HELLO FROM THE EDITOR / SUMMER 2025

COVER IMAGE: Oil Rigs, 2020–21, by Pablo Bronstein
© Pablo Bronstein, courtesy of the artist and Herald St, London. Photo: Andy Keate

Welcome

‘Art at the moment is thrilling. The work of the artist today springs from innate impulses towards life, towards growth – impulses whose rhythms and structures have to do with the power and insistence of life.’ This was Barbara Hepworth in 1959. In a challenged world, art is one area where, reassuringly, there is a continuum. No matter where we seek it, extraordinary things are to be found. This summer comes a new staging from the Buenos Aires-born artist Pablo Bronstein.

With an eye for the fantastical, Bronstein’s practice is impossible to pigeonhole. When we heard his latest commission would be at the decorative ‘château’ of Waddesdon Manor, we wanted to meet the artist to discover more: see our interview inside. We also look at a monumental work by David Hockney. The beautiful exhibition, David Hockney 25, is currently on in Paris; Hockney considers it the most important of his life to date. While it’s said that, on average, we spend just 30 seconds viewing an artwork in a gallery, we think our piece on page 10 will see you pause longer before his May Blossom on the Roman Road. Maybe, though, rather than a city visit this summer, you’ll head for the hills? If so, don’t miss our feature on a lesser-known area of the arts: the role Wales and its mountains (and seascapes) have played in the evolution of UK landscape painting.

And, with further shores in mind, we also look to the pivotal contributions of the many overseas artists who have called Britain home. It’s a compelling story, revealing the true heritage behind some of the UK’s defining artworks. Art, as we know, is full of surprises. Or as Hepworth, the subject of another of our pieces in this issue would say, is ‘thrilling’.

Sue Herdman, Editor

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