From Lucian Freud’s rarely seen self-portraits to Renée Zellweger’s fearless depiction of screen icon Judy Garland, a selection of things to do this month
- TextBelle Hutton
See Lucian Freud: The Self-Portraits at the Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy spotlights the visceral work of Lucian Freud this month, focusing on the artist’s self-portraits. Brought together for the first time in a single exhibition, Lucian Freud: The Self-Portraits features over 50 paintings, many of which have been loaned for the show by private collectors. Freud depicted himself repeatedly over almost 65 years of his career, the results showing both how the artist’s painting style evolved throughout the decades and how he chose to portray himself on the canvas.
Watch Looking for Langston by Isaac Julien at Tate Britain
See Isaac Julien’s celebrated 1989 film Looking for Langston at Tate Britain until November 17. London-born artist Julien was inspired to make the short film by the poet Langston Huges, one of the most important figures in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Filmed in black and white and set in no particular time, Looking for Langston ruminates on black, queer desire and shifts between imagination and reality, set to a soundtrack of poetry by Hughes, James Baldwin and Essex Hemphill.
Hunter Barnes’ photographs of America’s outsiders at David Hill
“When I started doing this project, the people I was photographing were perceived in a certain way,” says photographer Hunter Barnes, whose shots of lowriders, coolers, bikers and Bloods are on show now in London, in a show entitled Outside of Life. “The light I showed them in was an honest one. People are people. They all have families, they all lives, they have kids. I found almost everywhere I go the common thread is daily life.” On show for the first time in 15 years, Barnes’ portraits spotlight people normally seen as outsiders in American society.
Read Stanley Booth’s encounters with Elvis and William Eggleston
In his new book Red Hot and Blue: Fifty Years of Writing About Music, Memphis and Motherfuckers, American journalist Stanley Booth compiles stories from his extraordinary career. A riotous journey through touring with the Rolling Stones and Elvis to drinking with photographer William Eggleston, Booth’s novelistic autobiography-of-sorts is a must-read. (Read excerpts from the book, as featured in Another Man’s Autumn/Winter 2019 issue, here.)
Kara Walker’s Turbine Hall commission at Tate Modern
Unveiled earlier this month, Fons Americanus is a giant working water fountain installed in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall by the American artist Kara Walker. The fountain is crafted from stone and features various allegorical figures – including sharks swimming in its shallow pool. Inspired by the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, Walker’s piece is a darker take on historical monuments that alludes to Britain’s colonial past.
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The London Film Festival and new cinema releases
The London Film Festival has arrived in the capital, with an exciting programme of new releases, film talks and debates ongoing until October 13. From the much-anticipated The King to The Last Black Man in San Francisco, there are screenings every day across the city for the BFI festival. Elsewhere in cinema, see Renée Zellweger take on the role of Judy Garland in Judy, depicting the final decades of the screen legend’s life, and former Another Man cover star Joaquin Phoenix in the dark story of the Joker.
The Appointment by Alexandre Singh at Metro Pictures, New York
For the launch of a new short film entitled The Appointment – described alternately as both a horror and a comedy – French artist Alexandre Singh transforms Metro Pictures’ New York gallery into an abandoned cinema space, complete with trompe l’oeil wallpaper and a hand-drawn floor. Elements of the gothic abound in The Appointment, a story hinged on an incident of mistaken identity, and the accompanying immersive exhibition features a selection of surreal paintings and bronze sculptures by Singh.
