Galleries - November 2010

national (even international) sig- nificance, is being proposed for closure, apparently without any proper local or public consul- tation. The head of the Borough Council, adding insult to injury, has offered a 'junk room' – his words – as an alternative venue. Has he ever been there, you wonder? Protest, if you wish, at www.petitiononline.com/SaveKLAC LOWRY IN LONDON Those down South who were enthused by Christopher Wood's review ( Galleries , August) of 'The Loneliness of Lowry' show at Abbot Hall will be delighted to learn that it is to open, in nec- essarily abbreviated form, (plus a couple of 'new' pieces) at Crane Kalman, from 16 November. Given they were his long-time dealers, that is highly appropriate, but it does make you wonder what's going on in London these days that the RA , of which he was a long-time member and where he had a hugely popular show in 1976, hasn't taken a hand. Any- way, do go! DULWICH DEPARTURE Squeezed by space last month, this is a rather belated tribute to one of the London art world's best Press chiefs – Kate Knowles of Dulwich Picture Gallery – who has left her post after 15 years in which she became a key figure in the gallery's resurgence. Every- one, from the Directors down, not hand and the neglect of so many gifted artists at the expense of the more famous few on the other, the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition ( Mall Galleries 11-21 November), now entering its 19th year, is living proof of its founders' vision and the fact that neither of these issues has really gone away. Chosen, as always, by six selectors – two artists, two collectors and two critics – mixing open entry with personal choice and with tight limits on size, it invariably throws up some neglected artists along- side more famous names. Nor is it just a show but an educational charity, one of the principal aspects of which is the award of an annual drawing bursary. Attracting an entry of 120-plus young artists, 6 of whom are shown as finalists in the main ex- hibition, the standards here are remarkable (I know, I was judg- ing), a real showcase for some burgeoning talents. ADVANCED CUTS Good news in the Chancellor's speech re museum charges but the implications of the particularly hefty local government cuts look ominous for regional museums and galleries. Indeed the cuts already seemed to have started even before his speech with news during September that one of my favourite venues in the East of England, the King's Lynn Art Cen- tre, which houses the distin- guished Eastern Open exhibition among many other things of ANTENNAE 10. GALLERIES NOVEMBER 10 SHADOW LIFTED Until comparatively recently, the long shadow cast by London's huge, attractive art scene was, it seemed, a powerful deterrent to the establishment of interesting new artistic enterprises in the South-East. Now, with the hassle of congestion charges, travel costs, transport complications (not to mention sheer size) and Londoners' apparently increasing willingness to go (or live) out of town, things are beginning to look very different. A network of ex- cellent public and commercial galleries in the region is booming and – an even newer phenom- enon – art fairs are rapidly est- ablishing themselves all over the place. In the latter group the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair (12-14 November), now in its sixth year, is approaching the seasoned veteran category, the 100 or more artist and gallery exhibitors taking part clear evidence of a really strong local/regional demand, especially when taken with the similarly themed Reading Cont- emporary Art Fair each May. It's got a fresh and lively look about it and with a price cap of £4000, should prove far from daunting to new, or new-ish, collectors. DISCERNING AS EVER Conceived by the (late) painter Michael Reynolds and a group of professional artist colleagues in 1990 as a practical answer to the twin problems of small-scale art tending to be considered of less importance than large on the one