British aristocrat Charles March opens new photography exhibition in London
Speedster, photographer, arts patron…British aristocrat Charles March, also known as the Duke of Richmond, wore many hats. On Tuesday, a new exhibition of his minimalist photographs opens at London’s Hamilton Gallery. The exhibition, titled “Sand Draft,” which runs until January 16, “recalls the fluid brushstrokes of Chinese ink painting,” he said.
Vintage car enthusiast Madge, founder of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival, launched the not-for-profit Goodwood Arts Foundation in Sussex earlier this year. His photography career spanned 50 years, and his first job after leaving school at 16 was as an apprentice on the set of film director Stanley Kubrick. Barry Lyndon (1975). March traveled to East Africa where he worked as a documentary photographer, writing photo stories for magazines. He subsequently established himself as a still life and advertising photographer in the 1980s under the name Charles Settington.
“Abstract photography is a paradox and, for me, it’s compelling,” he told us art news. “The expectation of photography is that it represents reality, whereas abstract art is disconnected from reality. Using photography in this context makes the visual impression of these new abstract images in ‘Sand Writing’ even stronger; adding interest and excitement to knowing that these lines and shapes were drawn by nature – they are real, But unrecognizable. Just as I had to look for subjects hidden deep in the tangle of bushes or scattered randomly on a huge beach, so I hope that the abstract nature of photography will inspire the viewer to look for more, to look harder for themselves, and in turn convey a strong sense of time and space.
March is donating proceeds from the exhibition to King’s Trust International’s 10th anniversary campaign, Generation Potential, which was launched by the noble King Charles and is dedicated to “addressing the global youth unemployment crisis by giving young people the skills, confidence and opportunities to learn, earn and grow.”
His work has been exhibited at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and at the Moscow Photography Biennale. He has also exhibited at the Venus Gallery in Manhattan, New York, and the Galleria del Cembalo in Rome.
The Duke said he was deeply impressed by Kubrick. “Without a doubt, one of the things that stands out to me is his attitude of only doing things in the best way possible and never compromising,” he told us art news. “It’s great to be so young and work around a group of people who are totally dedicated to what they’re doing and have only one thing on their minds, which is to do it to the highest possible standard and to the best of their ability. Nothing can get in the way of that.”
March set up the Goodwood Arts Foundation in Sussex with the aim of “improving the physical, mental and mental health and creativity of people from all backgrounds through engagement with contemporary art and connections with nature.” He said, “We want to showcase contemporary art at the highest level and make it accessible to those who want to get the most from it.”
