Art After Dark with Kate Bryan

With Art After Dark commencing on 6th March, and International Women’s Day following on the 8th, I’ve also explored the stories of remarkable women in the art world, both past and present.

Stop one: National Portrait Gallery, Charing Cross Road

A perfect way to kick off the tour is at the National Portrait Gallery. As someone who has been a judge on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year since its inception 11 years ago, you could say I’ve looked at more portraits than I’ve had hot dinners, and you’d be right! But, if anything, this has only increased my appetite for portraiture. It’s a genre that offers an incredible opportunity to connect with someone we may never meet.

I rarely visit without paying my respects to the portrait of William Shakespeare, the National Portrait Gallery’s first ever acquisition when it was founded in 1856. Though the Bard remains a mysterious figure, there is something about this painting - almost certainly created during his lifetime (circa 1610), that brings his legacy into touching distance. I always marvel at his lovely little gold earring, possibly the nattiest hoop in art history.

It's thrilling to know that one of our recent Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year winners, Wendy Barrett, currently has a work on display on the ground floor in the History Makers Now gallery. Her portrait of Dame Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and conservationist, is both tender and powerful. On the same wall is Simon Frederick’s quietly powerful portrait of Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock. A fellow Dame and a true pioneer like Goodall, Aderin-Pocock opens up the universe for us as an engaging space scientist, science educator and broadcaster. Emerging from what seems to be a nocturnal scene, she gazes upwards, as if looking toward the stars with a sense of wonder and curiosity.

Stop two: Piccadilly Un:Plugged

The collision of art and space science will take centre stage from 6th- 8th March across London’s West End, offering a lovely opportunity to reflect on our place in the cosmos as we continue our itinerary.

Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian – headline artist of this March’s Art After Dark and founder of NASA’s International Space Orchestra - will unveil an awe-inspiring installation blending sculpture, light, and sound. Her work involves cutting-edge interstellar technology to send recordings from the West End, including the heartbeats of the artist’s Armenian family, 768,800 km to the moon and back, before broadcasting them in Piccadilly Circus.

Nelly’s installation, Piccadilly Un:Plugged, will take over Piccadilly and Leicester Square with extraterrestrial rocks, inflatable cat sculptures inspired by Schrödinger’s famous quantum physics paradox, and state-of-the-art telescopes, offering a completely free and unique opportunity to gaze into space.

Stop three: Royal Academy, Piccadilly

Back down to earth, there’s nothing quite like visiting an exhibition that unlocks a whole new part of the world through a rich and fascinating historical narrative. The Royal Academy’s latest blockbuster, Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism, certainly earns its title’s exclamation marks.

Through the work and stories of 10 pioneering artists, the exhibition weaves a compelling account of what makes this period so distinctive. I came away a newfound admirer of Tarsila do Amaral, a trailblazer of Brazilian modernism. Her bold, vibrant paintings reveal an artist who absorbed an array of cultural influences from far and wide, from which she created something uniquely and unmistakably Brazilian.

The exhibition design was superlative, you can see the thought and consideration in every display choice, a perfect place for an evening taking in art as even the fabulous benches feel part of the experience.

Stop four: Browse and Darby on Bury Street

Wandering into St James feels like entering another era. With its historic galleries, auction houses, shirt-makers, and wine sellers, the area exudes old-world charm. If, like me, you don’t often find yourself here, it’s the perfect place to feel like a tourist in your own city, or perhaps even a different era altogether. As I strolled down the street, I spotted two gentlemen in bowler hats carrying umbrellas, as if they’d stepped straight out of a Magritte painting!

While Browse and Darby may have a Victorian period exterior, inside, Julian Bailey’s latest exhibition transports visitors to a contemporary sunlit coastal scene. His oil paintings, with their light and movement, are a welcome reminder of the warmth and light to come as we wait for spring to finally arrive.

Visiting so close to International Women’s Day feels particularly fitting, given the gallery’s history. Co-founded in 1977 by Lillian Browse, the first prominent female art dealer in London – Browse & Darby carries her legacy forward. I was fascinated to learn that during the Second World War, Lilian organised exhibitions at the National Gallery. With the Gallery’s masterpieces moved for safety, she convinced the Director to showcase contemporary works lent by private collectors, offering a source of uplift for Londoners during challenging times.

Though a successful dealer, Lillian was, above all, an art lover - someone who believed in the power of paintings to elevate hearts and minds. That same spirit is alive today in Bailey’s exhibition, making Browse & Darby a must-visit.

Stop five: Cristea Roberts on Pall Mall

Next stop is the Cristea Roberts Gallery to take in the works of Christiane Baumgartner.

I hadn’t seen her work in the flesh before and was staggered by the large scale of these intricate woodcut prints handmade by the artist in her Leipzig studio. Painstaking to produce, each work depicts a view of the Baltic sea. Growing up in East Germany, this Baltic coastline was the only holiday option available to her family and she imbues these scenes with a sense of longing. The graphic lines that run across the surface brought to mind static radio interference on old television sets – the kind that Baumgartner would have attempted to watch western television on. The show presents nature as a sanctuary but also questions long held notions around beauty and place making.

Downstairs you can see the concurrent exhibition, Found Objects – Prints and Multiples from the 1960s. I loved Dieter Roth’s double-sided screen prints of nearby Piccadilly Circus, along with works by Bridget Riley, Richard Hamilton and Patrick Caulfield.

Stop six: Skarstedt Gallery on Bennett Street

After all this beauty, my itinerary concludes with a deep dive into ugliness! Skarstedt Gallery’s On Ugliness: Medieval and Contemporary brilliantly unites pieces from the 12th century to today, exploring how perceptions of the grotesque have evolved.

Highlights for me are by the contemporary American powerhouses, Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman. I found the historic gargoyles rather pretty compared to today’s horror movies and video game graphics - leaving me wondering how our own ideas of beauty and ugliness will be viewed centuries from now.

Stop seven: Dukes Bar on St James’ Place

Ponder the nature of ugliness over a mean cocktail at nearby Dukes Bar – though I must admit that I got distracted from my train of thought by the charismatic Alessandro Palazzi! Head barman, Palazzi holds court over his table-side drinks trolley where he expertly crafted us a Vespa Martini – their house cocktail inspired by James Bond writer, Ian Fleming, who was a regular patron here. Alessandro shared the fascinating story behind the recipe, the unique ingredients he selects, and how the drink reflects Fleming’s life. Staffed mostly by stylish Italians, Duke’s is not only a place for exceptional cocktails, but also prime people-watching.

Stop eight: 45 Jermyn Street

Just around the corner, 45 Jermyn Street offers a beautifully designed space with serpentine booths and a cocktail list to match. Since its opening in 2015, the restaurant’s attention to detail in service, interiors, and menu has earned it a special place in gastronomes’ hearts, and I completely understand why. We ordered British classics such as Portland dressed crab on toast and calves’ liver with crispy bacon, along with delicious surprises like Raw Cornish Mackerel and Caviar Tacos. I highly recommend this exquisite spot.

With Art After Dark taking over the West End from 6th – 8th March, this is a wonderful opportunity to dive into the vibrancy of London’s cultural scene. I encourage you to follow my itinerary and I hope you leave feeling inspired by the power of art to connect, uplift, and transport us around this world and beyond.