From Russia with love

During the weeks preceding Fashion Week there is not much time to socialise, but the fabulousness of the art world in London is impossible to ignore.

Last week we visited the Art Fair in Islington to see what our local galleries had to offer. Although fun, with some lovely work from artists represented by Flowers East, it was not as exciting as Frieze, with its international players.

After the fair we visited a lovely show of new work by Natasha Law (sister of Jude Law) who exhibits with Gallery 11. The show was in a cool place, above a book shop on the Charing Cross Road, which houses two pop-up galleries on its upper floors. It felt buzzier than the big fair. We chatted with Betty Jackson, her lovely French husband David Cohen, and their son, Oliver, who is a gorgeous and talented young actor.

On Tuesday evening the art scene pulled us in again, this time to see the stunning new show at the Royal Academy entitled “From Russia”. The show features work by great French and Russian painters (1870-1925), who were working at an electrifyingly exciting time in modern art. The Royal Academy has brought the pieces over from four museums in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Enjoying Dance II by Henri Matisse at the From Russia exhibition

The show included two of my favourites Matisses: the Red Room and Dance II. What a colourist! The show was very well hung (yes we in the art world can use that term without trying to sell you Viagra) with pale dove grey walls being the perfect tonal choice to show off the vibrant colours in gallery 111.

At the exhibition I met my delightful friend Nicky Haslam, who is soon off to Russia with work, also there was the celebrated writer and investigative journalist Dominic Dunne and the evergreen Bryan Ferry.

We chatted with our friends Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, president of the Royal Academy and his lovely wife Lavinia. We also bumped into the delightful Grayson Perry, wearing a fabulous dress of his own design with an inflatable rubber ruff.

Catching up with Grayson Perry

However our evening was upset by the news of Heath Ledger’s sudden death. Heath was working with my neighbour, Terry Gilliam, on a new film called The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. I don’t know if filming was completed, but Terry and his producer daughter Amy were just off to Canada for post production. Terry was close to Heath, having worked with him previously on The Brothers Grimm in 2005; he must have been completely heart broken.

Last night I met my friend Marie Helvin for a quiet dinner in the Soho Hotel. She has been very busy since publishing her autobiography, which comes out in paperback later this year. We had delicious seared tuna for starters and shared a homemade ice cream coupe in great flavours including bitter cherry and honey for desert.

Dining with my friend Marie Helvin