Tag Archives: Christine Keeler

Swansea Celebrates ‘Dear Christine’ in Art and Poetry

15 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Poetry, Profumo Affair

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Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler continues its run at the Elysium Gallery in Swansea with an evening of poetry this Saturday, as curator Fionn Wilson told Wales Art Review recently. An artist panel discussion will follow on October 26, and the exhibition will be on show until November 9. (If you can’t make it, Dear Christine will move to London next February.) Continue reading →

‘Dear Christine’ Opens in Swansea

07 Monday Oct 2019

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Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler is now on display at Elysium Gallery in Swansea, open from Tuesdays to Sundays at 12pm until November 9, with a series of associated events. (Shown above is ‘Welcome to the Sixties’ by Cathy Lomax.) Continue reading →

Christine Keeler’s ‘Secrets and Lies’ Redux

24 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in Books, History, Non-Fiction, Profumo Affair

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“I never met Christine Keeler,” Seymour Platt writes in his foreword to the latest edition of her memoirs, Secrets and Lies: The Trials of Christine Keeler. (This is a paperback reissue of her 2012 book, itself an update to her 2001 autobiography, The Truth At Last.) His mother changed her name, he explains, “to get away from being Christine Keeler. In our house Christine Keeler was talked about in the third person – who would want to be associated with Christine Keeler? Christine Keeler would get the blame for a lot of things that happened. Friends, family, relationships that soured, all that would be Christine Keeler’s fault.” Continue reading →

‘The Best Way to Forget, Until You Find Something You Want to Remember’

16 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Jeanne Eagels

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Nina Mae Fowler is a British artist who trained at the University of Brighton, and lives in Norfolk. Her latest solo exhibition, If You Don’t Want My Peaches (You’d Better Stop Shaking the Tree), on display at London’s Cob Gallery until September 28, borrows its title from an Irving Berlin song, and draws heavily on the iconography of Hollywood’s golden age. I was delighted to find Jeanne Eagels among the subjects, as she is often neglected. This portrait shows Jeanne in her penultimate movie (and only surviving talkie), The Letter (1929.) Continue reading →

Read All About ‘Dear Christine’ in ART NORTH

18 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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‘Christine Reads the Denning Report’ by Fionn Wilson (2017)

Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, on display at Newcastle’s Vane Gallery until June 29 (and then touring), is featured on the ART NORTH website today, with an article by Julie Burchill (as quoted below) and ‘The Boy Looked At Christine,’ a review by Ian McKay. So if you’re in Newcastle this month, don’t miss this stunning (and free) exhibit – and you can check out the associated events here. Continue reading →

‘Dear Christine’ Opens in Newcastle

04 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Magazines, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler has opened at the Vane Gallery in Newcastle, with free admission until June 29. During this first stop in a 3-city tour (more details here), there will also be a series of lectures and workshops by artists featured in the show. These events are also free, but it’s advisable to pre-book at info@vane.org.uk or 0191 261 8281. Continue reading →

‘Dear Christine’ Draws Back the Curtains

24 Friday May 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Books, Profumo Affair, Updates, Wicked Baby, Writing

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Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, a new exhibition curated by Fionn Wilson, will open at the Vane Gallery in Newcastle on June 1st (open from 12-5 pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays.) During its four week-stay, there will also be a series of lectures and workshops hosted by artists Caroline Coon, Claudia Clare, Sadie Hennessy, Helen Billinghurst and Cathy Lomax. Whether you see Christine Keeler as a Sixties icon or political figure, the women behind Dear Christine are, at long last, bringing her humanity into public view. Continue reading →

Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler

12 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Television, Wicked Baby

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I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Christine Keeler. She’s almost a mythical character, like folklore …

Dear Christine: A Tribute to Christine Keeler, a new multi-media exhibition of women’s art curated by artist Fionn Wilson, will open in Newcastle next month before moving on to Swansea in October, and London next February. Among the talented contributors are Caroline Coon, Cathy Lomax and Stella Vine. I have contributed some writing alongside Julie Burchill, Amanda Coe, Tanya Gold and Christine’s son, Seymour Platt, which will be published in an exhibition catalogue. Artists Shani Rhys James and Sadie Lee have talked about Keeler’s impact in this trailer, presented by Fionn and released today. Continue reading →

The Muse Above My Desk

14 Wednesday Nov 2018

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Not long ago I acquired a very special painting by my artist friend, Fionn Wilson. Christine at 72 is based on one of the last formal photographs of Christine Keeler, captured by Pal Hansen just a few years before her sad passing in December 2017. I’ve decided to place it above my desk: Christine was (of course) the inspiration for my first book, Wicked Baby. And I was born in ’72, so it seems lucky in many ways. For me, this image represents a proud, independent woman looking back on her past and ahead to the future, always with unflinching courage and honesty. I also find it reassuring to contemplate this model of a mature woman, embracing wisdom and experience alongside her beauty and sensuality.  Continue reading →

Happy New Year To All My Readers

31 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by in Anniversaries, Profumo Affair, Updates, Websites, Wicked Baby, Writing

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As the curtain falls on 2017, this blog also approaches its tenth anniversary. I’d like to thank everyone who has read (and hopefully enjoyed) my posts. This month I’ve been thinking a lot about Christine Keeler, who inspired my first novel and so much more. Wishing everyone a beautiful 2018 – and whatever this new year may bring, keep a dream in your hearts.