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Artist Michael Craig-Martin's sleek flat on the 21st floor of the Barbican
Artists' homes have long held a fascination for the parallels that might exist between the domestic space and the artist's creative output. In the case of the Barbican flat owned by the conceptual artist and painter Michael Craig-Martin, the link seems to be particularly strong. There is the considered placement of furniture that mirrors the spatial clarity of his instantly recognisable paintings, allowing each item to be viewed in isolation, as well as part of an ensemble. And then there is the furniture that famously features in those paintings - a chaise longue designed by Le Corbusier, a Hans J Wegner 'Wishbone' chair.
A retrospective of Michael's work has recently opened at the Royal Academy of Arts. Those who are acquainted with his 60-year career, its intersections with minimalism, conceptualism and Pop art, and who know about his influence on the YBAs through his teaching, will appreciate how his collection of art adds to the particularity of an interior that balances modernism with biography. The pieces he has acquired over the years, comprised in the main of prints and editions, also offer gratifying reassurance for collectors who do not have unlimited funds.
Irish-born and US-raised, Michael moved to London in the late 1960s. He bought this flat 10 years ago, having sold his John Pawson-designed studio-cum-house in Kentish Town: 'I wanted to live in the centre of the city and I wanted to live in an apartment,' he explains. When he first viewed the flat, which is on the 21st floor of a tower in the landmark Brutalist complex that architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon designed in the 1960s, he decided 'within five minutes' that it was the one.
With floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views over London, the flat is north-facing. 'You couldn't possibly hang pictures in an apartment on the other side of this building,' says Michael, 'as they would be damaged by the strong sunlight. Though that view is more sought after.' Additionally, the previous owners had reconfigured what was originally a three-bedroom flat into a one-bedroom home with a substantially increased main living area. 'It struck me as clever and perfect for me,' he adds.
He has maintained their layout, which offered sufficient storage for someone of minimalist tendencies: 'It is extremely open plan, so you can see through the whole enfilade of spaces.' The living area is subdivided by furniture grouped by material. A wooden Hans J Wegner sideboard and dining table stand apart from the leather and chrome Le Corbusier 'Grand Confort' chairs and sofa.
He has retained the black-bordered balcony doors. These could almost have been designed specifically to chime with the black outlines in the series of works he began in the 1970s, which focus on the ubiquitous objects from which every other object is derived - 'I'm attracted to modern classics because they are what gave us the idea of what the modern world would look like'. A lenticular print from Julian Opie's Standing People series makes a colourful impact in the area leading to Michael's study, where a Richard Serra Elevational Weight I print hangs above a ‘Canaan’ desk by Marcel Breuer with a 'Soft Pad' chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra.
He has also preserved the inherited colour scheme: 'It's a tonal radiation of grey - I'd never have thought of it, but I think it works beautifully.' It is a pleasing foil to the vivid hues of the custom-made turquoise leather 'Bibendum' lounge chair by Eileen Gray in his study and two Eileen Gray rugs. 'They define each space so specifically.' He did, however, remove some sliding panels that had enabled the rooms to be redivided, keeping only those that hide the television and a bookcase, along with one that conceals the kitchen and separates it from the living area. I needed more walls - and ones that didn't move.' he explains.
Michael started buying art at the same time as he began making prints with the gallerist Alan Cristea in 1990, with whom he is still working. 'I would see things he had when I went into the gallery. Though I couldn't afford much then, I discovered that an occasional print was within my financial ability - and what amazed me was that I could buy the heroes of my life, the key people who gave me the sense of what it was to be an artist.'
There is a Josef Albers in his study - Michael took his courses on colour and drawing at Yale in the early 1960s - an Andy Warhol above his bed and a Jasper Johns in the hall. 'You may not own the most important thing that someone did, but what you do own connects you to the person - and everything else,' he says.
Alongside these are paintings and sculptures by friends and former students, including Mark Lancaster and Julian Opie, as well as a work by Michael's daughter, New York-based photographer Jessica Craig-Martin, and a single painting of his own. 'I rotate it for another of my works every few months. I like the idea that it's the only thing that changes,' he observes.
Though this is Michael's main home, it is not his only residence. There is also an apartment in a 15th-century palazzo in Venice, which is furnished so similarly 'they're almost mirror images', he says. 'I've tried to buy other things, but always come back to classic Modernist furniture. It's how I decorate.' It is a singular vision and evidently alchemic for this most influential of artists.
The retrospective Michael Craig-Martin is at the Royal Academy of Arts, WI, until December 10. A retrospective of his printmaking is at Cristea Roberts Gallery, SW1, October 25-November 23, to coincide with the publication of 'Michael Craig-Martin: The Complete Prints and Multiples' (Art/Books, £60): royalacademy.org.uk | cristearoberts.com | gagosian.com | michaelcraigmartin.co.uk
Mark Roper1/8The Hans J Wegner dining table is teamed with his 'Wishbone' chairs. On a 'RY26' sideboard by the same designer, Richard Hamilton's limited-edition glass sculpture Occulist Witnesses is flanked on the left by a 'Tizio 35' lamp by Richard Sapper, from Aram, and a Castiglioni 'Toio Led' floor lamp in red, from Flos, on the right. Richard Serra's Elevational Weight I print can be seen in the study beyond
Mark Roper2/8A set of Eileen Gray's 'Bar Stool No. I' in white, from Aram, complements the Corian-topped breakfast bar
Mark Roper3/8A ceramic vase by Stephenie Bergman is on top of the Corian-topped breakfast bar. Beside it hangs Mark Lancaster's painting Story
Mark Roper4/8An Andy Warhol print, Blectric Chair, is displayed above a teak bed by Hans J Wegner, who also designed the slatted bench at its foot. On the adjoining wall is Richard Hamilton's The Critic Laughs print (top) and a drawing by Michael, Venetian Blinds, next to a tall Athena' floor lamp in black from Artemide
Mark Roper5/8A 'La Ronde' rug from Ecart, by Eileen Gray
Mark Roper6/8This sheltered outdoor area off the sitting room is the ideal vantage point
Mark Roper7/8A mirror installed by the previous owner reflects the south-facing view of St Paul's Cathedral, providing an almost panoramic vista from inside the flat
Mark Roper8/8
