Opening tomorrow at gallery Svit, Prague, Nathaniel Lee Jones, proprietor of London’s greatest shop, M.Goldstein collaborates with artist Dirk Bell to form a dialogue with deceased outsider artist Reginald Alan Westaway. (Though to call M.Goldstein merely a shop seems a disservice, framed as it is by the motto ‘art, antiques, attire’).

Reginald Alan Westaway lived his life following gentlemanly pursuits: the study of natural history, love of classical literature and theatre, needlework, textile maintenance, composing classical and early folk music, painting and drawing. Yet he stepped lightly with a very frugal existence, for his final years as a recluse. Passing in 2008, Jones came into possession of the artists’ collection, from clothing (a jumper maintained for decades has stitching appearing as a running goose) to photographs, paintings, drawings, sculpture and even a modified lute – Westaway was keen on (self-) education, even attempting home taxidermy.

Between then and now, past and enduring, the show is titled Property of a Gentleman, or Majetek ušlechtilého muže in Czech, a cataloguing description by auction houses when referring to items from the estate of those deceased. In it, Jones channels the artist, photographed by Dirk Bell with a pinhole camera; amongst pictures by Reginald and curated ‘crossover’ objects, which do not fit within the realms of fine art or collectible but suggest a creative zeitgeist or notion from a period in history, be it ethnographic in feel or a visual reference.

Before Nathaniel embarked on a road trip to the Czech Republic, we headed over to M.Goldstein, sat in the comfy chair and had a chat.

Dean Mayo Davies: So, can talk us through the works we’ll see in Property of a Gentleman?
Nathaniel Lee Jones: Well starting with Dirk Bell, he’s exhibiting large scale camera obscura prints he created with the pinhole camera technique, some of which are portraits of me. I’m wearing clothing from Reggie’s wardrobe, some of the images are over two metres in height, with a beautifully antiquated, ghostly, early photography feel.

Reginald is showing photography of youths, essentially from the 70s, on the promenade at Herne Bay. Also photographs of aquatic terrapins and little newts, and so on, in growth stages, with scientific notes/measurements beside each growth stage. Large scale format prints of those make the little newts he bred look quite monstrous, with that dare I say period aesthetic, seeming very hand produced, less digital. That also relates back to Dirk’s work; the ability to slow the process down, coming back to technique and process rather than digital perspectives on creating images with an instant fix.

I’m showing unusual mirrors, other clothing I have collected. I’m not an artist essentially, it’s more of a maverick type thing with me, I recognise things and give them a sort of platform, the recognition that they deserve. It’s like finding an object where you can join the dots between, where you are looking at art history, and five decades later you see that another person has picked up the baton and ran with it. You start being able to place an object from a certain situation, zeitgeist or movement almost, even when it may have come from a garden shed or garage somewhere in Kent! To take the object out of its place in the world and place within another – to rechristen it almost, works quite well, the subject changes but the object stays the same.

Mid-Century Carnival Freak Show Sign $850

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