As readers of my blog may remember, I have been intermittently trying to reconstruct the career of the artist, Philip Core, who was a close friend of ours and died of Aids in Westminster Hospital on 12 November 1989. In the last year, I have known that Bethany Bultman has been writing about his life from the perspective of New Orleans where he spent his childhood before being sent away to boarding school at Middlesex and then to Harvard. She has now published an article in the French Quarter Journal which immensely enriches my knowledge of his life, not least because she has had access to photographs owned by his sister, Marguerite. She has kindly allowed me to republish the article on my blog:-

Philip M. Core: Torchbearer for Artistic Freedom

It turns out that there is an immense archive of his work held by the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles and we are hoping this this might form the basis for an exhibition of Philip’s work either in this country or, perhaps, also in Los Angeles and New Orleans.

Head Ornament (1924):-

Clutch bag (1927):-

Tiger clip brooch, commissioned by the Duchess of Windsor (1968):-

It’s set-up day for Romilly’s and Lucille Lewin’s exhibition, Invisible Landscapes, which opens at #7, 78, Chiltern Street on Wednesday.

Their work looks so beautiful in the space – beautiful, bright sunlit space which is half-domestic, half like a gallery, a courtyard off Chiltern Street full of greenery:-