Spending time in the studio of a favourite artist can be something of a pilgrimage, a chance to celebrate their genius and get closer to the source of their creativity. Doing so can help to further bring to life the paintings that were created there too, as you get to experience the same views or be close to original objects that appeared in them. A visit can prove inspiring for your own practice too, as it humanises these legendary figures.
To make it easier to discover these spaces, the Watts Gallery Trust launched the Artist’s Studio Museum Network (ASMN) in 2016. Recognising that there are hundreds of museums established in the former homes or studios of visual artists, the Trust wanted to bring these uniquely charismatic spaces to a wider public. Single-artist museums, house museums and studio museums can be found across Europe, often sited in remote locations where artists sought seclusion in which to work. The ASMN website, www.artiststudiomuseum.org, allows you to search for a destination by location, artist or medium. The launch coincided with the opening of Watts Studios at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, the former Surrey home of Victorian artist George Frederic Watts, one of more than 150 spaces listed on the site.
Below is a dozen of the most prominent, fascinating and comprehensive artist’s studios to visit around the world, with an introduction to what you will find in each.
1 GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE
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Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration
