Conversation with Aurelie Maw
Gallery Manager, Thomas Gibson Fine Art
What are you excited about right now?
William Kentridge! I recently saw his play ‘The Head & the Load’ at the Tate Modern. It was one of the most powerful things I’ve seen: a mix of art, opera and dance to remember the contribution of African people during WWI. I keep on thinking about it since, there is no way to describe it or put it in one particular box: it’s exactly what art should be.
Tell us about a woman, well-known or not, whom you admire and why.
I would say Simone Veil. She was omnipresent in the French media, but it is only recently that I read her autobiography and understood why she has such a cult following! She managed to survive concentration camps; was one of the most influential politicians in France and all this while having three children – she is the epitome of the modern woman and I don’t know how she managed to pack so much in one life!
Which female artist, living or dead, would you invite to a fantasy dinner party and why?
My dinner would take place in early 1930s Paris and I would invite Barbara Hepworth along with other artists like Brancusi and Duchamp. I would ask her about her life, her travels in Italy, the things that excite her most. I’m not sure she would enjoy my questioning, but I would have the time of my life!