LONDON CALLING: What could be more London than ducking into a cozy pub, sitting in a park surrounded by pigeons, or simply joining the throngs on the crowded, lively streets?
Reinforcing the British essence of his JW Anderson brand, designer Jonathan Anderson is curating an exhibition celebrating the capital city at Offer Waterman, a blue-chip gallery specializing in modern and contemporary art.
Titled “On Foot,” the showcase will mingle the fashions Anderson does for his signature brand, and the Spanish luxury house Loewe, with installations celebrating various aspects of London, from the “salubrious streets of Mayfair” to the “provocatively storied alleys of Soho,” according to a statement provided exclusively to WWD.
A look from JW Anderson’s spring 2023 collection.
“The exhibition will unfold like a walk through London, embracing the stark contrasts and unlikely juxtapositions that even a short journey through the city offers up.,” it added.
As a curator, Anderson sought to bring contemporary artists into dialogue with iconic works of modern British art.
Galleries will display works by artists including Igshaan Adams, Frank Auerbach, Lynette Yiadom Boakye, Hans Coper, Shawanda Corbett, Sara Flynn, Lucian Freud, Anthea Hamilton, Barbara Hepworth, Akiko Hirai, David Hockney, Leon Kossoff, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Florian Krewer, Doron Langberg, Jennifer Lee, L. S. Lowry, Henry Moore, Cedric Morris, Dame Magdalene Odundo, Jem Perucchini, Walter Sickert and Christopher Wood.
L.S. Lowry’s “Whit Walk,” 1962
Courtesy of Offer Waterman
Hamilton, a frequent collaborator with Anderson, has teamed with the designer to create a limited-edition of his quirky pigeon-shaped resin clutch bag, which became a sensation after appearing on “And Just Like That.”
The lifelike accessories will be presented in the exhibition and the JW Anderson store in Soho.
The display will be open to the public from Sept. 18 to Oct. 28, with an invitation-only preview on Sept. 16, the same day as the JW Anderson women’s show for spring 2024 during London Fashion Week.