Philip Absolon
The Stuckists, whose biggest claim to fame was their anti-Tate campaign which led to the Charity Commission finding the Tate guilty of acting illegally over buying work by Tate Trustees, finally have their first ever show in a commercial West End Gallery. Spectrum Gallery believe the Stuckists' work should be taken as seriously as their politics, and have high hopes that their exhibition, 'Go West', which opens in October, will establish the group of artists beyond their own Shoreditch Gallery where they have shown their work in the past.
Royden Prior, director of Spectrum.says: 'These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work.'
Spectrum's exhibition will feature the work of 10 Stuckist artists including it's 'leader' Charles Thomson who was married to artist Stella Vine. His contribution to the exhibition consists of explicit images of his former wife in her days as a stripper. Paul Harvey, formerly of the band Penetration, will be displaying portraits of Charlotte Church and Nigella Lawson, and Philip Absolon will be featuring his paintings of 'unemployed skeletons'. Will this show be the Stuckists' ticket to international stardom or will they be told to 'Go Back East'?
The Stuckists are also the focus of a symposium at this year's Liverpool Biennial called 'The Triumph of Stuckism', which will take place at the John Moores Liverpool University in September.
Spectrum Gallery
77 Great Titchfield Street
London W1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7637 7778
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