ING Discerning Eye is an exhibition of small works independently selected by six prominent figures from the art world. This year's selector are: Artists, Eileen Cooper RA and Lisa Wright, Collectors, John Pluthero (Chairman, Cable & Wireless Worldwide and founder of abstract critical) and John Deston (The Mall Galleries, London) and critics, Ossian Ward (Visual Arts Editor, Time Out, London), and Brian Sewell (Art Critic, Evening Standard. Each selector has curated one section of the exhibition, drawing their own selection from works submitted by artists and the work of artists they have personally invited to exhibit. The result is an unmissable collection of six smaller exhibitions within one, each with very distinct personalities.
The uniqueness of having each work chosen by an eminent individual, unlike in a group selected show, has earned the exhibition an excellent reputation among art lovers and collectors alike. Speaking about his selection of British landscape work, Ossian Ward said that he "wanted to discover whether there still existed as strong a seam of British landscape art being made in the U.K. as there ever was, given that this genre has not been deemed fashionable since the late 1960s. Thankfully, looking at the hundreds of works submitted for selection to the Discerning Eye exhibition, it seems my suspicions were well founded...The beauty of this open submission show is that not only do all the judges have to pick separately and wrangle over pieces if more than one of us is keen on something, but it allows for differing tastes and aesthetic patterns to emerge."
The charm of The ING Discering Eye exhibition lies in the unpredictably and variety of the selectors' choices. Works of lesser-known artists hang alongside those of more established artists helping to connect hundreds of new artists with new audiences.
A total of 611 works of all mediums including print, paintings, drawing, sculpture and photography, by approximately 300 artists have been selected for the 2011 exhibition. The exhibition continues until Sunday 20 November. Don't miss it.
discerningeye.org
Images:
Carolyn Gowdy, Bird Woman
Joby Williamson, Field
Anna Gardiner, Mauve Morn
All images courtesy the artist
