West End Exhibitions: Threadneedle | The Mall Galleries

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The Review - FEATURE
Published: 29 August 2008

The Clothes Show (Paul Brandford)

Threading the needle of figurative art

THREADNEEDLE
The Mall Galleries

CLOSE to 3,000 entered the prestigious Threadneedle competition which honours the best figurative work in the country.
Now the number has been whittled down to 71 – from fresh faced graduates to esteemed members of the Royal Academy.
They will descend on the Mall Galleries next Wednesday evening to learn where the public voted for the £25,000 prize to go.
The cavernous gallery is crammed to the rafters with the finest offerings from the once-maligned genre – from the insidious image of an almost faceless Robert Mugabe, dripping in medals and flanked by burly henchmen to the more palatable portrait of Emma, whose silent presence evokes a Vermeer-like quality.
Most arresting of the short-listed pieces is Tim Shaw’s Tank on Fire – a sculpture inspired by a harrowing photograph of a British soldier in Iraq leaping from his burning tank.
With an inherently expansive genre, and so much variety on offer, it is probably right that the judging has been delegated to the pubic, rather than the whims and fancies of a panel.
The director of the Mall Galleries, Lewis McNaught said the response had been overwhelming.
He said: “We have over 4,500 square feet of gallery space, but we could barely get into the building when the submissions came in.
“There were some robust discussions over individual pieces, but we’ve ended up with a very exciting shortlist which captures the essence of figurative art. We want as many people as possible to visit the exhibition and to vote for their choice of shortlisted artist to win the £25,000.”

• Threadneedle is at The Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 until September 3

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