Blending art and science

Consultants at a private clinic have teamed up with an art gallery for a new marketing venture. Olivia Cummins explains

The London Orthopaedic Clinic in Wimpole Street recently opened its doors to members of the public to invite them to a special preview of the modern art works that we have recently installed in partnership with Eames Fine Art Gallery.

We see it as a mutually advantageous business venture.

Fine art and orthopaedic medicine may not seem a likely combination, but with several bare walls to embellish, Vincent and Rebecca Eames saw an opportunity in our clinic to display some of the artists that they work with.

The duo’s Bermondsey-based gallery represents established modern masters from the 20th and 21st century alongside emerging contemporary artists with a particular specialism in original etchings and lithographs.

But Vincent and Rebecca saw the opportunity to expand their clientele to West London and our clinic also affords the opportunity to display works over a longer period than their gallery programme would usually allow.

Typically, a show runs for three weeks to a month in the gallery, but they are conscious that some art collectors need longer – and many repeat viewings – before ‘taking the plunge’ and buying an artwork.

Future sales

The minimum six-month showcase at the clinic and the nature of the clinic/patient relationship with repeated visits over that time will allow patients to build a relationship with the artworks that will hopefully lead to future sales.

Similarly, we recognised the benefit of making the clinic more aesthetically pleasing for our patients.

To expand the longevity of this project, we introduced the idea of changing the artworks every half year and accompanying this with a gallery opening event to launch the new pieces.

At the launch, we were able to invite referring healthcare professionals from the area for a drink, enabling some networking and the hope they might like to buy a print while they were there.

The artwork is meticulously displayed around the clinic over six floors with an artist on every floor. As you travel up from the basement, you will see images from Sophie Layton, including her original photo-etching series of TV screens (see picture above, right). Thematically, we felt that these etchings worked well with the X-ray facility in the clinic.

Amanda Danicic’s large screen prints are displayed on the ground floor in the main reception area, as well as two of Danicic’s monoprints in green and blue colours (her monoprint entitled ‘Stage’ is pictured left), which also correspond to our theme colours. These pieces are very eye-catching and brighten the clinical setting enormously.

The first floor features art from Edward Twohig and, in a change from the ground floor, is a totally monochrome affair. Twohig’s etchings (see his ‘Hills near Fiesole, Florence, below, left) create a calm atmosphere for patients in the waiting area of surgeons Mr Lloyd Williams and Mr Sean Curry.

 

 

Intense pieces

Travel up to the second floor to see a repertoire from Nigel Swift featuring his oil paintings and landscapes. These are small but intense pieces, which patients can enjoy before their appointments.

The third floor contains Anita Klein’s linocuts and prints (see picture at top of article: ‘Heart in Sand’), providing friendly faces for anxious patients. These sensitive and life-affirming works are a refreshing change for patients undergoing treatment.

If you make it all the way to the fourth floor, you will see Malcolm Franklin’s monochrome prints that show an uncertain relationship between the organic and the mechanical, which we felt was fitting for an orthopaedic clinic. (His lithograph entitle ‘Embrace 5’ is shown on the right.)

Running through the clinic are various images based on hearts from each of the artists for the ECHO charity series in honour of the charity’s 30th anniversary. As a sports and injury clinic, we appreciate the work that the Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation does and 50% of every sale will be donated to the charity. These works also tie together the artists featured throughout the clinic.

Olivia Cummins is the marketing and public relations lead at the London Orthopaedic Clinic

If you would like to visit the clinic to view the art, contact olivia.cummins@londonorthopaedic.com.

Artwork can also be viewed at www.eamesfineart.com

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