Records of another time

Margaret Howell’s Wigmore Street boutique is far more than an outlet for classic and wearable styling. It’s also a venue for design in a broader sense, with the emphasis firmly on post-war modern. On the counter is an array of books for sale on the subject. Venture further in, and the clothes are interspersed with classic furniture design by the likes of Ercol and Isokon as well as cutlery, lights and bowls. And until May 10, there’s also the chance to see a small but highly enjoyable display of paintings by Peter Yates, best known as the founder of influential North East architects Ryder and Yates.

Words Pamela Buxton

Yates’s practice, established with Gordon Ryder in 1953, is credited with bringing modern design to the North East.  He also painted all his life, and this small show, organised with the Twentieth Century Society, is about his often vibrantly-coloured paintings of landscape from the 40s and 50s, rather than his buildings. Margaret Howell was drawn to them because of ‘their graphic strength, eye for detail, and sheer fondness for what he finds in the British landscape’.

This is certainly apparent. The colour is particularly striking – his painting of Grange, Barrowdale has a landscape of piercing green, also shared in the Farm, Lake District painting, where the delicacy of the foliage stands out against the vibrant landscape. There is a graphic, sometimes abstract quality to some of the works, shown clearly in his depiction of Boscastle in Cornwall. Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, in reality a picturesque scene full of colour, is rendered severely in tones of black and grey, dwelling on the timber-framed structure. Conversely the pit at Peterlee, far from showing a grey, dreary scene, is full of vibrant colours.

Yates seems more interested in the landscape than people, who are seldom the focus of his scenes. But he does have an eye for signs of human habitation – as in the ‘If you have no business here KEEP OUT’ painting, which takes its name from the slogan painted on a garage in the scene.

These enjoyable paintings are also records of another, slower time. They have found a happy home at Margaret Howell’s boutique, where modern design of all varieties is celebrated.
Peter Yates British Landscapes 1945-1980, until May 10 Margaret Howell, 34 Wigmore Street, London

Pics: copyright Yates Family