Collecting something is, for many, one of the first and most enduring hobbies. Many people have collections of some sort, whether it’s patches, pin badges, coins or figurines (or in my case, all four!), but collecting art is a unique form of collection, often reserved to those with the most wealth to their name. But it doesn’t have to be, as the story of a father and son steelworker team demonstrates.
A Passion for Prints is a collection centred on a group of prints assembled by a father and son across many years. Featuring a range of designs from world-renowned, as well as lesser known artists, the collection continues to grow, with the son of the duo still passionate about the printing medium and continuing to collect, even with a large portion on display until the end of the year.
I think the unique aspect of this exhibition is the element which I find the hardest to enjoy. Whilst the story of the collection is lovely and is a testament to the passion and dedication of collectors of all things everywhere, the fact that this is the main unifying factor leaves this gallery to feel all over the place. The only things typing the selected pieces together are that they are all image prints, and all collected by this father and son pair. Unlike other collections with a unique theme, time period, location, artistic style or artist, there being no theme or reason for the array of items we’re presented with makes this feel like an accumulation rather than a distinct collection.
That’s not to say that there aren’t lovely pieces in this collection. ‘Les Bateaux à Flessingue (Boats at Flushing)’ is a charming piece, using pastel colours to give us a unique take of the harbour scene, which definitely works well. But this felt like a very unique piece, as it was one of the few that stood out and felt particularly memorable. None of the pieces were badly done by any means, but there was very little which surprised me or felt like it stood out, besides this one.
There’s a lovely story behind this exhibition, and to know that these pieces result from years of accumulation across generations is special, Sadly, the range of items in A Passion for Prints is too wide to make this feel like a cohesive exhibition, and left me wanting something more unifying and special at the end of the exhibition.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
A Passion for Prints is on display in Graves Gallery until December 21st
