Pieces of Venice

These elegant collage prints by esteemed pop artist Peter Blake are part of a projected series by the artist based on iconic cities. Blake's first series is on Venice and is, so we are told, inspired by a 2007 visit to the city and its famous biennale of contemporary art. How Blake's kind of populist collage might relate to - or be inspired by - the unpopulist meanderings of the contemporary art world (as presented in Venice in 2007) could be the subject of an interesting debate. What is certain, however, is that, although a bittersweet take on things, Blake's work (such as Dancing, 2008, above) looks - as it so often does - great.