The Laughing Stock of the Heartless Stars: The Brown Collection, Marylebone, London

The Laughing Stock of the Heartless Stars, curated by the British artist Glenn Brown and his husband, Edgar Laguinia is their most ambitious yet, showcasing 70 diverse artworks representing 500 years of Art History.

The title references a poem by Jules Laforgue and suggests a feeling of cosmic antipathy, the vast unknown, an uncaring universe that is indifferent to the struggles of the human soul. The exhibition explores humanity's relentless pursuit of significance in a universe without inherent meaning from an Absurdist perspective. Life is both an unavoidable tragedy and a humorous, carnival-like celebration.

The examination of the intricate and enduring struggle between nature and humanity takes centre stage in the exhibition. Numerous artistic works exalt the beauty of nature, such as the woodblock prints of Monica Poole (1921-2003) and Gertrude Hermes (1901-1983), as well as Henri Fantin-Latour's Roses Thé, 1874, that celebrates the immense beauty in nature. Brown's work skillfully confronts this intricate tension. A multitude of Brown's creations embody states of transition, decay, and the blurred line between artificial and organic forms. Take, for instance, the piece The Holy Bible, 2022, which portrays a tree trunk adorned with striking, vivid, acidic colours. Manipulating traditional representations of nature, and transforming them into something more unsettling, urges us to contemplate the extent to which we are fundamentally reshaping the natural world, possibly beyond recognition.

The earliest piece is a chiaroscuro woodcut titled Oceanus (Neptune), created by Hendrick Goltzius between 1588 and 1590. The most recent work is Deep Time Ornament, a sculpture by Phoebe Cummings from 2024. Together, these artworks illustrate the evolving relationship between art and nature, each embodying the values of their respective times. Goltzius’s piece reflects Renaissance Humanism, showcasing the duality of nature with Oceanus symbolically dominating the sea. In contrast, Cummings’s sculpture addresses contemporary environmental awareness, highlighting the transience of nature and our interaction with the environment. Despite being created four centuries apart, both works delve into humanity’s connection to nature, communicating complex ideas in the process.

The work radiates a distinct sense of baroque theatricality, emotionality, and movement, choosing to evoke strong emotions rather than allowing for quiet contemplation. Karel Appel (1921–2006) and Grace Pailthorpe (1883–1971), using loose and expressive brushstrokes to convey raw emotion, parallel the emotional intensity of the Baroque period. Even modernist sculpture such as Table Piece CLXXXII, 1974, by Anthony Caro becomes Baroque in this context, for it embodies a sense of movement and dynamism to which the Baroque period is known.

Showcasing 70 diverse artworks by 28 artists, most of the work in the exhibition has never been on public display and includes new work by Brown.