What to see this week
Max Gill: Wonderground Man is at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, East Sussex, until April 28 (01273 844744; www.ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk) Long after the death of Macdonald (Max) Gill (1884–1947)—the once well-known illustrator, letterer, pictorial map-maker, architect, decorative artist and younger brother of Eric Gill—a major collection of his works was found in his Sussex cottage by Andrew Johnston, his wife’s nephew and grandson of London Underground designer Edward Johnston.
Among them were posters, such as Theatreland (1915) and the Peter Pan Map of Kensington Gardens (1923), artwork for his Cable & Wireless Great Circle Map (1945) and designs for book covers, illustrations and logos.
With its distinctive Art Deco flourishes, Gill’s often humorous work charted the rise of new technologies, yet drew on mythical images. Frank Pick commissioned him to create promotional work, such as his 1914 Wonderground (above), seen in every London Underground station, and the lettering he designed for the Cenotaph has been used on every military headstone since. Eric Gill: Graphic is at Eames Fine Art, 58, Bermondsey Street, London SE1, until February 10 (020–7407 1025; www.eamesfineart.com) Some 70 wood engravings by the printmaker, typographer and sculptor Eric Gill study conflicting urges in human nature: religious and rebellious, human and animal, serene and violent, chaste and sexual. From £150.
A Good Night: Nocturnes for Night Owls
is at Falmouth Art Gallery, Cornwall, until March 30 (01326 313863; www.falmouthartgallery.com/gallery) Cornish landscapes, townscapes and seascapes made between sunset and sunrise by historic and modern artists.
The Anatomy Professor: Doctors, Death and Dining at the RA is at the Royal Academy of Arts, London W1, January 18–March 17 (020–7300 8090; www.royalacademy.org.uk) This interesting display focuses on a little-known aspect of the RA’S history. Since appointing its first Professor of Anatomy—physician William Hunter— in 1768, the RA Schools has continued the tradition of anatomical teaching by Professors of Anatomy and building up its collection of anatomical artworks. Among the more colourful professors have been an early hot-air balloonist and one who gave lectures in full Court dress and passed a human brain around the audience on a plate.