This summer, the Royal Academy of Arts published a new book entitled: Anne Desmet – A Greek Journey. A follow-up to her bestselling An Italian Journey sketchbook of 2016, this latest book meticulously reproduces nearly 100 pages from five of Desmet’s sketchbooks, spanning 34 years, which she has used since her first travels to the Greek islands in 1984. Soaked in Mediterranean sunshine, Desmet’s drawings show the daily life of the Greek islands with their bobbing fishing boats, shady streets, gleaming whitewashed walls and bright blue seas.
Desmet’s latest exhibition at Long and Ryle will launch a beautiful limited-edition version of the Greek sketchbook. The exhibition will also feature a related collection of Desmet’s latest mixed media collages – all created this year – which capture the light, life and the classical antiquity of Greece. From tiny engraved colonnades collaged onto miniature ceramic bowls and razor shells, to whitewashed buildings rendered in watercolour on paper and collaged on roofing slate shards, to the legend of Midas created in redundant Greek banknotes collaged on a gold-foil-covered glass dish, these new works are miniature marvels, rich in observation, imagination and humour. Highly collectable and distinctive, each unique piece brings the light and energy of summer to our dark winter days.