Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna drove like a man possessed. His rivals feared him, his country worshipped him. When he was killed 30 years ago on live television, he left a legacy of tears, adulation and debate.

At the Monaco Grand Prix, grid position is everything. In 1988, with five minutes of the qualifying session remaining, Ayrton Senna’s McLaren-Honda had recorded the fastest time so far; almost a second quicker than his team-mate, Alain Prost. Even allowing for Prost’s potential to shave a couple of tenths off his own time, it would’ve been enough to guarantee pole for Senna. But this was Monaco, and this was Senna. He was out to prove he was the master and, in the process, psychologically destroy his team-mate. That was just the way he worked. There was only time for one more run. Senna’s McLaren shot through the turns, dancing on the absolute limit of physics. The other F1 cars looked pedestrian in comparison. Senna went a second and a half faster than anyone else had ever lapped the Monaco circuit.

In the history of Formula One racing, no one was better at producing these moments of extrovert brilliance than Ayrton Senna. In May of 1988, he had yet to win the world championship. Indeed, he had only won a mere seven grands prix in four and a half seasons. With Senna, though, it was always about quality rather than quantity.

“If you have God on your side, everything becomes clear.”

 

           –  Ayrton Senna

Senna was, in many ways, the first truly professional F1 driver. Like many elite sportspeople, he was a control freak and a paranoiac. But he was also thoughtful and engaging. He was gentle and generous away from the white heat of competition (he gave extensively to charity, usually anonymously), and he also possessed an impish sense of humour that’d reveal itself at his most relaxed.

That said, intensity was never far away, and would only be magnified when Senna left Lotus to join Prost at McLaren in 1988. If Senna were to make an impact, he would have to be measured favourably against the double world champion. This became a fixation that would drive Senna to the kinds of performances seen during that year’s mesmerising Monaco qualifying. But it would also drive him into the wall. That same weekend would prove a startling example. Senna appeared to have the race sewn up when Prost missed a gear at the start and dropped behind a Ferrari to third. The Brazilian pulled away in the lead. By lap three, he was 4.3 seconds in front. By lap five, 7.5 seconds. And so it went on. On lap 54, Prost finally managed to move into second place. Senna was 49 seconds in credit. Not even a driver of Prost’s calibre could hope to make up the difference in the remaining 24 laps. But he had one card left to play: he could mess with Senna’s head.

Ayrton Senna claimed his first World Championship in 1988. Between him and his teammate Alain Prost, they won all 16 Grands Prix that year.

The Frenchman upped his pace and set the fastest lap, knowing that this news would be relayed to his team-mate. As if on cue, for four successive laps Ayrton went quicker still. Then Prost backed off. When that was passed on to Senna, he, too, reduced pace. But the flow had gone. He began to make small mistakes. On lap 67, he brushed a barrier and his McLaren ricocheted into the Armco on the other side of the road. Victory had been thrown away. Worse still, his biggest rival was headed towards the chequered flag. Senna jumped out of the damaged car and walked briskly to his apartment, which happened to be nearby. He shut the door and ignored the phone. He wouldn’t even speak to Jo Ramirez, the McLaren team manager he knew well and respected. “For hours we tried to contact him,” Ramirez says. “His telephone was either engaged or off the hook. At about nine in the evening, I managed to get an answer from his Brazilian housekeeper. At first, she insisted Senhor Ayrton wasn’t there, but I pleaded with her in Portuguese, knowing Ayrton was there. She finally handed the phone over to him – and Ayrton was still crying. “Ayrton,” continues Ramirez, “was a perfectionist. He couldn’t tolerate mistakes by the team, and he tolerated his own even less.”

“Ayrton made so few mistakes that when he did make them, he used to punish himself.”

      –  Jo Ramirez, former Team           Manager, McLaren Racing

Neither could Senna tolerate perceived injustices – and there was none worse in his mind than the events following the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix. Winning his first world title in 1988 hadn’t been enough for Senna; not when he was head-to-head again with Prost the year after. Ayrton – who said the Monaco ’88 accident “brought me closer to God” – was not averse to pushing Prost towards the concrete pitwall at 180mph. Prost would later say: “Ayrton thinks he can’t kill himself because he believes in God.”

In Japan, Prost executed a clumsy blocking move as he tried to defend his lead in the closing stages of the race. Senna recovered from the subsequent collision; Prost did not. But his victory was annulled when officials declared he had broken the rules rejoining the track. It was Prost who won the championship as a result. Senna carried the sense of persecution with him for 12 months, only to have it inflamed at the same track when officials insisted he make his pole-position start for the 1990 race on the dirty side of the grid. Prost, who’d defected to Ferrari but was still Senna’s only real rival, would have the benefit of the clean side. Sure enough, Prost made the better getaway as they rushed down to the first corner at 170 mph – where Senna promptly smashed into the back of the Ferrari, taking both of them out but still winning the title. Senna was not in the least bit apologetic. He’d been messed around with – why could no one else understand this?

This same ethos had driven Senna from the moment he arrived in Europe from his native São Paulo in 1978, aged 18, to race karts. His greatest rival was the British karter Terry Fullerton. “He was obsessed with success,” says Fullerton. “I’ve seen him do silly things when he wasn’t quickest. The kid was loaded with ability, but he didn’t have any fear.”

Senna at the Monaco Grand Prix, 1992, en route to the fifth of his six wins at the principality.

Ayrton reclaimed the F1 title again in 1990 and 1991, but then the wins started to dry up due to the rise of Williams-Renault. Once the incumbent Prost retired at the end of 1993, Senna switched to the reigning champions for the following season. The Rothmans-liveried FW16 was a difficult car, and 25-year-old Michael Schumacher came straight out of the blocks to dominate in a Benetton car that Senna believed to be breaking the technical regulations. Senna spun out of the first two races, while Schumacher romped to victory. The pressure was building when they arrived in Imola, Italy, for Round Three; 1994’s San Marino Grand Prix.

Senna was shocked by a spectacular practice crash involving his friend and countryman Rubens Barrichello. And he was appalled when Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying. He resigned himself to race the following day, but he appeared distracted… balancing risk versus reward, considering how long was it wise for him to continue?

Leading the San Marino Grand Prix on lap seven, Senna’s Williams inexplicably left the track and hit the wall at the Tamburello corner. The 130-mph impact tore off the right-front wheel and drove it towards the cockpit, though it was part of the car’s broken suspension that dealt the fatal blow when it penetrated the iconic yellow helmet.

Senna famously said, “The danger sensation is exciting. The challenge is to find new dangers.” All who knew him agree he knew no fear.

Senna’s body was flown home with a Brazilian fighter-jet escort. To put this in context for a UK audience, the death of Ayrton hit Brazilians as hard as the death of Diana would Britons a few years later. Mourners turned out in their thousands to see his casket lying in state. The entire country came to a standstill as the funeral cortege made the ten-mile journey to São Paulo’sMorumbi cemetery, with Alain Prost among the pallbearers. A guard of honour fired a salute over the unpretentious grave. Everywhere, people held banners and messages: “Senna obrigado”, “Adeus Senna”, and “Saudade” – a simple but expressive word with no direct translation in English, which connotes a deep longing for something or someone you loved, but is now either lost, gone, or unobtainable forever.

Many words have been written about this man in the three decades since that awful day, May 1^st, 1994. None were more telling than his own, spoken to an English journalist he trusted, the late Russell Bulgin, in January 1994. “If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs me my life,” Ayrton said, “I hope it is in one go. If I am going to live, I want to live fully, very intensely, because I am an intense person. It would ruin my life if I had to live partially.”

No one who knew him or saw him race, at any stage of his 34 years, could ever accuse Ayrton Senna of that.

Words: Adam Hay-Nicholls

Opening image courtesy of McLaren Racing

One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Angelica Kauffmann was something of a trailblazer in the 18^th century. Her importance in the history of art is not just based on how unusual it was for a woman to be a recognised artist, but also on the influence her work would have on subsequent generations of artists.

A Radiant Renaissance presents a comprehensive selection of Kaufmann’s works, which illustrate the breadth of her talent, from portraiture to decorative arts and history painting; the field that would ultimately bring her international recognition from the leading courts of Europe and private patrons alike.

Born in Switzerland in 1741, Kauffman spent her childhood living and travelling in Europe with her father, the lesser artist, Johann Kauffmann. Her ability showed from an early age, so much so, that by her teens she was already working on portrait commissions. At the start of this exhibition, visitors are invited to explore her mastery in this field through several of her self-portraits, such as Self-portrait in the Traditional Costume of the Bregenz Forest, 1781.

Left: Self-portrait in the Traditional Costume of the Bregenz Forest, 1781; Photo: © Innsbruck, Tiroler Landesmuseen. Right: Cleopatra Adorning the Tomb of Mark Anthony, c. 1765. The Burghley House Collection. Photo: © The Burghley House Collection.

Beyond portraiture, Kauffman excelled in history painting, a genre from which women were generally excluded due to the requirements to study anatomy, an issue that she avoided by studying classical sculptures rather than live models. Challenging the conventions of her time, Kauffman often chose to focus on female protagonists, such as in Cleopatra Adorning the Tomb of Mark Anthony, c.1769-70.

In 1766, she accepted an invitation to visit London, where she achieved immediate success. As one contemporary stated, the world went “Angelicamad”. Her time with the Royal Academy of Arts is covered in the third section of the exhibition, which includes Johan Zoffany’s famous group portrait of the Royal Academy members, The Academicians of the Royal Academy, 1771-1772. In it, Kauffmann and Moser’s positions as founding members are reduced to portraits on the wall, as women were not allowed in the Life Room, where the portrait is set.

Left: Portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton, as Muse of Comedy, 1791; private collection. Right: Portraits of Domenica Morghen and Maddalena Volpato as Muses of Tragedy and Comedy, 1791. National Museum in Warsaw MNW. Photo: Piotr Ligier © Collection of National Museum in Warsaw.

The last section of the show is dedicated to Kauffmann’s late career in Rome, where she returned in 1782. It was here that her status and reputation prospered, and she became the to-go artist for women who wanted themselves portrayed, such as Portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton, as Muse of Comedy, 1791. Particularly captivating is Self-portrait at the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting, 1794, in which the artist looks back at the point in her life when she decided to abandon her musical career and devote herself entirely to painting. The work is one of the most highly regarded self-portraits of the 18th century.

The exhibition concludes with one of her few religious paintings, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, 1796; one of two canvases carried in her funeral procession in 1807, organised by her close friend, the sculptor Antonio Canova, along with other contemporary artists and scholars.

Angelica Kauffman: a radiant renaissance

Royal Academy of Arts. 1^st March – 30^th June 2024

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD

www.royalacademy.org.uk

Words: Lavinia Dickson-Robinson

Opening picture: Angelica Kauffman, Self-portrait at the Crossroads between the Arts of Music and Painting, 1794. Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 215.9 cm. National Trust Collections (Nostell Priory, The St. Oswald Collection). Photo: © National Trust Images/John Hammond

The Baroque Dutch painter Frans Hals is considered one of the most innovative artists of his time. His paintings of citizens of Haarlem, where he spent most of his life, were unlike anything else in-period: natural, spontaneous, full of movement and vitality; effects achieved thanks to his incisiveness as an artist and his unique technique of using broad, loose brushstrokes, and the application of the pigment directly onto the canvas.

Born in Antwerp around 1582, Hals’s career developed mostly in Haarlem, at the time of the Dutch Golden Age, where artists thrived in a society driven by trade, science and the arts. He achieved the status of virtuoso, which catapulted him to the level of Rembrandt and Velázquez. Unfortunately, by the 18^th century, his fame had faded away. It wasn’t until the 19^th century that French art critic and journalist, Théophile Thoré-Bürge rediscovered his work, as well as that of Vermeer.

Left: Malle Babbe, c. 1640. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie. Right: The Lute Player, c. 1623. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Both by Frans Hals.

The 50 works exhibited at the Rijksmuseum highlight the artist’s keen observation and revolutionary approach to capturing the essence of human character. Hals departed from the formal and stoic poses common in the era, opting instead for a more naturalistic and animated style. The show even digs into the identities and social milieus of the people Hals painted, bringing them further into life. Malle Babbe, c.1633-35, for example, is believed to have been a familiar figure on the streets of Hals’ home city of Haarlem, while the man portrayed in Peeckelhaering, 1629, was probably an English actor touring the Netherlands.

The freedom of his style manifested in loose and expressive brushstrokes, combined with a keen understanding of colour, light and shadow. This is probably why Hals is often described as the forerunner of Impressionism. His style influenced Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, James McNeil Whistler, Claude Monet, Max Liebermann, Vincent van Gogh, John Singer Sargent and others. Almost all of them visited Haarlem to admire his portraits of individuals and civil militia groups, four of which can be admired at this exhibition. They include Hals’s earliest militia painting, Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard, 1616, which has left the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem for the first time.

Probably his most famous painting, Frans Hals’ portrait of this young man is the best example of his ability to convey the mood and expression of his sitters.   

Another gem in the show is The Laughing Cavalier, 1624, probably Hals’s most famous painting. This captivating portrayal of a gentleman who seems to be holding back a burst of laughter, encapsulates the artist’s flair for conveying emotion. The black sash demonstrates his extraordinary ability to paint using a limited colour palette, which led Vincent van Gogh to exclaim, “Frans Hals must have had 27 blacks!”

The Rijksmuseum’s Frans Hals exhibition invites visitors to explore the enduring legacy of this innovative artist and how his approach paved the way for future generations of artists, including impressionists and post-impressionists. Most importantly, the dynamic and engaging portraits of Hals continue to resonate with audiences, offering a timeless celebration of the human spirit.

Frans Hals: Strokes of Genius

Rijksmuseum. Museumstraat 1, Amsterdam 1071 XX

16^th February – 9^th June 2024

www.rijksmuseum.nl/en

Words: Lavinia Dickson-Robinson
Opening image: Frans Hals, Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard, 1616. Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.

A canvas so vast and so beautiful, the ancient city of AlUla is, by its very nature, a place of extraordinary beauty. Positioned on the ancient Incense Route between Southern Arabia and Egypt, this expansive region spans 200,000 years of human history and features a lush valley, towering sandstone mountains, and heritage sites.

Its most renowned landmark is Hegra, recognised as Saudi Arabia’s inaugural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ongoing research indicates that this ancient city may have served as the southernmost outpost of the Roman Empire following their conquest of the Nabataeans in 106 CE.

Hegra, the largest preserved site of the Nabataean civilization south of Petra, was established at the end of the 1st millennium BC. Photo: © Royal Commission for AlUla.

Once an important stopping point for traders of frankincense, myrrh, and other precious commodities, today it is the epicenter of an exciting cultural movement.

Saudi Arabia opened its doors to tourism only five short years ago and Design Space AlUla, located in the AlJadidah Arts District, is the first permanent contemporary gallery space here, dedicated to showcasing the many incredible design initiatives across the region.

Design by Giò Forma Studio, Design Space AlUla is a contemporary building made of steel, glass, and polished concrete.

Designed by the award-winning Milan-based Giò Forma Studio, the breathtaking structure, homage to the traditional breezeblock used widely across buildings in the surrounding area, will open its doors during the AlUla Arts Festival, in February. The welcoming central plaza and courtyard is enhanced by the intricate lattice facade of exposed geometric brickwork, allowing for increased natural light and ventilation throughout the building.

The gallery’s first exhibition, which is set to run from 15^th February to 1^st June 2024, is called Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design, and will showcase the process behind ten recent designs inspired by the city of AlUla.

Sara Ghani, the gallery’s curator, comments, “Design Space AlUla commits to celebrating AlUla’s natural history, its cultural heritage, and vernacular materials – inspiring sustainable futures that are rooted in place.”

View of Madrasat Adeera, AlUla first arts and design centre, commissioned to UK-based Hopkins Arc. © Royal Commission for AlUla/ Nick Jackson.

The grand opening heralds the start of a continuous exhibition series that will span many design projects, including the renovation of Madrasat Addeera, AlUla’s first arts and design centre, by UK-based Hopkins Architects; Roth Architecture’s Azulik Eco Resort, which draws eco-inspiration from the stories of wind and erosion; SAL Architects’ renovation of the historic Ammar Bin Yasser Mosque, and AlUla’s Cultural Oasis District Masterplan, guided by Prior + Partners, in collaboration with Allies and Morrison.

Other exhibitors will showcase the work of finalists from the second edition of AlUla Design Award; they include Imane Mellah, Teeb, Sara Kanoo, Gunjan Gupta and Shaddah Studio, as well as representation from the first edition of the AlUla Design Residency. The residency is a five-month programme in AlUla that aims to bring together designers and experts on-site to work across multiple disciplines. Their work was showcased at Paris Fashion Week last year. 

Left, detail of a Nabatean tomb. Right, preliminary sketches of Sarah Kanoo’s Mashbak clasp. Photos: © Sarah Kanoo.

The exhibition also explores the visual identity for Design Space AlUla created by the Clara Sancho Studio and design agency 29Letters from Madrid. The logo draws on a wide range of regional inspiration, from ancient inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah to the distinctive breezeblocks in AlJadidah.

Ghani explains the purpose of such a wide initiative, “Our ambition is to fuel the design economy, provide resources to designers to explore and experiment, and be a place for visitors to research, explore, and connect with the processes behind AlUla’s design journey.”

The gallery’s launch programme takes place between the 15th – 17th February and will include keynote presentations, masterclasses, workshops, panel discussions and design tours.

AlUla is fast becoming a bucket list favorite. Last year 230,000 tourists were expected, and it’s projected that two million people a year will be visiting by 2035.

For more information please visit: experiencealula.com

Words: Lisa Marks

Opening image: Design Space AlUla, Al Jadidah Art District. Photo: © Nicholas Jackson Photography.