In the US, Covington & Burling is at the lead of a new trend to commission large, original works of art. It is about to unveil a work by Paris-based, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez to hang in the main lobby of its new offices in Washington DC. Jean Efron, art consultant to the legal sector, said: 'Law firms went from, ‘OK, we have to have some things on the wall’ to, ‘We should have some nice paintings,’ to now, which is, ‘I’m interested in art and I want to have something that can reflect the firm’s vision and how we see ourselves through works of art.'
Endurance and greatness
Scottish law firm Harper Macleod, sponsor of the Commonwealth Games last year, commssioned a special work, 'Greatness begins behind the scenes' by Georgina Clapham - a painting which was unveiled to hang on the firm's walls in August. In a statement which illustrates why the firm would see itself reflected in the painting, Ms Clapham said: 'I didn't want to make a sports portrait as such but create a subtler universal figure, with the idea that endurance and greatness come from within: the runner taking a moment of quiet contemplation to focus her mind.' Sources ABA and Herald Scotland
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
