It’s only been a few months since Zaha Hadid’s untimely passing. Tributes have been appearing thick and fast, in the form of articles and shows, such as the architect’s recent retrospective in Venice during the 2016 Architecture Biennale. Francis Sultana, CEO of David Gill Gallery, Zaha Hadid Architects and Zaha Hadid Design are also paying respect – back in Hadid’s chosen home town, London – launching a special exhibition in memory of the late, great architect that opens at the Masterpiece art, antiques and design fair today.
’Zaha always talked about there being 360 degrees, and so she always approached her work in that manner,’ says Sultana, explaining Hadid’s holistic and multidisciplinary approach, which is well represented in this show. ’It was almost like she had deconstructed an understood principle and then re-configured it but entirely through her own set of rules.’ Looking at much loved pieces, as well as the architect’s more playful side, the show, called ’Commemorative Salon’, salutes the architect’s ‘unique vision’.
In this spirit, the displays span Hadid’s breadth of work, which is especially fitting within the context of this fair, known for its ‘cross-collecting’ nature, uniting different disciplines and styles: the old and the new, the modern and the classic.
The homage includes sketches and paintings (three large ones from 1989–1991 are on show), to models, magazines, accessories and even some of the architect’s favourite objects. Displays also comprise jewellery and fashion pieces, such as her 2006 ’Icone’ bag for Louis Vuitton and the recent ’Vortexx Ring’, designed in 2015.
