An Art-Inspired Lunch At Sir John Soane’s Museum
Soirée Committiéer
10 October 2024
Joined by close friends of the brand Leonie Mir, Alison Ross Green and Silka Rittson Thomas, Métier’s Melissa Morris hosted an art-world-filled luncheon at Sir John Soane’s Museum to kick off an exciting week of Frieze London festivities.
A thoughtful guest list of 32 women - makers, supporters, and collectors of art - were welcomed to the afternoon soirée with coupes of champagne in the museum’s cheerfully-hued drawing room.
Following rounds of catch ups and hellos, the group was led by Soane’s Head of Exhibitions Dr. Louise Stewart and Director Will Gompertz on a private tour of Lina Iris Viktor’s moving new show, Mythic Time / Tens of Thousands of Rememberings.
The opportunity to see Viktor’s range of gilded, sculpted and painted works up-close proved to be a rare treat even for art-industry insiders like The National Portrait Gallery’s Victoria Siddall, Salon 94’s Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Chisenhale Gallery’s Zoé Whitely, ARoS Art Museum’s Isabelle Maidement and more.
Following the tour, guests gathered in the Library for lunch where they were greeted by an artfully-inspired tablescape featuring the afternoon’s tablecloths naturally dyed with yellow onion skins to capture the brilliant shade of the museum’s iconic stained glass windows. Created by English artist Stephanie Callaghan through a process called mordanting where she sourced, cut to size, washed and hand-dyed linens sustainable made in Europe.
To commemorate the special moment in a special place, each setting included a matching yellow Abruzzo Suede Pouch - a heartfelt thank you created exclusively for all in attendance by Melissa. Inside, Melissa thoughtfully packed each pouch with a guide of favorite spots and hidden gems in London beloved by her and her co-hosts.
A key conversation piece throughout the lunch was co-host Silka Rittson Thomas’s installation of tumbling kumquats. The pyramids served as a playful touch to the event’s design, which married Metier's midcentury references with the museum's Regency-era history. Biedermeier inspired wooden chairs, classic Wedgwood tableware and Old English cutlery carried a sense of restrained elegance throughout the otherwise art-filled space.
