Once again, Phillips and Invisible Collection collaborate to spark a dialogue between art and collectible design. The auction house presents a remarkable selection of artworks from the St Ives School, accompanied by furniture pieces specially handpicked for this installation.
Inspired by the singular light, rugged landscape and maritime rhythms of the Cornish coast, the artists of the St Ives School forged one of the most distinctive chapters in British modernism. Bringing together works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood, Naum Gabo, Patrick Heron and Bernard Leach, the exhibition reveals a rich dialogue between landscape and abstraction, nature and form. Across painting, sculpture and ceramics, their work captures the experimental spirit of a creative community whose influence continues to resonate today.
The special curation of designs from Invisible Collection feels naturally at home in Phillips’s fantastic building on London’s Berkeley Square. Like an imaginary collector’s home, each space is imbued with the confident aura of assured taste — one that needs no explanation. Subtle connections between artworks and furniture emerge: some undulations here, some textures there, a strong colour palette that seems to migrate from canvas to fabric… Highlights include furniture pieces, lighting fixtures and rugs by Jacques Doucet, Leo Sentou and Hamrei. Their works embody the new French aesthetic championed by Invisible Collection.
Here, the spirit of St Ives resonates with our vision of contemporary design: a dialogue between art, material and craftsmanship. It is an illuminating example of how modernity is not simply about the new, but about creating forms with beauty, character, and enduring relevance.
