The gallery where I intern had an exhibition last Friday evening for Yankel Feather, an artist from Liverpool. His style is a mix of impressionist and expressionist - he leaves bits of the canvas unpainted like Monet and his subject matter reminds me of Renoir and Degas...
Yankel Feather actually owned a club/dance hall in Liverpool - believe it or not, he was friends with the Beatles! Ringo owned a few of his paintings. So cool!
Yankel's partner was telling me that the artist never sold any of his paintings - he liked to give them as gifts. He made his living running the dance hall and had an antique shop in Liverpool that he worked during the day. One day, once he moved to London near the end of his life, he walked into GX Gallery and told the owner, "I'm going to make you famous" - GX was the ONLY gallery he let sell his work, allegedly because he liked what the gallery was doing (they mainly represent unknown artists and help them build their career). Great compliment to the gallery and so neat they are the only place to sell his work.
Interestingly, one night, Yankel kicked John Lennon out of the club (reasons unknown...) and in retaliation, Lennon slashed one of his paintings with his keys! Yankel kept it and now it lives at the gallery underneath a floor tile - this isn't a great picture because of the glare but how cool that they keep it there!
Yankel passed away three years ago but had an incredible amount of work left in his studio, so his partner picks out pieces each year to sell at the gallery in his annual show. I spoke to his partner at the exhibition - such a wonderful man! He told me all kinds of stories about Yankel and their time together - really special opportunity and I'm so glad I went.
I took the bus home (same bus I take whenever I go to and from work there) and my favorite part is crossing the Thames - it looked so pretty at night!
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