MY CULTURAL LIFE
We ask an arbiter of style what they’re reading, visiting, listening to and more
Simon Wallis OBE is director of 2017’s Art Fund Museum of the Year, The Hepworth Wakefield ( 3). The gallery was named after 20th-century sculptor Barbara Hepworth. ‘Human Landscapes’, a retrospective of Polish artist Alina Szapocznikow opens there this month (@simon_wallis; hepworthwakefield.org). My all-time favourite record is New Order’s Temptation – the 12-inch version from 1982. It’s a perfect combination of post-punk and electronic dance music. As with most Factory Records releases, it came in a beautiful sleeve designed by Peter Saville without the band’s name on it: a beautiful object before it even goes on the turntable. At the moment, I’m listening to that perfect string quartet combination: Debussy and Ravel played by Quatuor Ébène. It’s truly intoxicating, filmic music to listen to for a lifetime – the sound of my middle age. The book that has influenced me the most is Wuthering Heights ( 5) by Emily Brontë. Such astounding psychological insights and spirit of place from someone so young – it’s one of the few novels I regularly re-read. I enjoy visiting Howarth, where the Brontës lived, not far from my house. At the moment, I’m reading Mindfulness: 25 Ways to Live in the Moment through Art ( 2) by Christophe André. It’s a really compelling book about the power of reflecting on great art and living in the present moment. My favourite film is Les Quatre Cents Coups ( 9), the debut film from 1959 by director François Truffaut. It’s one of the defining films of the French New Wave, about a tearaway adolescent in Paris, Antoine Doinel, who struggles with his parents and teachers due to his behaviour.
Podcast-wise, I’m listening to 7),
A Piece of Work ( hosted by comedian Abbi Jacobson as she discovers and thinks about works of art at MOMA in New York – she’s witty and engaging and gets me desperate to see all the art again for myself… So, job done! If I won the lottery, the work of art I’d buy would be Lady Agnew of Lochnaw ( 4) by John Singer Sargent (1892). I love the deft freshness of the paint handling and the subject’s totally relaxed pose, but mostly the mischievous, bored look on her face. The portrait is of one of the first people I ever fancied in art, and I always enjoy seeing it in Edinburgh [ at the National Gallery of Scotland].
My favourite place in the world
is Kyoto in Japan. I’m passionate about experiencing the Zen rock gardens ( 1), the temples and food. Japanese culture is fascinatingly rich and welcoming, and Kyoto is a great place for contemplation. If I had a free day in London, I’d spend it on a boat on the Thames ( 6) with food, friends and plenty of wine – it’s a great way to watch the city unfold around you while moving through its core. I enjoy seeing the changes at the fringes of the city as you travel, and the juxtaposition of old and new buildings. Next, I’m travelling to St Ives ( 8) in Cornwall, for the opening of the newly extended Tate St Ives. The Cornish landscape was a huge influence on Barbara Hepworth’s art, and I’m excited to see what the brilliant architect Jamie Fobert will have created at Tate. Modernist art, surfing and a fish supper are a perfect combination.