Why I Like It Omnibus
Three years ago I challenged myself to explain why I like the art that I like. It was partly a response to some close friends wondering why I bought and hung certain things on my walls, and partly an excuse to cast aside objectivity and draft some highly personal art reviews.
The rules I set for myself were simple:
I have to like it. And I mean really, really like it.
I have to have seen it in person.
The series will continue, but for now here is a list of all 36 works that I’ve already written about, sorted by artist surname. Even if you don’t enjoy these as much as I do, at least now you’ll understand why I like them.
Fire! Fire! (1963-4), Enrico Baj
Fourth Plinth (1841), Sir Charles Barry
The Identi-Kit Man (1962), Derek Boshier
Maman (1991), Louise Bourgeois
Black Square (2003), Gillian Carnegie
Soundsuit (2010), Nick Cave
V&A Rotunda Chandelier (2001), Dale Chihuly
The London Mastaba (2016-2018), Christo
Grapnel (2023), William Cobbing
The Rose (1958-66), Jay DeFeo
ultraviolence (2021), Kate Dunn
I Want My Time With You (2017), Tracey Emin
Unearthed (2019), Adam Halls
Winged Figure (1961-62), Barbara Hepworth
The Shadow (2024), Albano Hernández
Stacked Sill (2022), Harriet Mena Hill
Acre of Green (2007), Nathan Slate Joseph
H2O (2005), Vassilis Karakatsanis
Penguin Pool (1934), Berthold Lubetkin
Babel (2001), Cildo Meireles
Composition C (No.III) with Red, Yellow and Blue (1935), Piet Mondrian
Family of Robot (1986), Nam June Paik
Self (2001), Marc Quinn
Brass Snooker Chalk (2023), George Richardson
Anhelos (2016), Andrea Ringeling
Miami Mountain (2016), Ugo Rondinone
Human Frailty (c1656), Salvator Rosa
Rhino Costume (1989), Gerald Scarfe
Lay Down Dream (2007), Jessica Anne Schwartz
Seurat & Pointillism, Georges Seurat
The Cornershop (2014), Lucy Sparrow
David (2004), Sam Taylor-Johnson
Mattresses (2013-2014), Kaari Upson
Cow Parade (1998-present), various artists
Red Radish / Scalion (2012), Jen Violette
King Charles III (2024), Jonathan Yeo