Julius Baer Guernsey generously sponsor the Strong Room in the Art for Guernsey Gallery.
The Art for Guernsey team would like to express their thanks to Julius Baer Guernsey for their generous support of the Strong Room. Julius Baer Guernsey understood the vision for the creation of a Strong Room, which innovatively epitomises our desire to create inclusive opportunities for the good of the island. Having a ‘micro-museum’ within the gallery enables us to capitalise on the unique goodwill of local art collectors who have the desire to share world-class art with the community. The Strong Room is an asset for us in our engagement with schools, in the context of ‘Art in School’ and our ‘Cultural Enrichment Programme’. It also helps us to appeal to contemporary artists of the highest calibre, as it provides them with the opportunity to showcase their work alongside famous masterpieces.
Alexandra McInnes, Head of Julius Baer Guernsey said:
“We’re thrilled to support Art for Guernsey with the Julius Baer Strong Room. Our partnership reflects our shared commitment to nurturing cultural engagement and educational initiatives within the community. The Julius Baer Strong Room serves as a cornerstone for Art for Guernsey’s outreach efforts. It enriches the gallery experience and also encourages more artistic expression in Guernsey. We’re proud to play a role in this collaborative venture and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on generations to come.”
Keep Reading to Discover the Hidden Gems That Have Graced The Strong Room - A Glimpse into Art, History, and Legacy
PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR
May 2024
ROSES
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, circa 1896/97
29 x 25cm
Oil on canvas
As he explained to his friend Georges Rivière, floral still-lifes such as the present composition provided Renoir with a certain respite from the demands of his large-scale portraits and figure paintings: “Painting flowers rests my brain. I do not bring the same tension to them as I do when I am face to face with a model. When I paint flowers, I place colours and experiment with values boldly, without worrying about wasting a canvas. I wouldn’t dare to do this with a figure, for fear of spoiling the whole thing.” The still-lifes he created were, for the most part, simply staged, typically concentrating on a vase and flowers atop an empty table. Focusing the eye on the arrangement alone, Renoir imbued these humble, everyday objects with a sense of grandeur and monumentality, allowing them to fill the entire canvas, with some flowers even disappearing beyond the edges of the painting.
CONVERSATIONS WITH HIRST
December 2024
Damien Hirst, born in Bristol in 1965, is a renowned British contemporary artist. Hirst’s remarkable body of work spans multiple genres, media and materials, solidifying his position as one of the leading figures in the art world. He first came into the public eye when he co-curated the controversial Freeze exhibition in 1988, and swiftly rose to prominence as one of the influential Young British Artists (YBAs). Renowned for his thought-provoking approach, Hirst incorporates found materials and aims to evoke shock, exploring profound themes of life, death, and the very essence of art itself.
“Conversations with Hirst” was divided into three chapters, each displayed for 10-14 days throughout December and January. The following works were on show:
The Currency, Damien Hirst, 2022, Archival giclée print on paper
7748, The Dream, Damien Hirst, 2016, Archival giclée print on paper
These striking prints provide an extraordinary new perspective on The Currency using extremely high-resolution images to focus in on singular details of the painted works. The details have been selected from 1,000 of The Currency artworks. Each print is unique, hand-numbered, and hand-signed by Damien Hirst.
The Currency is a collection of NFTs which correspond with original artworks. Collectors were given the choice to either keep the NFT or exchange it for the physical artwork. Collectors who chose to claim a physical artwork had to burn their NFT to do so. Similarly, those who chose to keep their NFT did so knowing that the physical artwork would then be destroyed. The exchange period closed on 27 July 2022, resulting in just over half the collectors deciding to keep the physical artwork, and the rest to keep the NFT. We are pleased that the collector in this instance chose to keep the physical artworks, so that we could enjoy them in the gallery.
‘Taytu Betul’, from The Empresses, H10-5, Damien Hirst, 2022, Laminated giclée print on aluminium composite, screen printed with glitter
‘The Empresses’ marks a new iteration in Damien Hirst’s exploration of the butterfly as a symbol for freedom, religion, life and death. The carefully positioned wings appear mobile and their patterns transform, each print seeming to capture the butterflies in moments of variously directional flight.
A composition that is infused with an exhilarating sense of speed and movement, “Taytu Betul” is named after the fierce empress of Ethiopia. Upon her marriage to Emperor Menelik, in 1889 Taytu Betul (c. 1851-1918) became empress of Ethiopia. She was anything but a passive ruler, unequivocally resistant to imperialism and staunchly opposed to any negotiations that would result in a loss of Ethiopian territory. During her reign, Taytu Betul also founded Addis Ababa, which remains Ethiopia’s capital city today.
Loyalty, H9-7, Damien Hirst, 2021, Laminated giclée print on aluminium composite panel
According to Nitobe Inazō, Loyalty, one of the Eight Virtues of Bushidō, the Samurai code of ethics, was the most distinctive virtue, conceiving that the state exists before the individual. It is after this virtue that Damien Hirst named his fourth work from his 2021 series ‘The Virtue’.
At the heart of this artwork lies a dense thicket of cherry blossoms, rendered in exquisite detail. The branches, dark against the ethereal backdrop, weave through shades of dusky pinks, creamy whites and subtle greens – each hue chosen to celebrate the natural spectacle’s fleeting splendour. Against a sky painted in softest azure blue, this piece evokes a sense of calm introspection.
Forever, H8-3, Damien Hirst, 2020, Laminated giclée print on aluminium composite panel
Depicting blossom trees in full bloom, the series is inspired by the work of Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and the Pointillist innovations of Georges Seurat. On the edge of abstraction and figuration, the ‘Cherry Blossoms’ see Hirst combine elements of gestural painting in his thick brushstrokes with more traditional techniques.
Spots, reminiscent of Hirst’s iconic motif, diverge from the artist’s once symmetrical and evenly coloured forms. Viewers can inspect up close Hirst’s painterly techniques and immerse themselves in his wondrous world of viscous colour.
THE WONDER OF WARHOL
June 2025
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was an American artist and filmmaker, an initiator and leading figure in the Pop Art movement. Famous for his colourful, mass-produced images of celebrities and everyday products, he challenged traditional art by blending commercial and fine art. Warhol’s studio, The Factory, was a hub for artists and celebrities.
Art for Guernsey and Julius Baer were delighted to present a selection of artworks by Andy Warhol and artists whom he inspired, or with whom he worked directly in his studio The Factory. “The Wonder of Warhol” saw a rotation of pieces in the Julius Baer Strong Room, including works by Deborah Kass and Steve Kaufman, as well as works created by Warhol himself. The Art for Guernsey team arranged informal talks with local artists and experts on Warhol, as part of their “Conversations with..” series.
VOTE McGOVERN, 1972, Andy Warhol, 1972, Coloured lithograph, limited edition print of 250
Andy Warhol created this piece in support of Democrat George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. Rather than portray McGovern in his piece, Warhol depicted his opponent, Republican Richard Nixon, then President of the United States. It was Warhol’s first political poster and has been described as his “most overtly political work”. His demonic portrait of Nixon leaves no doubt as to the artist’s political position, even without the graffiti scrawl on the bottom stating “Vote McGovern.”
VOTE HILLARY, Deborah Kass, 2016, Silkscreen on paper, limited edition print of 250
New York artist Deborah Kass walks the line between respectful homage and tongue-in-cheek appropriation by mimicking and reworking the signature styles of iconic 20th-century male artists including Frank Stella, Jackson Pollock, Ed Ruscha and, of course, Andy Warhol. In the process, she comments on the patriarchal narratives and subject matter that have dominated art history. Kass’s work can be found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Kass declared her support for Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton by mimicking Andy Warhol’s iconic Vote McGovern, 1972. The parallel between Kass’s picture and Warhol’s makes immediate sense, because in many obvious ways Trump is Nixon-like, from corruption to impeachment.
MOTHER AND CHILD, Andy Warhol, 1986, Screenprint
Mother and Child depicts a Native American mother with her child asleep against her back. The artwork is part of Andy Warhol’s 10-piece Cowboys and Indians Complete Portfolio, representing figures and objects related to the Wild West. The series explores a romanticised “Old American West” through fragmented depictions of Native Americans, cowboys and heroes of the American Frontier. As a child Warhol loved Westerns, and would eventually direct two films himself.
JIMI HENDRIX, Steve Kaufman, 2007, Hand-painted original painting on canvas
Steve Kaufman met Andy Warhol at Studio 54 in New York. The two soon developed a friendship and working relationship, with Kaufman serving as Warhol’s assistant at his studio, The Factory, until 1989, when Kaufman opened his own studio.
Kaufman was heavily influenced by Warhol’s style. The two artists used many of the same mediums, including sculpture, photography, stained glass, mixed media and filmmaking. Whilst Pop Art has been criticised for lacking emotion, Kaufman’s art was instrumental in changing the face of Pop Art to a more human one with added social relevance.