A trip to London – the first for ages! With time rather tight, rather than my usual route to The British Museum – via Goodge Street and Heals – I surfaced at Tottenham Court Road and found myself walking past the most amazing art shop, L. Cornelissen and Son. Originally in the Covent Garden the shop, established in 19th century relocated in the eighties to Great Russell Street complete with the original fixtures and fittings. The walls are covered in shelves, cupboards, and drawers which hold the shops immense stock. Large jars full of colours adorn high shelves. Well worth a visit!
Next stop was the British Museum and The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, an exhibition curated by Grayson Perry which uses his own work as well as objects from the museum’s collection to take the viewer on a journey into his imaginary world while exploring craftsmanship and sacred journeys. The exhibition opens with a vase ‘You are here’ which is a collage featuring characters saying why they have come to the exhibition and finishes with a decorated cast iron ship – a memorial to the countless craftsmen throughout the ages who have created the handmade wonders of the world. Sitting in the centre of the ship’s deck is a flint hand axe, 250,000 years old - the first tool fashioned by humans. There was so much about the exhibition I enjoyed – the variety of the objects chosen, seeing the way in which the past has inspired artists and craftsmen and the skill of so many unnamed individuals. Travelling along with Grayson Perry’s imagination is fascinating - ‘When I was young I had an imaginary civilization. Then I became an artist and my civilization traded with the world and all its history. Now I’m not sure where my imagination stops and the world starts’. And this quote - ‘A relaxed, humble, ever-curious love of stuff is central to my idea of being an artist’.
The exhibition has been extended to 26th February. If you are a National Trust member you can get 25% off the ticket price.
