NEVER have there been such looks of yearning at a gallery opening as at Richard Kingston's Solomon Gallery exhibition. As the rain continued outside, Kingston's guests sipped wine and practically wept over his bright sunshine-filled watercolours.
The artist, meanwhile was brightening up the room with a crepe de chine shirt made by his daughter Cyan Kingston, who was wearing a zippy velvet suit. The rest of the Kingston entourage was made up of Richard's wife, Jennifer and sons Richard, a photographer, and Stephen who will be taking care of the exhibition when Suzanne McDougald heads off to London to check out the sales at Sotheby's and Christie's next week.
The other sartorial splash of the evening was made by Robin O'Reilly, College of Surgeons student and wife of Tony O'Reilly jnr, who was hoping to buy a picture. In the sleekest of black and white numbers, Robin made it sickeningly impossible to believe that she had given birth to Tony jnr so recently.
Dr James White, former director of the National Gallery wrote the notes in the catalogue and came along to chat with old friends such as Melanie le Brocquy and Dorothy Walker. Walker was accompanied by her sons, artist Corban and architect Simon, who is re-designing the upstairs of Johnny Cooke's restaurant. Grand-daddies of the book trade, Harold Clarke of Easons and Alan Figgis of Hodges Figgis were both there and Senator Mary Henry popped in as well.
Later in the evening, designer Richard Lewis, a great, fan of the gallery, stopped by as did dentist-to-the-stars, David Harris and his wife, artist Pam Harris. Hugo Lambrecht of the South African embassy came accompanied by Gerard Denneny, the soon-to-be manager of the new Merrion Hotel. Many of the artistic old-guard emerged from an RHA meeting, including Imogen Stuart, John Coyle, Peter Collis and Carey Clark, some of whom joined the Kingston family and friends to a supper party in their Wellington Road home.