Visit to Bruton - TrustNews July 17
On 25 April 22 members of the Trust set off by coach to visit Bruton in Somerset. The main purpose of the visit was the Elizabeth Frink exhibition at the Hauser & Wirth gallery though we saw much more.
The Gallery was established by lwan and Manuela Wirth, international art dealers, in 2014. A derelict listed 18th century model farm has been converted into a number of amazing gallery spaces and a trendy restaurant surrounded by grounds landscaped by internationally renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf. We were guided round by Debbie Hillyerd, head of the gallery’s education department who told us of the history of the site and was a great ambassador for the Hauser & Wirth family ethos. It was also very interesting to get an insight into how an international gallery works with the artists it represents.
We started with the exhibition “Brave New World” by London-based Serbian artist Djordje Ozbolt. Few if any of us had heard of him, or would have been impressed by a procession of diminutive casts of garden gnomes and other Disney figures and garish sculptures made out of spray foam insulation. However, with the benefit of Debbie’s knowledge and enthusiastic advocacy we were able to see beyond the kitsch and get some feel for what this London-based Serbian artist is trying to say. She suggested that the procession could be seen as a metaphor for the displacement of refugees and mass migration and almost persuaded me that garden gnomes could be art.
Then, on to the Frink exhibition, ‘Transformation’. The enclosed courtyard garden magnified the impact of three huge ‘Riace’ warriors - menacing in stance and colour. The whole exhibition emphasised the importance of masculinity in Frink's work. With the benefit of Debbie’s introduction, it was clear that, whilst liking individual men and male pursuits such as riding and shooting, she also saw male figures as responsible for much of the evil in the world. Sculptures such as the ‘goggleheads', the assassins and even the bird and animal figures carry an overwhelming sense of threat and violence as well as bland indifference to human suffering. It was an extremely comprehensive selection of her life’s work and we came away with a much greater understanding of her genius.
We then stepped out into the beautiful garden created by Piet Oudolf with its flowing lines and curves planted with many grasses and herbaceous plants. It would be fascinating to see it change character through the year.
Our coach then took us on a nerve-racking trip through narrow country lanes to an excellent lunch at the charming Montague Arms in Shepton Montague. After lunch we returned to Bruton to visit the Church of St Mary the Virgin where we were fortunate to be given a guided tour by John Bishton who has written a comprehensive and scholarly history of the church in the context of centuries of social and economic change. It is a beautiful and unusual church in many ways - not least in being one of only three parish churches in Britain shared with the town’s Roman Catholics. John's love of the church and its complex history was very evident and we were grateful to him for sharing his knowledge with us.
Then, a speedy coach trip back to Winchester - where we shall look with renewed interest and insight at our own Frink - the Horse and Rider outside the Law Courts in the Upper High Street.