Kerst- en nieuwjaarswens van meneer en mevrouw David Bingham c. 1950 - 2000

This winter holiday card, made by an anonymous artist, features a drawing of the Secretariat Building of the United Nations in New York. The artist uses a range of marks, from the dense, dark hatching that describes the sky to the lighter, more delicate lines that define the buildings. It's a good reminder that artmaking is a process, a journey of discovery that unfolds as we work. Looking closely, you can see the texture of the paper coming through, and how the artist has used the graphite to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. I’m drawn to the way the artist captured the scale of the building against the backdrop of the city, the bridge and the river; this tiny piece of paper, somehow, contains an entire world. It’s incredible. There is something of Joseph Stella’s futurist cityscapes in this drawing, though the approach is more documentary. I love the idea of art as an ongoing conversation, a dialogue that spans generations and styles. And I think, with this card, that the artist has embraced the spirit of art – a spirit of openness, curiosity, and a willingness to see the world in new ways.