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Chenil Gallery

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The Chenil Gallery (often referred to as the Chenil Galleries, or New Chenil Galleries) was a British art gallery and sometime-music studio in Chelsea, London between 1905 and 1927, and later the location of various businesses referencing this early use.

History

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Located at 181–183 King's Road, the gallery was founded in 1905 by Jack Knewstub,[1][2] who had previously been an administrator of the Chelsea School of Art.[3] The gallery, with two exhibition rooms, shared its building with Charles Chenil & Co Ltd., a seller of art supplies and picture frames.[2] In 1927, Knewstub declared bankruptcy and closed the gallery;[4][5] the Chenil name continued to be used in association with various exhibitions until the 1950s.[5]

During its lifetime, the gallery was one of group of galleries "favoured by the Camden Town Group artists",[3] and was recognized for its exhibitions of British contemporary artists, including Augustus John, William Orpen, David Bomberg, Derwent Lees and Eric Gill.[4] Augustus John, who had a studio in the Chenil's garden, exhibited his work continuously at the gallery.[5][6] However, the studio which began as a countercultural "bohemian" enterprise was unable to compete with studios attracting younger artists, and failed in efforts to reinvent itself along more commercial lines.[1] The ultimate failure of the enterprise bankrupted Knewstub, who some years later was seen by a former gallery patron peddling vegetables from a cart.[1]

The record company Decca made its earliest recordings at the Chenil Gallery, and discographer Brian Rust noted that "the records made there invariably had a constricted sound that reminded listeners of the old acoustic method of recording".[7]

As of the mid-2000s, the building still stood and the gallery location had become "more of a shopping arcade" still operating under the Chenil Galleries name, with author Suzy Gershman describing it as being "known as a good place for antique medical instruments, as well as 17th- and 18th-century paintings and smaller items", as well as costume jewelry.[8]

Selected exhibitions

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In 1911, James Dickson Innes had a two-man exhibition with Eric Gill at the Chenil Gallery, London: "Sculptures by Mr Eric Gill and Landscapes by Mr J. D. Innes".[4] Innes had a second exhibition at the Chenil in 1913, shortly before his unexpected death.[9]

In 1914, the gallery exhibited David Bomberg's The Mud Bath as part of a solo exhibition of his work. A 1964 Tate Gallery report noted that the painting was "hung outside the Gallery premises that it may have every advantage of lighting and space".[10][11][12]

Henry Tonks persuaded his former pupil, Edna Clarke Hall, to hold a one-woman show at the gallery in 1914. This show was a critical success, with one review describing her as a 'sensitive and expressive draughtswoman who reaches a masterly plane' and admiring her 'individual and instinctive' use of colour.[13] Again in 1914, Augustus John facilitated sculptor Frank Dobson being able to stage a one-man show at the gallery.[14]

In 1922 Leon Underwood had his first solo exhibition at the gallery.[15] William Roberts, who had been an official war artist, had his first one-man show at the Chenil Gallery in 1923.[16]

Augustus John's sister, Gwen John, had the only solo exhibition in her lifetime at the gallery in 1926.[17] Alexander Stuart-Hill displayed at the gallery in 1927.[18]

Studio recordings

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In 1926, John Barbirolli was invited to conduct a new ensemble at the gallery,[19] initially called the "Chenil Chamber Orchestra" but later renamed "John Barbirolli's Chamber Orchestra".[20] Barbirolli's concerts at the gallery impressed Frederic Austin, director of the British National Opera Company (BNOC), who in the same year invited him to conduct some performances with the company.[21]

In 1930, jazz musician Spike Hughes first formed his own group and used the gallery as a recording venue for its music, in April of that year persuading the American musician Jimmy Dorsey to visit Chelsea for some sessions whilst he was in the UK.[22] Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded there in July 1933, including the track Hyde Park.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Anne Helmreich and Ysanne Holt, "Marketing Bohemia: The Chenil Gallery in Chelsea, 1905-1926", Oxford Art Journal (2010), Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 43-61.
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  7. ^ Brian Rust, Brian Rust's Guide to Discography (1980), p. 67.
  8. ^ Suzy Gershman, Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop London: The Ultimate Guide for People Who Love to Shop (2008), p. 255.
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  13. ^ J. H. Collins Baker for The Saturday Review, 14 April 1914. Quoted by Alison Thomas, 'Hall, Edna Clarke, Lady Clarke Hall (1879–1979)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 3 Feb 2012.
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  17. ^ Sanford Schwartz, "To Be a Pilgrim", The New York Review of Books (November 29, 2001), p. 36.
  18. ^ The Times, 25 January 1927, p. 10.
  19. ^ "Our London Correspondence", The Manchester Guardian, 25 May 1926, p. 6.
  20. ^ "Wireless Notes and Programmes", The Manchester Guardian, 7 June 1928, p. 12.
  21. ^ Blyth, Alan. "Sir John Barbirolli talks to Alan Blyth", The Gramophone, December 1969, p. 34.
  22. ^ Godbolt, Jim. A History of Jazz in Britain (1919-1950), (1984).
  23. ^ Odeon 284058, Discogs
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