This inaugural exhibition at 42 Carlton Place (Carol Rhodes & Merlin James) mixes contemporary paintings with ones from different periods, ranging back through the twentieth century. Juxtaposing artists of different degrees of fame and recognition, and including some anonymous works, the exhibition features a single painting by each artist and builds to a kind of anti-manifesto; an exploratory and partial working definition of painting as an art form.

In part it reflects on how contemporary art becomes the art of the past, while past art remains present, though changed. A notion of genre is also central, many of the works playing with recognised painting categories and conventions, asking to what extent all art – even all human activity and experience – is genre-defined and ‘framed’.

Artists include:

James Castle (1899-1977)

Serge Charchoune (1888-1975)
André Derain (1880-1954)
Rodney Harder
James Hyde

Louise Hopkins 

Clive Hodgson

Paul Housley

James Dickson Innes (1887-1914)
Alex Katz 

Stephen McKenna

James Pryde (1866-1941)
Julie Roberts
Walter Sickert (1860-1942
)
David Schutter 

Tony Swain

Joel Tomlin 

Richard Walker

Alfred Wallis (1855-1942)

42 Carlton Place is a new exhibition space run by Carol Rhodes and Merlin James.