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Spectrum London was a London art gallery which showed contemporary figurative painting, photography and sculpture. It staged Go West, the first commercial West End show of the Stuckists, and a retrospective by Sebastian Horsley. It closed in 2008.
The gallery was at 77 Great Titchfield Street, London W1.
In June 2005, the Spectrum London had a show of photographs by Dennis Morris documenting the daily lives, ceremonies and rituals of the Mowanjum Australian Aborigine community.[1] The gallery was blessed by Aboriginal tribe leader, Francis Firebrace, wearing body paint and tribal dress.[1]
Spectrum London was the first West End commercial gallery to show the Stuckists, in the exhibition Go West in October 2006.[2][3][4] This exhibition elevated the hitherto artworld outsiders into "major players", and occasioned controversy because of a satirical painting of Sir Nicholas Serota and nude paintings of Stella Vine by her ex-husband Charles Thomson."[5][6][7] Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited.[8] Thomson's and Joe Machine's paintings sold, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.[9]
The gallery also exhibited work by Michael Dickinson,[10] who was released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting a collage of the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdoğan, as a dog.[11]
In March 2006, Venetian artist Ludovico de Luigi had his first solo show in the UK.[12]
In September 2007, it staged Hookers, Dealers, Tailors, a retrospective by Sebastian Horsley.[13] Horsley became known when he underwent a crucifixion in the Philippines; this show documented his diving in Australian shark-infested water and copiously ingesting deadly drugs.[14]
Other artists shown at the gallery include Lennie Lee,[15] Rita Duffy, Peter Murphy, Sir Peter Blake and Eduardo Paolozzi.[16]
The gallery shut in 2008.
