretentious and snooty. Later I tried to decide whether my impressions about them were a result of their posh accent, what they were saying about the art, or a combination of both. I think it was the accent that triggered my own preconceptions and biases. I mean, really, what is at all pretentious about someone exclaiming, "Oh, another David Bomberg! Look, what a delightful William Nicholson!" I was being most unfair.

On my way out, I saw this beautiful Barbara Hepworth sculpture that was not part of the Bowie sale. It would be beautiful in my backyard, but the estimated value of £2-3 million is a tad over my price range.

Parent I, Barbara Hepworth, £2-3 million

"I believe that the key to the future is in the remnants of the past. That you have to master the  idioms of your own time before you can have any identity in the present tense. Your past begins the day you were born and to disregard  it is cheating yourself of who you really are." 

Bob Dylan, The Beaten Path

I made my way down the street to the Halcyon Gallery to see the Bob Dylan, The Beaten Path exhibition of his new works. This was also a fun show, a nostalgic look at Americana. Some of the labels had orange dots, which I correctly assumed meant those pieces were sold. None of the labels had prices. I asked one of the staff if they had a price list and she told me that they didn't but they would be happy to talk to me about any pieces I was interested in. That was annoying. Galleries usually have a price list. I guess if I have to ask then I can't afford any.

The exhibition included large acrylic paintings on canvas, watercolor paintings, smaller drawings, and iron sculptures. I really liked most of it.

New Mexico, Dusty Light

Classic Car Show, Cleveland, OH

Little Factory for Ice Cream

Abandoned Railroad Track

Endless Highway

Manhattan Bridge, Downtown New York

Monday night we went to dinner at the home of the Brueggemanns. John is the other professor teaching in London this semester. It was a lovely dinner and a great time. We stayed much later than we should have--it was after midnight when we arrived home!

Happy 30th birthday, Annie and Meg!

Today (Tuesday), I stayed home working on this blog, among other things. I was hoping to get out in the afternoon but that didn't happen. Gord was going to dinner and a play with the students. One of the students was sick and there was an extra ticket, so I got to go, too! It was nice to have the chance to talk to some of the students. They were very entertaining.

The play we saw was Matilda. It took me half way through the first act to get into it. From then on, though, I enjoyed it. It was a huge role for Zaris-Angel Hator who played Matilda, and she did a very good job. The choreography for all of the children was very challenging and complicated, lots of jumping from desktops to chairs, a tumbling scene, a swing scene--quite a few places where someone could get injured. Timing was critical. But they pulled it off without a hitch. It was really very well done, and what a fun production for kids to be in, even the minor, non-speaking roles had an incredible amount of singing and choreography. The music and lyrics by Tim Minchin were good, too, as was the set design. My only criticism would be that the sound effects occasionally were extremely loud, and there were several places where bright lights were directed out at the audience, making it difficult to see and bothersome to the eyes.

When I wake in the morning, the final results of the election should be in. I'm tempted to stay up, but the polls won't even be closed on the west coast until 5 AM here.