MICHAL KORMAN: THE RENDEZVOUS FOR AN INNOCENT WALK
In the culminating exhibition of a year-long collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai based Pearl Lam Galleries and Mayfair restaurant sketch, three brand-new paintings by Paris-based Slovakian artist Michal Korman are showcased throughoutthe entrance hall of sketch.
January 9 - March 9, 2025
The exhibition presents a series of interconnected scenes exploring French gardens and interiors associated with the legacy of Marie Antoinette, framed as though viewed from behind a French window. These works weave together themes of love, memory, and tranquility, each tied to an eighteenth-century French garden. The interplay between interior and exterior scenes creates a dialogue, with each composition acting as a window—either opening to an outdoor landscape or an interior—directly engaging with the environment of the Grade II listed building.
Upon entry, visitors will be greeted by La Bourrasque (The Squall), which depicts a portion of the Belvedere in Le Petit Trianon, Versailles—Marie Antoinette’s favoured retreat. Designed by Richard Mique and located in the English-style garden, the Belvedere pavilion serves as a focal point. The scene captures three figures: a couple of lovers and a solitary figure walking against the wind. A dachshund waits patiently on the terrace of the Belvedere pavilion, while two birds are caught mid-flight in the gusts of wind.
Korman’s second artwork, titled Home, takes the form of a single-panel interior view featuring a large bookshelf and Louis XVI-style furniture. Within the painting, the books on the shelves reference art, artists, travel and Marie Antoinette herself, evoking themes of both intellectual and domestic life. This painting suggests a lived-in space, a house perhaps belonging to a couple, complete with a memory picture on the shelf.
The series ultimately revolves around the figure of lovers—from the couple battling the wind in La Bourrasque to the domestic intimacy of Home, and the quiet harmony of L’Accalmie.