Over to the Holborn offices of top international firm Quinn Emanuel, where the partners have a bright idea for using spare office space. Following a similar project in Los Angeles and New York, they are seeking an artist in residence. Certainly it has been a while since London areas such as Soho, Chelsea and, err, Haggerston, combined an arty social scene with affordable studio space.
So Quinn Emanuel is inviting emerging or mid-career artists who live in or around London but who do not have City studio space, to apply for a residence cycle at its offices, where those selected (two per cycle) will work alongside lawyers and staff.
But do art and the corporate world mix? Rembrandt (pictured) grew rich on the commissions of Amsterdam’s corporate elite – 'til they went off his fleshy realism. And the (violent) artistic temperament of Caravaggio and Bernini occasionally proved a headache for their patrons.
Still, London-based QE partner Liesl Fichart sounds an optimistic note: ‘As lawyers, we work in a stimulating environment where we share ideas and have ongoing intellectual interaction.’
Applications close on 19 November. An exhibition, organised with a London gallery, will be held at the end of the cycle.
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