Confirmation, if any were needed, of the respect and affection inspired by the artist and fine art publisher—and now gallerist—Jane Simpson, comes both from the calibre of the artists who have made special editioned works for her latest project, The Selection Box, and from the fact that so many of them then turned up at the Groucho Club in Soho on Tuesday night (15 November) to help launch it.
Among the throng were Gary Hume, Georgie Hopton, Simon Periton, Fiona Banner and Gavin Turk—all of whom have produced bespoke works in media ranging from vegetable prints to gold-plated brass. The 18-artist “instant art collection” is being sold in an edition of 50 for a special price of £3,000. Proceeds will go to enable Galerie Simpson to evolve from an informal, artist-run gallery in Simpson’s home town of Swansea, into an independent not-for-profit space.
Even when the Groucho lift packed up, the venerable 84-year-old Peter Blake—who has contributed a beautiful gold-embellished screenprint—was prepared to haul himself up multiple staircases to the third-floor party room to toast the enterprise.
His efforts were not in vain, as not only were the contents of the box on show—framed up for all too see—but also the copious amounts of food and drink on offer culminated in Simpson cutting a magnificent cake, made in a facsimile of the wooden selection box and brought up from local bakers in Swansea. To maintain the Welsh flavour, there was also a resounding performance from the Welsh actress and singer Carys Eleri, who belted out some beautiful ballads in her native tongue. All in all, a triumphant evening for the artist who, since her move Wales-wards, now dubs herself a member of the “Taffia”.