Bank Murals
No.1 Kingsway, The Aldwych, London WC1
In 1996 Pola Wickham was commissioned by Cutty's, the well known London fish supplier, to paint a mural for their new restaurant "Bank", in London. In collaboration with the architect Julyan Wickham, her father, she made two paintings, each of which is 8ft by 30ft (aprox 3m by 11m), depicting two different views of Coney Island, New York. These were created from a series of small color oil studies made from life, from photographs and quick drawings of specific gestures and details and where conceived as part of the architecture.
Recognising the long tradition of painting as an integral part of architectural space, Wickham's continued collaboration with architects forms part of her quest to see painting no longer as the handmaiden of architecture, which it has become today, but as an equally necessary part of the built environment.