The latest show to be held at the barn is Modern Muralists, which, like previous exhibitions, celebrates the patterns of nature. It’s a tribute to the art of mural making, which dates back as far as the Stone Age and reached an apotheosis in Tudor England, when the walls of properties like Thyme were adorned with intricate paintings.
Most of those murals have now faded from view, but the art form experienced a renaissance with the Bloomsbury Group, whose artists painted every available surface at Charleston, their farmhouse in East Sussex. Charleston’s head of exhibitions Emily Hill has curated Modern Muralists, inviting three British artists – Tess Newall, Melissa White and Lucinda Oakes – to create site-specific works for Thyme’s barn gallery. This is their first exhibition together and their work reveals why, a century after Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant’s murals transformed Charleston, wall paintings retain their power to enchant. ‘Murals are world-building – they layer histories and little winks into rooms,’ says Emily. ‘Who doesn’t want to live inside an artwork?’
Tess’s work is known for its strong sense of place. Based in Sussex, she digs deep into the story of each building she works with. Her mural here, on large boards, is inspired by the native wildflowers on the Thyme estate and incorporates a faux-bamboo arbour device for the blooms to climb up, rendered in her signature watercolour-esque washes. ‘There is such a variety of flower types at Thyme, and a continuous sense of unrestrained wildness,’ Tess observes. ‘My hope is to create a feeling of walking through the gardens.
