Cooks, Waiters and Bellboys

...Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand


...'Soutine is not interested in the identity of the people in these paintings. If he had been, he might have remembered their names. Instead, he is interested in the human condition. Crushed into uniforms, forced to play one part or another on the social stage, the vulnerable, meaty essence of humanity keeps spilling out. Painting between two European wars that reduced people first to cattle then to ash, Soutine celebrates the rawness of our shared predicament. This simple truth raises the paintings here from stylish caricatures to mighty acts of witness.' Jonathan Jones, Guardian

...I was was so engrossed by the small exhibition of Soutine's portraits that I ran out of time properly to take in the wonderful collection of paintings permanently on display in the gallery. I decided to trade in the £20 ticket that admitted two us just once for annual membership. For the extra £35 I paid, I'll get unlimited admissions not only to the Courtauld but also to all charging exhibitions elsewhere in Somerset House for the next twelve months.  What's more, I'll be able to take one other person with me. So let me know any time in the next year and before 21st January if you want to catch the Soutine.