Press Release | London For Immediate Release: 9 March 2017
Contemporary Living: Exhibition of contemporary artists, designers & craftsmen at Christie’s with the new craftsmen & Southern guild
London – This April, as part of the First Open | South Kensington | Post-War and Contemporary Art auction, Christie’s is collaborating with The New Craftsmen and Southern Guild to present Contemporary Living: Art, Craft & Design. This exhibition showcases the work of a diverse group of contemporary artists, designers and craftsmen, including Pablo Bronstein, Hugo McCloud, Dan Rees and Richard Aldrich with design pieces by makers such as Sebastian Cox, Georgia Kembell, Edmond Byrne, Charles Haupt, Porky Hefer, Dokter & Misses and David Krynauw. The exhibition at Christie’s South Kensington will be open to all from 1-4 April, ahead of the First Open auction on 5 April. Estimates start from just £700.
The exhibition design of Contemporary Living: Art, Craft & Design will change across four-days through a series of interventions, generating new visual vignettes and creating an experience that encourages the audience to make connections and discover each object anew. At the heart of the exhibition is the ‘Patron’s House’, an installation and scale model of the space and the works in the auction. Visitors to the show will be invited to ‘play’ with the arrangement, creating their own narratives and spaces. The visual concept for the Patron’s House is a collaboration with The New Craftsmen.
“We invited The New Craftsmen and Southern Guild to collaborate with Christie’s to celebrate and explore the dialogue between contemporary art, design and crafts. The Contemporary Living exhibition is a new platform for promoting emerging talent; it offers an exciting new opportunity to our clients and we hope it will inspire new ways of displaying art in the home. Southern Guild, the pre-eminent design gallery in Africa, represent a growing stable of designers whose work is fresh, bold and with global appeal. Works from the gallery will be offered alongside pieces by makers represented by The New Craftsmen, a London-based gallery that champions and represents British-based makers to an international audience.”
Visitors are welcome to attend the Christie’s Late event at Christie’s South Kensington on Tuesday 4 April, with free admission for the entire evening, dedicated to Contemporary Living. Visit christies.com/lates for more information on the talks and activities.
Southern Guild, Africa’s foremost collectible design gallery, has spearheaded the limited-edition design category in Africa with exhibitions that have redefined global perceptions of African design and escalated value on the international market. Founded in 2008 by African-design champions Trevyn and Julian McGowan, Southern Guild plays an integral role in guiding and mentoring designers. As the sole gallery representing locally made limited-edition design, and responsible for birthing a new category for artists and designers in South Africa, Southern Guild has pioneered an entirely new vernacular in the collectible design category. Southern Guild encourages the creation of multi-faceted work that gives vivid form to an African narrative. Founded on the conviction that Africa will play an increasingly meaningful role in shaping and expressing the spirit of the 21st century, the gallery premieres forward-thinking, original work, at the intersection of art and design.
The New Craftsmen commissions and sells unique contemporary objects rooted in craftsmanship and narrative. The New Craftsmen works with a selection of Britain’s finest craft makers to showcase the materials, skills and craft products of the British Isles. Founded in 2012 in Mayfair, London, The New Craftsmen currently represents a network of over 75 makers working in textiles, silverware, furniture, ceramics, jewellery, glassware and beyond. The New Craftsmen represents a vision of sustainable, real luxury, expressed through dedication to makers, materials, method and design.
With estimates ranging from £1,000 to £200,000, First Open offers an unparalleled opportunity to obtain fresh and exciting contemporary artworks at auction. First Open has developed a reputation for offering the best of cutting-edge art and post-war works at accessible price points. Launched 10 years ago as a single sale in New York, First Open originally owed its name to the fact that the auction ‘opened’ the season for Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s and created a platform for welcoming new collectors.
