From Renoir to Moz, the Opera Gallery celebrated the opening of their latest exhibition, entitled Summer Art Show, and the launch of two new Opera Galleries in Monaco and Dubai with the Summer Art Party. This stunning shindig not only featured an eclectic mix of modern art, a plethora of serious collectors and a handful of journalists, but also a mini red carpet, bucket loads of champagne and stunning waiters.

It is impossible not to get into the holiday mood from the exciting work on offer. The sun, sea and sex theme will make you yearn for your passport. Moz's illustration of the sexiest scene in cinema history or Anton Molnar's surprisingly modern 1950s oil on canvas La Mer, might not truly be representative of your average week away in Blackpool, but this is what links the whole exhibition together - escapism. Even most of the nudes have tan lines - Tom Wesselmann's Claire sitting with robe half off shows a cartoon woman with her white bits proudly out as a mark of her sun worshipping, Christian Guy's Miss Labellevie in California shows the stereotypical American woman appearing from the pool with her bikini actually a pair of pinkened breasts.

The freedom summer brings is frequently highlighted. Igor Bitman's La baigneuse solitaire shows a solitary naked woman just strolling from the sea whilst Marc Chagall's Bacchanale paints a picture of the summer of love, in which intertwined figures indulge clothes-free leisure pursuits.

The exhibition will run the whole summer and showcases artists from all over the world including: Yue Minjun (Chinese), Igor Bitman (Russian), Christian Guy (French). Consisting of paintings, photographs and sculptures, it is an essential visit for anyone yearning for a spot of sunshine minus the UV rays.


Review by Shanna Schreuder

For more details see www.operagallery.com