A remarkable mix of some 30 members and friends of all vintages, backgrounds and interests congregated in the Breese Little Gallery in Clerkenwell. Owners of the gallery Josephine Breese and Henry Little, who both studied History of Art at Cambridge, had invited us to a private viewing of drawings and paintings by two leading Sri Lankan artists, Chandraguptha Thenuwara and Jagath Weerasinghe. We enjoyed delicious wine and canapés, good socialising, and expert guidance on the exquisite artwork. Josephine, whose background included some years in Sri Lanka, described to us the special significance of the oeuvres including the symbolism in each piece, which tried to bring harmony to the beautiful island cruelly divided by social unrest for so many years. This was a message of hope, and also a useful and instructive reminder to all present of the value of art in bringing people together.
The generosity of Henry and Josephine was much appreciated, as were the services of Antonia (a Cambridge friend of theirs, whose company’s wines we greatly enjoyed) and of Anastasia who ensured that glasses and plates were ever full. This was our first event at the Gallery and we all said we hoped it would not be our last.
Organised by Josephine Breese, Alastair Gourlay, Henry Little and David Peace