Episode 11: France-Lise McGurn, Women Impressionists and the closure of Blain Southern

Finishing February on a high, we're back with another art-filled episode. Exhibition highlights include France-Lise McGurn at Simon Lee Gallery, '9th St. Club' at Gazelli Art House, and a sculptural double-billing at Lisson Gallery in the form of Richard Deacon and Tony Cragg. We were saddened to hear of the closure of commercial power-house Blain Southern. Known for representing the likes of Jake and Dinos Chapman, Mat Collishaw, and Sean Scully, the gallery announced its closure of all three spaces this month following the departure of co-founder Graham Southern in late 2019. We dissect what went wrong and what it means for the art world. And from the sad to the ridiculous, we couldn't pass by the story of the disgruntled art critic who accidentally destroyed an artwork she openly disliked at Zona Maco fair in Mexico. Finally, breaking from tradition our Artist Focus is actually a group: the Women Impressionists. We welcome the long-overdue attention given to the female artists who contributed to famous art movements, and this episode we celebrate two key Impressionists: Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. SHOW NOTES: France-Lise McGurn 'Percussia' at Simon Lee Gallery: https://www.simonleegallery.com/exhibitions/176/ France-Lise McGurn 'Sleepless' at Tate Britain: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/france-lise-mcgurn'9th St. Club' at Gazelli Art House: https://gazelliarthouse.com/exhibition/9th-st-club/ Richard Deacon 'Deep Space' at Lisson Gallery until 29 February 2020: https://www.lissongallery.com/exhibitions/richard-deacon-deep-stateTony Cragg 'Stacks' at Lisson Gallery until 29 February 2020: https://www.lissongallery.com/exhibitions/tony-cragg-stacksBlain Southern closes all three galleries: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/blain-southern-shuts-all-three-galleries $20,000 artwork destroyed by a critic in Mexico: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/feb/10/gabriel-rico-a-20000-artwork-has-been-destroyed-by-a-critic-thats-nothing7 Female Impressionists every Art History Lover should know: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-7-female-impressionists-art-history-lover The women impressionists forgotten by history: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180807-the-women-impressionists-forgotten-by-history