In a different curatorial endeavor, the fashion designer thoughtfully pairs Winifred Nicholson and Andrew Cranston to showcase their shared artistic sensibilities across generations
Creative polymath Jonathan Anderson broadens his curatorial reach with “Dreams of the Everyday,” an exhibition presenting a compelling conversation between the paintings of modernist Winifred Nicholson and contemporary artist Andrew Cranston. The show, co-curated with gallerist Richard Ingleby, delves into the quiet power of the commonplace, accentuating Anderson’s eye beyond the runway.
Running June 21st to September 13 at Orkney’s Pier Arts Centre, the two-stop exhibition, which also travels to Bath’s Holburne Museum in October, establishes its central premise as an exploration of the everyday through the lens of two artists separated by generations yet united by their artistic sensibilities.
Nicholson (1893–1981) and Cranston (b. 1969) both find profound meaning in ordinary subjects, drawing on daily life, memory, and imagination to create works that transcend mere representation. Anderson, known for his conceptually driven fashion designs for JW Anderson and Loewe, continues to demonstrate his deep engagement with art history and his ability to forge unexpected connections across disciplines.
Early-20th-century works by Nicholson—tabletops with fruit, children by windows, and serene vistas—draw from her life across Cumbria, Cornwall, and beyond. She channels a shift toward modernism through flattened planes and tipped tabletops. In parallel, Cranston, anchored in Glasgow and born in 1969, paints still lifes and book-bound interiors that evoke familial memory, often using layered washes that allow typeface to hover through pigment.
The exhibit displays a shared appreciation for the subtle beauty and occasional surreal quality of everyday existence. Anderson notes their synergy in his admiration for Nicholson’s brushwork and Cranston’s visual language; their ability to “value intimacy over showmanship.”
This venture is not Anderson’s first foray into the art world; he previously curated “Disobedient Bodies” at The Hepworth Wakefield, an exhibition exploring the human form in art, fashion, and design. His ongoing involvement in the art sphere, including his role as a Trustee to the Board of the V&A and his establishment of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, solidifies his position in actively shaping cultural discourse. “Dreams of the Everyday” furthers his reputation as a curator with a keen sense for revealing nuanced dialogues within artistic production.
