Piccadilly Circus

1980-1984

René Daniëls

oil on canvas

(1x) 50,3 x 50,3 x 2,2 cm, (1x) 40,3 x 40,3 x 2,2 cm

Currently not on display

Acquired in 1980

Inventory number 1403

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Description

The title of this work refers to the eponymous square in London that is one of the British capital’s best known highlights. As well as being a busy crossroads, it has a major underground station. Its large illuminated advertising screens grab the attention of visitors and passers-by. These paintings by René Daniëls show a completely different Piccadilly Circus. Their composition is based on the curve of Regent Street as viewed from the square. A kind of inverted wave forms the sky that can be seen between the dark silhouettes of the buildings. The painting on the left depicts the sky in dark blue, as it is at night. In the painting on the right, the sky is light with a few blue dots, as if it were a negative image of a starry sky. Rather than focusing his attention on the colourful crowds of the square, Daniëls casts his gaze away from it and upwards.

[2020]

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Context

More artworks by René Daniëls