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Thursday 4 December 2008

Mixed blessings

Summer Exhibition
Royal Academy, until 17 August

Gallery III, the main room of the exhibition, is this year dominated by Christopher Le Brun, on fine discursive form, and Tony Bevan (‘Studio Tower’ I particularly liked) at one end, with Barbara Rae, searching out the patterns in landscape with her richly distinctive palette, at the other. Too much to mention in between, though I recommend the three big Maurice Cockrill drawings in ink and acrylic, Eileen Cooper’s ‘Taking the Long Way Home’, and Anthony Whishaw’s satisfyingly crusty ‘Stubbled Field with Birds’. For a startling piece of infelicitous hanging notice Bert Irvin’s paintings juxtaposed with Maurice Cockrill’s — it does justice to neither. But with a huge mixed exhibition like the summer show, it’s always a surprise that this kind of thing happens as infrequently as it does — a tribute to the hanging skills of the Academicians.

Gallery IV is dominated by a highly reflective stainless-steel ‘Ping Pong Table’ by Ron Arad, which throws back at the visitor distorted bits of the paintings on the walls. Gillian Ayres benefits particularly from this treatment, her bright and joyous paintings, more frondy than ever, repeated and fragmented by the games table. Another large abstract here, by Paul Tonkin, is also effective, and hung with the likes of Humphrey Ocean, Shanti Panchal, Jock McFadyen (meticulous urban landscape) and Paul Winstanley makes striking and informative contrasts. Mixed in are Georg Baselitz (looking better in this company than in his own overblown RA solo show) and Anselm Kiefer. A powerful room, with a group of smaller pictures, especially ‘Barry’ by Jamie Partridge and ‘To GM’ by Elizabeth Meadows, bringing a welcome change of focus.

Gallery V glorifies the expressive and borders on the frenetic: Roy Oxlade searches for a sock, George Rowlett churns the Thames like a dynamo, Alex Ramsay trails whimsical but beguiling lines and glitter over a dark ground. For moments of calm, turn to Fred Cuming and Karn Holly. Gallery VI is devoted to architectural models which look increasingly like cabinets of curiosities, such as Zaha Hadid’s New Museum for Vilnius, or Renzo Piano’s sculptural wooden hut. Gallery VII has too much photography in it, but is saved by a couple of Michael Kidner’s big geometric drawings and Bryan Kneale’s sculptures, more inventive than ever and variously patinated in dreamy blue or silver and black. Gallery VIII, selected by Tracey Emin, is full of silliness and childish attempts to shock. Rumour has it that Miss Emin invited Peter Blake to show a large picture in this room and then didn’t hang it. A shame: it might have raised the tone.

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