Brian Eno @ Selfridges

Since it flung open its doors at the beginning of the twentieth century, Selfridges department store in London has enjoyed an unique and enduring relationship with the arts, with creative talents as diverse as Noel Coward, Ivor Novello, Mario Testino and Sam Taylor-Wood all having worked with the store over the years.

So it comes as no surprise then, that ambient music legend and all-round genius Brian Eno has chosen the store to be the first London venue to exhibit his ‘generative art’ work, 77 Million Paintings, a work that must surely make him the most prolific artist of all time.

Luminous is the first large-scale installation of this work. At its core lies over 300 paintings done over a 30 year period. Eno has created a multi-screen installation with software that selects, mixes and overlaps up to four images at a time to create constantly changing paintings - 77 million permutations - while layers of ambient audio set the mood.The result is a dreamy, hypnotic and, frankly, welcome respite from the retail experience, which cements Eno’s reputation as the most innovative and intellectual man in pop.

Luminous: 77 Million Paintings by Brian Eno; 27January-11 March; Ultralounge, Selfridges, Oxford Street.