Tom Kerridge
    Top picks from the Collection:

    Tom Kerridge

    10 artworks | 8:15 minutes

    Top chef Tom Kerridge has a longstanding love of art; his wife is a sculptor and he was a good friend of the late Sir Anthony Caro. Against the bustling backdrop of his two Michelin-starred pub, he tells us about some favourite works in the RA Collection – starting with the gruesome tale of James Legg, a 19th-century murderer whose corpse was skinned, crucified and cast in plaster as a teaching aid for the RA Schools.

    To find out more about each of Tom’s top picks, click on the artwork title.

    Thomas Banks RA, Anatomical Crucifixion (James Legg)

    Thomas Banks RA

    Anatomical Crucifixion (James Legg) , 1801

    This sculpture is an actual cast of someone who murdered somebody… it's not a make-believe piece. It’s very real, it’s pretty dark, it’s pretty gruesome, but there’s something about it I absolutely love.

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    David Nash RA, Crack and Warp Column

    David Nash RA

    Crack and Warp Column , 2006

    Using wood in sculpture is something that I’ve watched my wife do for many years, and these pieces grow more beautiful the older they get. They’re constantly changing, there’s something very warm and lovely about that.

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    George Dance RA, Three praying figures

    George Dance RA

    Three praying figures

    There’s something about sketches I fall in love with. How artists work from something that’s very simple and then grows into a beautiful piece of work is something that I can relate to as being a chef: the understanding of how you produce a dish, starts off with a basic raw ingredient.

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    Eadweard Muybridge, Ostrich; running

    Eadweard Muybridge

    Ostrich; running , 1872-1885

    An ostrich is a funny looking animal anyway, so the idea of seeing it in this situation is fantastic. It’s a great, fun photograph, I think it’s a wonderful little piece.

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    D. Brucciani & Co (London), Richmond Aphrodite (Roman copy of a Greek original)

    D. Brucciani & Co (London)

    Richmond Aphrodite (Roman copy of a Greek original) , 400 BC-300 BC?

    There’s so many sculptures in stone or marble that are based on the human body, but there’s something very beautiful about this. And the fact that it’s from about 300 or 400 BC, how cool is that?

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    Sir William Orpen RA, Le Chef de l'Hôtel Chatham, Paris

    Sir William Orpen RA

    Le Chef de l'Hôtel Chatham, Paris , ca. 1921

    The chef in this painting is very statesman-like... chefs were always seen as working-class guys, but here he looks like he could be sat on horseback, about to go into battle. But the thing I really love is that there’s such a point made of his wedding ring.

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    Sir Hugh Casson PRA, Military airfield

    Sir Hugh Casson PRA

    Military airfield , c.1940-1943

    This drawing is really a reflection of an age. We’re the last generation that actually knows someone that was in World War II, so it’s very emotive.

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    Henry Dixon & Son, The Water Colour Room, 'Exhibition of Works by the Late Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema R.A., O.M.'

    Henry Dixon & Son

    The Water Colour Room, 'Exhibition of Works by the Late Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema R.A., O.M.' , 1913

    I love this photograph... you want to be very quiet, you feel like you’ve been invited into the gallery after-hours, there’s nobody else there. There’s something very special about being in a gallery all on your own.

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    Sir Anthony Caro RA, Cascade Series 'Mouchoir'

    Sir Anthony Caro RA

    Cascade Series 'Mouchoir' , 1990

    This sculpture grows, it evolves, it feels alive, it feels like it’s moving – but at the same point, it’s a rusty old piece of metal. I absolutely adore the way that Tony works.

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    Anne-Katrin Purkiss, Sir Anthony Caro R.A.

    Anne-Katrin Purkiss

    Sir Anthony Caro R.A. , 1998

    This is a picture of a great man. Sir Anthony Caro... he was such a beautiful and an amazing human being and his work is incredible.

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  • Tom Kerridge is a chef and TV presenter who runs The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, the UK’s only pub with two Michelin stars. His latest cookbook, Lose Weight For Good, was published in December 2017.

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