Exhibition preview: Kenneth Anger – Icons, Sprüth Magers, London, March 23 – April 20 2013

Short of spending time with the great man himself, a new show at Sprüth Magers offers a chance to get to know one of the most fascinating of all Hollywood characters. Best known for controversial short films, paganism, gay cinema and scurrilous books of gossip, Kenneth Anger’s reputation precedes him.

This exhibition is given over to neither the films nor the books, but rather Anger’s taste for interior design as the West End gallery recreates two rooms from the filmmaker's LA home. But there is, of course, plenty to engage with and peruse, since the midnight blue and crimson red rooms are packed with archive material.

The gallery promises photographs, scrapbooks, letters and memorabilia. And given that Anger knew everyone from Shirley Temple through to singer Elliot Smith, their cumulative effect should bestow all the glamour of Tinseltown on the two room space near Green Park tube.

Filmmakers will find this of special interest, since Anger can claim a lasting influence on cinema via the work of admirers such as David Lynch, Martin Scorcese and George Lucas.

It is also said that the dawn of pop video owes much to the American, who used pop music in such typical films as Scorpio Rising. Such works are worth tracking down online if you plan to visit the show.

• Sprüth Magers, Grafton Street, London. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm. Admission free. Follow the gallery on Twitter @SpruethMagers.
  
  

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