Savage hopes:

Who would have thought that by sponsoring a British figurative painter, London firm Bristows could have found a passport into the world of celebrity.

Chris Gollon, the first artist the firm has ever sponsored, is about to hold his latest exhibition, and a private view is being held this week (the piece below, 'The Bathers', was rejected for Bristows' own collection of his work for not fitting in with the office decor).

As when the sponsorship was first announced, the firm is strangely keen to stress that his work is collected by Billy Connolly, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg and Lily Savage - a personality Bristows lawyers are all hoping will be at the viewing, we understand.

Even better, he has shown at a crossover exhibition of music and art which also featured David Bowie, Blur, Pulp, Damien Hurst and Yoko Ono.

So this launch is set to attract a dizzying guest list.

'The names Boy George and Duran Duran have been bandied around,' a spokeswoman tells us with barely suppressed excitement.

Obiter's invite, though, has been strangely lost in the post.