The Flytower Takes Shape during the 1997-99 Redevelopment

Glynn Boyd Harte created his watercolours on site, completing the paintings from his chosen vantage point. Here, the Portakabin on the right and the 19th century Covent Garden market buildings on the left provide a sense of scale for the development. The complexity of the work is made obvious by showing the completed parts of the development at the edges of the painting, while in the centre the structure of the flytower (in red) begins to take shape. Boyd Harte’s skill is remarkable in rendering a complex situation in not only a readable image but also a satisfying painting. The details of the towering cranes against the bright blue sky and of the fake privet hedge on the top of the hoardings are testament to his complete mastery of his chosen medium.

Object number ROH/GBH/PAI/08

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