Wallpaper #296

Welcome to our Entertaining issue. It can feel frivolous and indulgent to talk of entertaining at a time such as this. However, the abiding message of bringing people together with love, warmth and generosity is something that we can hold on to, while still sharing our thoughts and wishes for a peaceful resolution to current events in the world.

I was reminded of this dichotomy on a recent trip to Rome, firstly with a magical dinner with friends at Villa d’Este, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Tivoli. The overwhelming outtake of the evening was of love and generosity, of bringing people together, of making time for each other, and creating unforgettable memories in the process.

The next morning I was privileged to be given an exclusive preview of the Don McCullin retrospective at Palazzo Esposizioni Roma, with the great man himself, as well as curator Simon Baker, and the Palazzo’s president, Marco Delogu. Sir Don McCullin is one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, and the show covers key themes of his work: Early Work in London and Berlin; Documentary Practice in the UK; International Documentary and Travel; British Landscapes and Still Life; and the Roman Empire.