Clare Shenstone facts for kids
Clare Noel Shenstone (born October 27, 1948) is an English artist famous for her special art. She creates amazing sculptures of heads using cloth, and also draws fantastic pictures of people. You can find her portraits in important British art collections, like the National Portrait Gallery and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
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Clare Shenstone's Art Journey
Clare Shenstone started her art education in 1972 at the Central School of Art & Design. After that, she went to the Chelsea School of Art and earned a degree in painting in 1976. She then continued her studies at the Royal College of Art, also known as the RCA, and received her master's degree in 1979.
A very famous artist named Francis Bacon saw her artwork when she finished her studies at the RCA. He was so impressed that he wanted to buy one of her "cloth heads" called Janet. Bacon then asked Clare to create a cloth head portrait of himself. This led to them spending a lot of time together over four years. During this time, Bacon was usually quite private, but he became Clare's mentor and a great friend.
After Francis Bacon passed away in 1992, his friend John Edwards, who inherited Bacon's estate, also asked Clare to make a cloth head portrait of him. He wanted it to hang next to Bacon's portrait and Janet. The National Portrait Gallery in London even has some of Clare's sketches of Bacon.
In 1981, two theatre companies, the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York and the Oxford Playhouse Company, asked Clare to create sets of drawings for them. Clare also showed her work in several group exhibitions. These included the Whitechapel Open at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1983 and 1984. Because of her connection to Francis Bacon, Clare was part of an exhibition in 1992 called Artist of the Colony Room: a Tribute to Muriel Belcher. The same gallery later hosted an exhibition in 1998 called Portraits of Francis Bacon, which featured Clare's studies of Bacon.
Art Shows and Exhibitions
Clare Shenstone has had many solo exhibitions, where only her art is shown. She has also participated in group exhibitions with other artists.
Solo Exhibitions
- 2007 - The Speaker and I, Ben Brown Fine Arts, London.
- 2005 - The Leicester Gallery at the Business Centre, London.
- The New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester.
- Naughton Gallery at Queens University, Belfast.
- ‘Anima’ Koichi Yanagi, New York.
- 2004 - The Leicester Gallery Commonwealth Institute, London.
- The London Art Fair.
- 2002 - Personification, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich.
- Robert Sandelson Gallery, London.
- 1998 - Portraits of Francis Bacon, Michael Parkin Gallery.
Group Exhibitions
- 2007 - 100 Jahre Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany.
- 2005 - Star Portraits touring exhibition, County Hall, London.
- 2003 - Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries.
- 2003 - 25 Years, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich.
- 2001 - Hunting Art Prize, Royal College of Art, London.
- 1983/4/5 - Whitechapel Open Exhibition, Whitechapel Gallery, London.
Awards and Recognition
Clare Shenstone has received awards for her artistic talent:
- 2001 - The Public Choice Award, Hunting Art Prize
- 2000 - The Brian Sinfield Fine Arts Award
What People Say About Her Art
Many important people in the art world have praised Clare Shenstone's work.
Charles Saumarez Smith, who was the Director of the National Gallery, said that her exhibition "Personification" at the Sainsbury Centre was one of the most successful shows they ever had.
Art historian Norbert Lynton noted that Clare's art connects with people by showing both their physical presence and their deeper, spiritual side. He said her work makes you feel like you are meeting the person in the art halfway.
John Rosenfield, an Art Historian and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, described Clare's art as having a "distinctive, penetrating eye" for understanding the feelings and thoughts of the people she draws.
Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, who was the Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, mentioned that through Clare's art, Lisa Sainsbury felt a strong connection to Francis Bacon again.
Charles Saumarez Smith also pointed out that Clare's art is a unique kind of "inventive realism." He said she doesn't easily fit into any common art categories today, much like her mentor, Francis Bacon.
