Cycladic figurines have a mythical aura. Their gleaming abstract forms speak of timeless beauty. But what actually are they? Why do they look like a Brancusi sculpture (or why do Brancusi sculptures look like them)? Once Upon a...

2019 celebrates 100 years of Bauhaus. Widely known for their iconic design and contributions to the art world, Bauhaus concepts also extended into dance. Not as well known as their crafts, the dances nevertheless, encompassed the values and...

In a grim and conservative post-war Britain, Robyn Denny burst onto the art scene like a Holi festival colour bomb. He arrived at art school in London in 1951 just as British art was looking away from its...

Joseph Beuys (1921 – 1986), currently on display at BASTIAN gallery, was a controversial German artist, whose work regularly caused public debate. Ritual and unorthodox materials, in particular animal fat and felt, characterize his wide-ranging artistic practice. His...

Joan Miró is an artist very difficult to categorize. In general, he is considered to be a surrealist. However, his works show a great diversity that goes beyond Surrealism, Dadaism and Fauvism. Some pieces remind us of childish...

The women of the Bauhaus, attracted to the school by a lie, were marginalised by its male masters and forced into a single workshop. Under the leadership of Gunta Stölzl, they turned the weaving workshop into the financial...

Stanley Spencer described the village of Cookham, as a ‘village in heaven’. In his unique paintings Spencer often intertwined Cookham with his spiritual visions. Biblical events are re-enacted against the backdrop of the quaint, chocolate box English village....