Engagements

Tuesday 9th November 2021

Royston gave a talk to the London Garden Society. It ended: ‘We live in a wood by a river.’ His theme was maintenance. It’s no good having ‘projects’ costing ££££££££ if everything left to go to rack and ruin until the next ‘project’. We dined afterwards with our favourite museum director in the restaurant there.

Miss Mina gave a dinner. She said she’d died several times. On previous occasions, you understand. She didn’t die during the present dinner. I said, ‘What was it like? Did you see the Lord?’ She said, ‘It was utter Heaven.’ By the sound of it, the Lord held back but will be revealed at the last for sure.

Miss Mina launched an Ottolenghi salmon with tahini vehicle of great interest.

Frieze was so long ago. Never was water so firmly under the bridge. For the record Main Frieze was beyond belief. The real art was the people viewing who might inspire terror. What was on the walls not even horror. Frieze Masters better, particularly since including books, art of the ancient world such as Egyptian, Greek or Roman, so statues and vases, also maps  – such a range. Also Monets and all the usual.

I took Anything Goes. I realised I’d seen it before, in the 80s at the National. The mother-of-the-bride outfit was better in that version, being more buxom, flounced and mauve. The best moment this time was when Felicity Kendal came on wearing all her jewellery owing to a security alert of some kind. It’s an exquisite soufflé, of course, but I failed it.

The Sunday before last Santon and Lanyard were ‘over’. Can you believe it? They gained from New Orleans and gave a reception at the University Club. Aristocracy (Ducal, actually), old American money, carpets, mirrors, gilding and smoked salmon. Superb.

I’ve been confined indoors – so many pieces to camera for Dainty Lady and other outlets. Of course an emergency when she was found to have been in hospital. But now gone to Sandringham to organise Christmas. Well, we’ve all got our pieces updated, which is a boost to morale and even more of one that they won’t be needed just yet. Contradictory.

Then there’s been the saga of Val in hospital, on a more extended basis, unfortunately, than her.

 

Frieze Masters: a Cedric Morris: Yes

Frieze Masters: a Cedric Morris: Yes

Frieze Masters: Salomon de Ruysdael: Old

Frieze Masters: Salomon de Ruysdael: Old

Frieze Masters: Algernon Newton: the Discovery of Frieze Masters. A lot of his Work for Sale

Frieze Masters: Algernon Newton: the Discovery of Frieze Masters. A lot of his Work for Sale: this is Paddington Basin 

Two of These for Sale at Agnews: Thomas Baumgartner. Royston advised to which Institutions might Buy. Obvs: Black Lives Matter

Two of These for Sale at Agnews: Thomas Baumgartner. Royston advised as to which Institutions might Buy. Obvs: Black Lives Matter

The Best that Main Frieze could Manage

The Best that Main Frieze could Manage

Main Frieze Must-Buys

Main Frieze Must-Buys

Angus Willis has been Renovating at Hastings: Floor so Pitted his Spouse cannot Walk over it without Pain

Angus Willis has been Renovating at Hastings: Floor so Pitted his Spouse cannot Walk over it without Pain. This is the Finished Look

 

Posted Tuesday, November 9, 2021 under Adrian Edge day by day.

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