The Artist as Collector at the Barbican Centre

I've always been a bit of a collector; not of rubbish like old bus tickets or anything like that, but of things that I like to draw, or that I think may contain some spark of inspiration - interesting old records, wooden elephants, toy cars, needle felted foxes, antique bookends from India, that kinda thing. This exhibition was recommended to me by a friend, and as I still had a day in London to kill I decided to check it out. 

Two words: TOP NOTCH! There were collections here from a diverse selection of artists, my favorites were probably those of Damien Hirst (taxidermy galore), Peter Blake (a fellow elephant enthusiast) and Andy Warhol (an enormous collection of slightly disturbing novelty cookie jars). It was very interesting to see the kind of objects there artists chose to surround themselves with, and the connections in their work became very apparent. For example, Warhol's obsession with disposable, everyday Americana is explicitly reflected in his collection of mass-produced tat. It definitely helped bring home the idea to me that, if you surround yourself with things that are of genuine interest to you, be it books, films, experiences, or horrible cookie jars, a unique voice of authenticity will become apparent in you creative output.

Damien Hirst's personal collection of Victorian taxidermy and other gross oddities was especially fascinating (if a little gory in parts). I love drawing animals and birds from life, but it's so rare to be able to capture them static - taxidermy is the answer! This reminded me of our group trip to the City Museum archives right at the beginning of the year - and here I am, 8 months later, still drawing stuffed birds.