Back in the 1970s, many a young, enquiring mind powered through piles of the Fontana Modern Masters books, a collection of intellectual pocket guides on most of the big thinkers and writers worth thinking or writing about. Released in series, the books were known for the sharp typography and vivid graphic patterns on their covers. Each series had a pattern, and each book in the series used the pattern but in different eye-popping colours.
Jamie Shovlin’s new exhibition at the Haunch of Venison is at once an homage to these covers but also a strange and beguiling experiment in graphic and reputational codefication. Titled 'Various Arrangements', the 17 large-scale paintings in the exhibition are of Modern Masters editions that never were, titles slated for appearance that got lost along the way.
Creating a complex prestige point system for the titles that did appear – and turning that into a colour wheel that forms part of the exhibition – Shovlin predicted the patterns and colours for the covers of the unreleased books. In fact he predicted a number of colour/pattern combinations and he painted each of them on a single canvas, creating images with layers of multiple patterns and possibilities. It is art that wears its inspiration on its sleeve, as it were.
From left: 'Fuller by Allan Temko (Variation 3)', 2011-12 and 'Mann by Lionel Trilling (Variation 1A)', 2011-12, both by Jamie Shovlin
'Fontana Modern Masters', 2011-12, by Jamie Shovlin
Installation view of 'Various Arrangements' at the Haunch of Venison, London,
An homage to the cover designs of the Fontana Modern Masters series published in the 1970s, 'Various Arrangements' is a strange and beguiling experiment in graphic and reputational codefication.
By creating a complex system and setting this out into a colour wheel, Shovlin was able to produce paintings of book covers for titles in the series that were schedule for publication, but never appeared.
ADDRESS
Haunch of Venison
103 New Bond Street
London, W1S 1ST
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
Supergraphics pioneer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: ‘Sure, make things big – anything is possible'94-year-old graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon talks radical typography, motherhood, and her cool welcome for St Moritz
-
Montreux Jazz Festival posters: a visual historyAs artist Guillaume Grando (SupaKitch) unveils his poster for the 57th Montreux Jazz Festival (30 June - 15 July 2023), we reflect on the most memorable designs since 1967, including from David Bowie to Andy Warhol and Camille Walala
-
AA Bronson on the radical, enduring legacy of General IdeaGeneral Idea, an art group that pioneered a queer aesthetic, is celebrated in a retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada (opened during Pride Month and running until 20 November 2022). Surviving member AA Bronson speaks about their origins, and impact on art and social justice
-
A Practice for Everyday Life gives 59th Venice Biennale a richly surreal graphic identityLondon-based graphic design studio A Practice for Everyday Life (APFEL) gives an otherworldly identity to the surrealism-infused 59th Venice Biennale theme ‘The Milk of Dreams’
-
Inside Na Kim's vibrant playground for all agesSouth Korean graphic designer Na Kim's ‘Bottomless Bag’, installed at Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, is a vivid, geometrical exploration of memory and everyday objects. We offer a virtual tour and find out how the concept came to be
-
Philipp Doringer’s cartographic design: from Bob Dylan to Vienna’s Second DistrictOur Next Generation 2022 showcase shines a light on 22 outstanding graduates from around the globe, in seven creative fields. Here, we present Austrian Philipp Doringer, a graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven
-
Chiachi Chao’s typography blends Western and Eastern writing stylesOur Next Generation 2022 showcase shines a light on 22 outstanding graduates from around the globe, in seven creative fields. We profile Taiwanese type and graphic designer Chiachi Chao, a graduate of ECAL, Lausanne
-
Tom Hingston on designing for Serpentine Galleries, the V&A, and Wallpaper*
London-based art director and graphic designer Tom Hingston discusses his visual identities for Serpentine Galleries
