One of the great joys of London is the juxtaposition of the old with the new, whether it is in architecture as the city has developed or in exhibitions of modern art in historic settings. The gallery at Raven Row in Artillery Lane, Spitalfields combines both. It is a short distance from the financial district in an area where new developments have been taking place, yet the historic buildings at Nos 56 and 58 Artillery Lane have not only managed to survive, when others are threatened (for example Norton Folgate), but they have been given a new 21st century role.
The buildings have been carefully restored and extended with a contemporary addition at the rear to provide an elegant well-proportioned backcloth for exhibitions of modern art, such as the current exhibition “Five Issues of Studio International”, which focuses on how Peter Townsend, as editor of Studio International magazine from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, “oversaw its transformation from a mainstream Britain-centric publication into a vanguard journal chronicling some of the most radical artistic endeavours in the UK and internationally.” (Raven Row)
The issues selected from April 1966 to July/August 1972 focus on sculpture and its role and importance in shaping new movements in art that were emerging at the time. The exhibition shows works by many of the artists who were breaking new ground at that period.
The original buildings at 56 and 58 Artillery Lane were built around the end of the 1700’s and were substantially remodelled in 1756-7 with new elegant shop fronts; that at No 56 considered to be one of the best surviving Georgian shop fronts in London. With the demise of the weaving industry these buildings had two centuries of mixed fortunes, including a fire in 1972.
The houses were carefully restored as gallery spaces by 6a Architects for Raven Row and its founding director and two new contemporary galleries were added at the rear, facing onto the adjacent street Frying Pan Alley, from which there are views into the galleries. The result is a series of fine gallery spaces and the new addition has many qualities in terms of the choice of materials and the thoughtful detailing that marries it well with the original. There are also flats on the upper floors for visiting artists and curators and offices for Four Corners Books, who publish artist’s books and books on art.
The exhibition is supported by a catalogue of selected excerpts from Studio International in the days when the 1966 edition was 4 shillings (20p) – a bargain!
