Halcyon Gallery’s latest exhibition sees the convergence of art and adventure offering visitors a visual insight into the artistic exploration of seven artists’ unchartered creativity. Entitled ‘Songs of the Open Road’, this exhilarating visual odyssey first premiered at Halcyon Gallery on July 13, and highlights the work of seven esteemed artists. The showcase is a tribute to the transformative power of visual art and explores the journeys both monumental and personal in the respective artists’ lives. The creative exploration inspired by figures like Bob Dylan and Claude Monet are celebrated, each reflecting their own journey from across America to embarking on hikes along Normandy’s coastline.

Inspired by Walt Whitman’s poetic celebration of exploration, ‘Song of the Open Road’, the show pays homage to the 19th-century technological innovations that revolutionised artistic practice, enabling artists to venture far and wide with portable equipment and embrace the spontaneity of en plein air painting. ‘Songs of the Open Road’ promises a profound exploration of the artistic instinct to wander, inviting visitors to engage with contemporary responses to these enduring traditions of creative discovery.

This showcase has made a significant addition to its prestigious lineup by introducing the works of Robert Montgomery, a creative who is celebrated for his dual prowess as both an artist and poet. Montgomery’s spotlight will feature his renowned light sculptures, which have graced public spaces and monumental landscapes worldwide, blending his evocative poetry with visual artistry. His previous works will also harmonise poetry and landscapes, influenced by his Romantic sensibilities akin to J.M.W. Turner and Casper David Friedrich. Montgomery’s works will be juxtaposed with paintings by Bob Dylan, highlighting their shared admiration for expansive landscapes and a mutual quest to reconnect with nature.

Read more: Halcyon Gallery’s New Exhibition Highlights Beauty “In Plain Sight”

The works of contemporary British master David Hockney and Spanish painter Pedro Paricio will be displayed alongside Montgomery’s. Paricio’s “Master Landscape” series, inspired by Hockney’s depictions of Southern California, reinterprets iconic landscapes such as the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Coast Highway with his distinctive geometric style. Hockney’s dynamic “Snail’s Space” prints will accompany Paricio’s works, offering a reflective dialogue on the winding roads of California.

Claude Monet’s “Le Val d’Antifer” (1885), a remarkable demonstration of the Impressionists’ skill in capturing fleeting moments with vivid and intricate detail, will also be displayed among these contemporary masterpieces. In honour of the movement’s anniversary, digital artist Dominic Harris unveils “Blue Visions of an Iridescent Soul,” an immersive installation inspired by nature. this captivating work magnifies the intricate structure of a butterfly’s wing, echoing the innovative brushstrokes of Impressionist painters and translates the transient beauty of the natural world into the digital realm.

The exhibition will also present a new work by Ernesto Cánovas, The Way to the Top, which brings together fragments of an otherworldly landscape, playing on the nostalgic imagery of a quintessential American road trip. Exploring the relationship between photography, history and collective memory, Cánovas works with various vintage sources, digitally manipulating images and transferring them onto wooden panels. The hazy, reworked quality of the photos appears as a blurry memory or an ethereal dreamscape. 

Read more: Andy Warhol’s Unseen Work on Display at London’s Halcyon Gallery 

‘Songs of the Open Road’ will be on view at Halcyon Gallery’s flagship at 148 New Bond Street until September 1, 2024.

For more on the latest in art reads and new exhibitions, click here.