Antique of the month with Dan Bray of Gorringes...
Art Life from Kent Life
Antique of the month With Dan Bray of Gorringes
Chinese ceramics and works of art are currently the biggest growth area in the auction market, fuelled by a new Chinese and Hong Kong middle class with an apparently insatiable appetite. Gorringes has achieved some notable price for Chinese items this year, including a Chinese export Hong bowl, circa 1785, which was sold for �58,000. Blue and white porcelain of the Kangxi period (1662-1722) continues to be in high demand too. The most desirable pieces in this category are those decorated with figures, as seen on two Chinese brushpots we sold for �12,000 and �16,000 respectively. Once thing can be certain, as prices rise to astronomical heights for rare and high-quality 18th-century Chinese ceramics and works of art, Chinese buyers are constant re-evaluating their buying tastes as they look for better value for money in later, good-quality pieces.
Story time
The first exhibition consisting entirely of portraits will be held in Folkestone’s new Creative Quarter this month – and it’s also the first to be an integral part of the widely acclaimed Folkestone Book Festival, bringing both written and visual arts together.
‘Stories, Stories’ is a series of portraits by artists John Eveleigh and Beka Smith of people associated with the literary world, including writers, readers and publishers.
Each subject has written a short piece about their connection with the artist and the particular story behind their portrait. • 4-30 Nov, The Cube, Folkestone CT20 1JR, Mon-Fri 9am-7pm. Free.
In camera
Don’t miss the chance to see work by one of the world’s greatest photographers, on show until 1 November at the TopFoto Gallery in Edenbridge.
Jane Bown has been taking portraits for The Observer since 1949 and in that time has photographed everyone from Bertrand Russell to the Beatles, Samuel Beckett to Her Majesty The Queen.
The exhibition is designed to showcase 50 of Jane’s best photographs across her six-decade career and will include many familiar images, plus a significant number drawn from previously unknown shoots. • TopFoto Gallery, Fircroft Way, Edenbridge TN8 6EL, 01732 863939.
Turner prized
Turner Contemporary has won the award for Best use of Arts and Culture in Regeneration at The Regeneration and Renewal Awards 2011
The awards celebrate regeneration projects that have improved places or communities either economically, socially or environmentally.
“Since opening in April, the gallery has welcomed over 240,000 visitors and signs of regeneration can be seen throughout the town,” said Turner Contemporary chairman John Kampfner.
Over the past 18 months, 25 new businesses have opened up in Margate’s Old Town and the lower end of the High Street, reversing the national trend of high street decline.
Pop art
Ronnie Wood, legendary guitarist with The Rolling Stones and accomplished artist for more than 50 years, has unveiled his debut collection of fine art for Washington Green, to be unveiled across the Castle Galleries group of art galleries including Castle Galleries in the Upper Rose Gallery at Bluewater.
The five limited edition works in acrylics, oils and oil pastels celebrate Ronnie’s two worlds under the titles The Famous Flames Suite and The Stones on Stage – Got Me Rockin.’
