Memories of Mayfair

Prominent art critic, one-time Turner Prize juror and London local Louisa Buck takes us on an artful history trip at Cork Street Galleries

Louis Buck’s sometimes scathing, always irreverent art world critique has featured Mayfair gallery exhibitions for decades. Here, for the House of Voltaire pop-up at Cork Street Galleries, she conjures memories of London’s creative crucible since the 1920s. In this compact artistic avenue, we learn how the ghosts of Peggy Guggenheim, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali still stalk. Cork Street is Mayfair’s misdemeanor-laden avenue filled with pioneering hubs and a colourful history; as it undergoes significant regeneration, with architecture courtesy of Sir David Chipperfield, now seems like a better time than any to remember the area’s historical foundations.

Cork Street Galleries, 28 Cork Street, Mayfair, London W1S 3NG. For more information, visit the Cork Street Galleries website. Writer: Elly Parsons