LOEWE Celebrates Magdalene Odundo’s Exhibition
In celebration of LOEWE FOUNDATION’s sponsorship of Dame Magdalene Odundo’s exhibition at Houghton Hall, LOEWE creative director Jonathan Anderson hosted an exclusive weekend retreat at the Norfolk estate.
Amidst sprawling parkland scattered with white fallow deer, guests were treated to afternoon tea in the award-winning walled garden and exploration of the grounds followed by a private tour of the celebrated ceramic artist´s exhibition, culminating with an intimate dinner in the Picture Gallery. Late-night cocktails were offered on the lawn, making the most of the lasting June twilight. Guests included, among others, Dan Levy, Archie Madekwe, Kit Connor, Josh O’Connor, Russell Tovey, Jeff Goldblum, Anson Boon, Guy Remmers, Magdalene Odundo, Ruth Wilson, Kristine Froseth, Naomi Ackie, Lesley Manville and Rachel Jones all dressed
in LOEWE.
Notes on the artist and exhibition
The exhibition showcases new and existing pieces spanning Magdalene Odundo’s 40-year career. Known for her unique sculptural vessels that draw influence from historical and contemporary making practices from different cultures, Odundo uses traditional techniques to explore diasporic identity and the charged role that objects play in intercultural relationships. Playfully responding to the traditional functionality of Houghton’s State Rooms, the exhibition inhabits the interiors through a series of thoughtful interventions that both highlight and disrupt the functional and decorative design schemes of Houghton’s historic rooms. Highlights include Odundo’s spectacular
glass work Metamorphosis and Transformation (2011) and a major new commission made while on residency at Wedgwood, Stoke-on-Trent: a towering Jasperware centerpiece, its surfaces adorned with illustrations that probe the legacies of slavery and urgency of contemporary protest.
About Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall was built by Sir Robert Walpole, Great Britain’s first Prime Minister, in around 1722. Designed by prominent Georgian architects Colen Campbell and James Gibbs, it is one of the country’s finest examples of Palladian architecture. Houghton and its estate passed to the Cholmondeley family at the end of the 18th Century and remains a family home. The house and award-winning gardens have been open to the public since 1976. The Houghton Arts Foundation continues to build a collection of contemporary art at Houghton including a number of site-specific commissions. With links to colleges and public institutions across the region, the Foundation’s aim is for Houghton to become a focus for those who wish to see the great art of our time in a historic setting. The 2024 exhibitions by Magdalene Odundo and Antony Gormley follow those by James Turrell (2015), Richard Long (2017), Damien Hirst (2018), Henry Moore (2019), Anish Kapoor (2020), Tony Cragg (2021), Chris Levine (2021) and Sean Scully (2023).
ABOUT THE LOEWE FOUNDATION
The LOEWE FOUNDATION was established as a private cultural foundation in 1988 by Enrique Loewe, a fourth-generation member of LOEWE’s founding family. Today, the Foundation continues to promote creativity, organize educational programs, and protect cultural heritage in the fields of craft, art, design, photography, poetry, and dance. The Foundation was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish government in 2002.
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