Exhibition

sophie de stempel - ‘The people I see and the places I live in…'

14 Oct 2014 – 7 Nov 2014

Event times

10-5.30 Mon to Friday 11am-2pm Saturday

Cost of entry

Free

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Browse & Darby

London, United Kingdom

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sophie de stempel - Solo Exhibition at Browse & Darby

About

‘The people I see and the places I live in…' 15th October sees the opening of the unique artist Sophie de Stempel's first solo exhibition at Browse and Darby, - one of the oldest art galleries on Cork Street in London who have previously shown Walter Sickert, Gwen John and Euan Uglow. de Stempel's work is loved by her collectors and admirers for being incisive, urban, figurative, thick with paint. This collection of paintings has a touching delicacy. Personal and dear to the artist it offers the viewer a rare and exquisite glimpse in to her life where she shares beloved spaces, places and those dear to her with characteristic vigour and vibrancy. Such is the intimacy and yet compelling immediacy of this collection of work, it is hard not to feel as if we are there with her, eavesdropping, looking over the artist's shoulder in that moment which is committed and captured on canvas with de Stempel's unique and commanding fervor and passion. The exhibition is a beautiful balance of domesticity played against the exciting life of travel for pure pleasure and travel for work that she has shared and appreciated with her husband the actor Sir Ian Holm in recent years. In the exhibition are informal, yet vividly arresting portraits of her beloved husband Sir Ian, imposing portraits of Jojo the ‘bruiser' cat found in the boot of her Mother's car and who fell from a balcony 5 floors up (and survived!) and a charmingly simple yet evocative and atmospheric sketch of her step-father at a polo match with Lulu the dog. de Stempel invites us to share her everyday views from their Notting Hill roof terrace where she ‘sees buildings as shapes' - architectural shapes within cityscapes and makes them work together. From a glimpse of the Coronet cinema from her personal rooftop urban space we are then transported to the magical gardens of La Colombe d'Or in France where she and Ian have spent many idyllic times. Perhaps one of the most intriguing paintings in the collection is a glimpse through opulent doorways of the now gone Wyndham Hotel in New York where she and Ian lived for a time when he was performing on Broadway. de Stempel says ‘This is a very personal exhibition. It's about the places I inhabit and the people and things with me that I spend time with, that share my space, that are so much part of my life. It's about the place I live or have lived with Ian and beloved places Ian and I still go to.' After training at City & Guilds Art School, de Stempel became a friend and Life Model of Lucien Freud. She lives in London and is married to the actor Sir Ian Holm. de Stempel combines her painting with teaching at the Royal Academy of Art & at The Prince's Drawing School. Her work is collected by Richard Gere, Bella Freud, Kay Saatchi, P J Harvey & Alan Yentob.

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