Geraldine van Heemstra’s MUSICAL LINES The Yehudi Menuhin Centenary Appeal Exhibition

Artist Geraldine van Heemstra will be exhibiting work created as result of her artist residency at the Yehudi Menuhin. All proceeds will go to the School’s centenary fundraising appeal. The exhibition features line drawings, etchings and oils of pupils and teachers. Pupils of the School will be performing in the gallery from Thursday to Saturday.

Geraldine has been a regular visitor to the school over the past year to capture capturing spontaneous portrayals of the young musicians. “With these sketches I am trying to capture the energy of the musicians, their character and characteristics in their movements and posture with a few simple lines,” says Geraldine. “In the studio I work from my sketches and memory to create new images in the etchings, monoprints and oils. In these works it is very much about the texture and the play of the different lines that one can create.”

Following the show in London, the exhibition will move to the Yehudi Menuhin School in Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey for the duration of the Menuhin 100 Festival (2 – 10 July), which celebrates the centenary of Lord Menuhin’s birth with a series of concerts and other events.

Speaking of her charity work, Geraldine says: “I believe one should support charities or causes that mean something important to you. A 50/50 energy flows to and from that. In the case of the Yehudi Menuhin School, I love music and it is a real treat to be a ‘fly on the wall’ and listen to such young talent. Whilst sketching. I have to capture the movements of the young musicians very quickly and I feel it feeds back into all other aspects of my work too.”

The original works will be available as sketches, etchings and oils, and a limited edition of boxed-sets of etchings will also be available. The centenary appeal is raising money for bursaries, and for new music studios.