The latest show to be held at the barn is Modern Muralist, which, like previous exhibitions, celebrates the patterns of nature. A tribute to that Art Mural painting, which dates back to the Stone Age and reached an apotheosis in the Tudors EnglandWhile the walls of properties like Thyme were decorated 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 their farmhouse in Charleston, East Sussex. Charleston head of exhibitions Emily Hill has curated Modern Muralists, inviting three British artists – Tess Newall, Melissa White and Lucinda Oxen – to create site-specific works for Thyme’s barn gallery. This is their first exhibition together and their work shows why, a century after the murals of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant transformed Charleston, wall paintings retain their power to captivate. ‘Murals are world-building – they layer history and add a little wink to a room,’ says Emily. ‘Who wouldn’t love to be inside a work of art?’
Tess’s work is known for its strong sense of place. Based in Sussex, she delves deep into the story of each building she works with. Her mural here, on large boards, is inspired by native wildflowers on the Thyme estate and includes a faux-bamboo arbor device for climbing peacocks, rendered in her signature watercolor-esque wash. ‘Thyme has such a variety of flowers, and a constant sense of unbridled wildness,’ observes Tess. ‘My hope is to create a sense of transcendence garden.
