WALKING TOURS - Art on Regent Street

Take a walk down Regent Street and its periphery today and you may well notice  a number of works of art. We don’t just mean the eye-catching window displays in our shop windows, or the inspired architectural design originating from John Nash, but the public art commissioned by the Crown Estate which makes Regent Street a destination rich in culture and style. Within walking distance of the Royal Academy of Arts, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, and by the many galleries of Mayfair, Regent Street is in a prime position. Not just  a shopping destination, the Street is home to  a number of artworks by contemporary artists, commissioned to add to the Mile of Style’s heritage. Over the past 10 years, 13 unique pieces of art have been commissioned. Take a stroll along Regent Street walking North to South from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly and  see if you can spot the works of some of Britain’s best contemporary artists... 

Untitled By Alexander Beleschenko

Pop onto Princes Street for the colourful piece of abstract art adorning the exterior facade of a residential block from street level to 3rd floor. Based on floral forms, the glass artwork by Beleschenko has a strong and contracting palette of colours . Look closely for the various techniques that went into creating this piece, from hand painting toughened glass to the inclusion of small flakes of mouth blown glass. Cross the street to get the bigger picture or come in close for the finer details of Beleschenko’s work.

Handbag Heads By Bruce McLean

Handbag Heads by Bruce McLean can be found outside 1 Hanover Street. This bright and striking sculpture was the first piece of art the Crown Estate commissioned in 2004. Gaining international recognition for his work in film, theatre, paintings, ceramics and prints, McLean was an excellent choice as the first artist to have work displayed on Regent Street for the public.

Untitled Collaboration By Bruce McLean and Alexander Beleschenko

Take a look inside 1 Hanover Street for an untitled piece also by McLean and collaborator Alexander Beleschenko from 2004. The piece that hangs by the lift is bright in colour and is striking to anyone entering the building, adding presence and personality to the building’s lobby.

12 Sculptures By Peter Hayes

Peter Hayes’ work at 1 Hanover Street brings the outdoors, nature, history and the environment indoors in the form of 12 sculptures displayed across one wall. Combining textures and surfaces inspired by the artist’s travels through Africa, Japan and India and created using clay and traditional craftsmanship, Hayes' work explores timelessness in objects. 

The Curve By Eleanor Long

On Warwick Street you can find The Curve by Eleanor Long, installed in 2006. This glass sculpture comprises a series of undulating glass lines, flowing across adjacent and protruding panels. Take a look closer at each piece of glass within the structure and notice how each one curves back into the wall creating surprising depth, the whole piece creating a sort of rhythmic flow that conjures the energy and vibrancy of the Soho area in which it is located. 

Shimmy By Alison Wilding

Inside 10 New Burlington Street, you can find Royal Academician Alison Wilding’s sculpture, Shimmy, made from 400 individual strips of mirror-polished stainless steel, and containing 28 coloured acrylic spheres caught in the uppermost layers of the sculpture. Wilding is known for her inventive approach to materials and renowned as one of the most foremost British sculptors of her generation, having exhibited her work at Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries in early 2014.

An Age, An Instant By Rona Smith

Look to the entrance of New Burlington Mews just off Regent Street for Smith's stunning design, a set of bronze gates and a detailed bronze and stone undercroft. The piece is inspired by the history of the Regent Street area, primarily by the streets connections with watch making in the early 20th century. Look closely at Smith's bronze gates for engravings influenced by turn of the century pocket watches.

One Heddon Street London by Martin Donlin

Check out the inside of 1 Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, for the work of artist Martin Donlin. Installed in 2008, the piece comprises 30 Sq m of digital printed glass and sandblast etching with slimline LED light-boxes in a bold composition of vibrant colours. Historical maps of the area juxtapose the warm hues of the glass and text is also a part of this artwork, giving visitors something to read as they wait for the lift.

The Curve By Eleanor Long

On Warwick Street you can find The Curve by Eleanor Long, installed in 2006. This glass sculpture comprises a series of undulating glass lines, flowing across adjacent and protruding panels. Take a look closer at each piece of glass within the structure and notice how each one curves back into the wall creating surprising depth, the whole piece creating a sort of rhythmic flow that conjures the energy and vibrancy of the Soho area in which it is located. 

Vitis vinifera By L.Alison Turnbull

Alison Turnbull is well known as an artist whose work makes connections with the spirit, character and history of a space or place. Relating to the name of the street and inspired by the formal name for the common grape vine,Vitis vinifera L, the 8m wide wall painting is based on a diagram, representing 16 grape (or vine) varieties arranged on structural data on one side and DNA frequencies on the other. , Take a look in through the windows, which themselves include coloured glass discs and relate to the painting, emphasising the relationship between surface and space.

Wood (no green) / Painting 2 By Rachel Howard

Two paintings by artist Rachel Howard are on display inside the Air W1 reception. Using household paints, Howard dilutes and manipulates her materials, allowing gravity to pull down on them across canvas, creating a natural effect that is vivid and potent. The bright greens and yellows against black in the paintings displayed are striking and evocative. 

Vital Signs By Spencer Finch

If you take a stroll through Soho and end on Sherwood Street outside Mash, look up at artist Spencer Finch’s fantastic light display, Vital Signs. Vital Signs echoes the traditional ‘zipper’ style signage of neon’s heyday, hinting at the iconic, neon-lit prow of the Regent Palace Hotel, which previously stood in this location.. Conceived by the artist as ‘an electrocardiogram for the entire building’, the piece is made up of LED bars in five colours, each responding to different data streams relating to the current use of the building. These include its green energy production and harvested rainwater, its power consumption, differential between internal and external temperature and lift operation.

Timelines By Daniela Schönbächler

For another light installation head on to Wilder Walk for Daniela Schönbächler's 2011 piece, Timelines. The artwork is a number of layered glass panels that encase the light installation, taking the pedestrian on a natural journey through 'an experience indicative of a more natural environment.' Collaborating with Dixon Jones architects, the artist developed this work to echo the walk that pedestrians have down Wilder Walk.