Cork Street is a street in
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
in the
West End of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...
, England, with many
contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...
galleries, and was previously associated with the tailoring industry. It is part of the
Burlington Estate
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The Burlington Estate is an area in Mayfair to the north of Piccadilly in the West End of London, England.Burlington Arcade
Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade in London, England, United Kingdom. It is long, parallel to and east of Bond Street from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens. It is one of the precursors of the mid-19th-century European s ...
with
Burlington Gardens
Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate.
Location
The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and V ...
, and is close to
Burlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...
, which houses the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
. It is parallel to, and immediately to the east of,
New Bond Street
Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
. The nearest
tube station
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The Und ...
is
Green Park
Green Park, officially The Green Park, is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the southern part – the core part – of the City of Westminster, Central London, but before that zone was extended to the north, to take in Maryleb ...
.
History
![Burlington House 1698-99](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Burlington_House_1698-99.jpg)
Cork Street is part of the
Burlington Estate
__NOTOC__
The Burlington Estate is an area in Mayfair to the north of Piccadilly in the West End of London, England.Earl of Burlington
Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the d ...
was
Richard Boyle (1612–1698), 2nd Earl of
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
; the street is named for that city.
The street in particular and the area in general was associated with tailors. In particular, the leading
Regency London
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
tailors
Schweitzer and Davidson Schweitzer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Albert Schweitzer, German theologian, musician, physician, and medical missionary, winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize
* Anton Schweitzer, opera composer
* Brian Schweitzer, form ...
were located in Cork Street.
Beau Brummell
George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...
(1778–1840), who introduced the flamboyant form of gentleman's fashion that became known as
dandyism
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...
, patronised Schweitzer and Davidson in Cork Street.
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, not far from Cork Street to the east, is today the street most associated with high-quality gentleman's tailors.
In the early 20th century, the street became associated with the art world. Cork Street is today known in the art world for its many commercial
art galleries
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...
.
It is close to the Royal Academy on
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
to the south, which has an interest in the artistic nature of the street.
there were 22 galleries in the street.
The street is considered to be one of the United Kingdom's "most important art hubs".
The galleries of Cork Street have launched the careers of many major modern artists in Britain. For example, the Mayor Gallery was the venue for the first London exhibitions of
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
,
Max Ernst
Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism ...
,
Paul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
, and
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...
.
Peggy Guggenheim
Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim ( ; August 26, 1898 – December 23, 1979) was an American art collector, bohemian and socialite. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with t ...
opened her 'Guggenheim Jeune' art gallery at number 30 in 1938.
The art dealer
Lillian Browse was nicknamed "The Duchess of Cork Street", and used that name as the title of her autobiography.
Attack on Cork Street
In 1985 the
Grey Organisation
The Grey Organisation (GO) was an artist collective active from 1983 to 1991. GO worked in several media including film and video and participated in over 20 international exhibitions.
In January 1985 the group committed an act of 'art terrorism ...
, a radical arts collective, launched an attack on Cork Street covering some of the galleries in grey paint. In a press release, GO justified the attacks on Cork Street, describing the galleries established there as "boring and lifeless", stating that the attacks were "intended to liven up their lives a bit!". The attack took place on Tuesday 21 May 1985, somewhere between midnight and 6am. Members of the Grey Organisation were later arrested, released on bail and banned from central London, but when prosecuted at Well Street Magistrates' court, pleaded 'Not Guilty' and were released without charge.
Campaign
In 2012 the Save Cork Street campaign was created to protect Cork Street as a contemporary arts district. With 13,000 supporters, including David Hockney and Sir Peter Blake, the Save Cork Street campaign attracted major press interest. Chaired by artist and curator Simon Tarrant, the Save Cork Street committee petitioned Westminster Council to stipulate gallery usage for future Cork Street developments.
File:House on Clifford Street, W1 - geograph.org.uk - 1704307.jpg, View north to houses on Clifford Street
Clifford Street is a street in central London, built in the early 18th century, on land that once formed part of the Burlington Estate. It is named after the Clifford family, Earls of Cumberland. The daughter and heiress of the last holder of ...
from Cork Street.
File:Mulligans, Mayfair, W1 (2711914830).jpg, Mulligans of Mayfair
Mulligan may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Mulligan (games), a second chance given to a player to perform a certain move or action
* ''Mulligans'' (film), a 2008 movie
* ''Mulligan'' (TV series), an animated sitcom
Places
* Mulligan, Newf ...
, an Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
restaurant at 13 Cork Street (now closed).
Galleries
-
Lisson Gallery
Lisson Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with locations in London and New York, founded by Nicholas Logsdail in 1967. The gallery represents over 50 artists such as Art & Language, Ryan Gander, Carmen Herrera, Richard Long, John Latham, Sol ...
-
Waddington Custot
-
Browse & Darby
-
Saatchi Yates Saatchi may refer to:
* Saatchi (name), a Turkish surname (includes a list of people with the name)
*Saatchi Gallery, contemporary art gallery
*Saatchi & Saatchi, advertising agency
*M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi Group () is an international communi ...
-
The Mayor Gallery
-
The Redfern Gallery
The Redfern Gallery is an exhibition space in the West End of London specialising in contemporary British art. It was founded by Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham in 1923 as an artists' cooperative on the top floor of Redfern H ...
See also
*
Burlington Arcade
Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade in London, England, United Kingdom. It is long, parallel to and east of Bond Street from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens. It is one of the precursors of the mid-19th-century European s ...
, opposite the south end of Cork Street
*
Dover Street
Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also ...
, a street nearby in Mayfair with many art galleries
References
{{portal bar, Roads, London transport, London
Streets in the City of Westminster
*Cork Street
Art gallery districts
Arts in London
Regency London
Mayfair