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Posts Tagged "art exhibitions"

6 Nov

Coming Up at London’s Small Galleries: Michelangelo, Cezanne and Paul Nash

Posted by Jenny in Arts 1 Comment

Antonio Montauti, Diana, c.1720-40Yesterday, three of London’s smaller galleries, The Wallace Collection, The Courtauld Gallery and Dulwich Picture Gallery announced their exhibition programmes for 2010.

Less well-known than many of London’s bigger galleries, these galleries have their work cut out attracting visitors in the difficult economic climate. Happily, they’ve responded to the challenge with gusto, and these exciting exhibitions should attract plenty of attention and visitors:

The Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection has been busy refurbishing, creating new galleries, and generally having a bit of a refresh. It’s holding four contemporary exhibitions next year:

  • Beauty and Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Collection of Peter Marino, 29 Apr-25 Jul 2010
    Exploring the powerful world of bronze sculpture, through the collection of distinguished New York architect Peter Marino
  • Poussin to Seurat: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Scotland, 23 Sep-19 Dec 2010
    Magnificent examples of French drawings including many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists
  • Shhh, it’s a Secret, 4 Feb-28 Mar
    Curated by twelve local school children, an interactive exhibition, unlocking the secrets behind some of the pieces from the permanent collection
  • Delaroche Paintings, 24 Feb-23 May
    A special display of Paul Delaroche paintings to complement the new major exhibition at the National Gallery, Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey.

The Courtauld Gallery
The Courtauld Gallery also have some big names in their upcoming exhibitions:

  • Michelangelo’s Dream, 18 Feb-16 May 2010
    Examining Michelangelo’s celebrated drawing, The Dream of Human Life, this exhibition also looks at closely related drawings by Michelangelo, as well as letters and poems by the artist
  • The Courtauld Collects: 20 Years of Acquisitions, 17 Jun-19 Sep 2010
    A celebration of the rich selection of works acquired by The Courtauld over the last 20 years
  • Cézanne’s Card Players, 21 Oct-16 Jan 2010
    The first exhibition to bring together the majority of Cézanne’s beautiful paintings of peasants playing cards. It also explores closely related paintings by Cézanne

Dulwich Picture Gallery
Paul Nash, Landscape from a Dream, 1936-8, Oil on canvas, 67.9 x 101.6cm, Tate, London. © Tate, London, 2009.jpgSituated in leafy Dulwich, take the chance to get out of Central London and visit this historic building. It’s only 12 minutes from Victoria by train!

  • Paul Nash, the Elements, 10 Feb-9 May 2010
    Examining Paul Nash’s work by theme, including landscapes as well as classic images of both World Wars
  • The Wyeths: Three Generations of American Art, 9 Jun-22 Aug
    Andrew Wyeth was loved by the American public, but less well received by the critics. See his work, alongside that of his father, son and sister in this exhibition
  • Salvator Rosa: Bandits, Wilderness and Magic, 15 Sep-28 Nov
    Brooding, dark and expressive paintings by rebellious artist and poet Salvator Rosa

Dulwich Picture Gallery is celebrating its bicentenary next year – so watch this space for news of how they’ll be marking the occasion.

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29 Oct

Points of View: 19th-Century Photos at the British Library

Posted by Hannah in Arts No Comments

Don Juan Carlos, Duke of Montizon, The hippopotamus at the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, London, 1852

This happy hippo is just one of the photos on display in the British Library’s new exhibition, Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs.

The show documents the development of photography, from the camera obscura, to work by photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, and the rise of holiday photos and celebrity snaps.

If you thought the paparazzi were a modern phenomenon, think again! Even Charles Dickens complained about being followed by photographers. You can see pictures of Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Queen Victoria and many other well-known figures.

Other highlights include fascinating portraits of everyday life in Victorian Britain, some of the first photos of overseas countries and their inhabitants, and examples of the Victorian trend for spirit photography.

I took a tour with the exhibition’s curator, John Falconer, who brought the show to life perfectly. He’ll be conducting several free gallery talks – try and catch one if you can.

Points of View is at the British Library from 30 October to 7 March. Entry is free.

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12 Oct

Museum of Everything: A Treasure Trove in Primrose Hill

Posted by Hannah in Arts 3 Comments

Nek Chand, Cloth Figures, c. 1980

Celebrity-filled Primrose Hill will soon have a new attraction: the quirky Museum of Everything.

Located down a side street in a former dairy and recording studio, the Museum of Everything is well worth seeking out.

Set up by collector James Brett, the museum is a showcase for art created outside the mainstream.

There are works by disabled artists, eccentrics, and people who feel the need to create things for their own reasons.

There is a celebrity connection too: much of the work is endorsed by celebs ranging from Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave to Grayson Perry and Peter Blake.

You enter through what looks like the door of a tower block, to find yourself in a cosy cafe, where you can buy tea served in mis-matched cups and saucers.

There’s also a shop, in the style of the big museum shops, selling Museum of Everything merchandise.

The gallery spaces range from a cavernous warehouse to a small, dark room styled to look like a chapel.

Highlights include colourful figures by Indian roadworker Nek Chand, disturbing fairytale illustrations by American recluse Henry Darger (David Byrne is a fan), and weird pre-teen mannequins by amateur sculptor Morton Bartlett (selected by Turner Prize-winner Grayson Perry).

There’s also a series of talks and events featuring art world luminaries like Jarvis Cocker and Serpentine Gallery director Hans Ulrich Obrist.

The museum falls into the “pop-up” category. When I visited the organisers weren’t sure exactly how long it would be open for, but hoped it would be there until Christmas.

Make sure you check it out while you can!

The Museum of Everything opens on 14 October. Entrance is free.

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6 Oct

Turner Prize at Tate Britain

Posted by Hannah in Arts No Comments

turner_prize_hiorns_539_crop

The Turner Prize exhibition opens today at Tate Britain and, as ever, it’s guaranteed to be controversial.

Roger Hiorns’ work includes a heap of dust from an atomised passenger jet engine, and sculptures made from cows’ brains.

Enrico David’s exhibits include two papier-mâché egg men, while Lucy Skaer’s installation features the huge skull of a sperm whale.

Richard Wright’s work is the most traditional: an intricate gold-leaf painting on a white wall in an otherwise empty room.

Is it art? The exhibition’s on until 3 January, so head down to Tate Britain and decide for yourself!

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29 Sep

Pop Life: Art in a Material World at Tate Modern

Posted by Hannah in Arts 3 Comments

Reconstruction of Keith Haring's Pop Shop at Tate Modern

If you’re into contemporary art, you’ll definitely want to see Tate Modern’s new exhibition, Pop Life: Art in a Material World.

The show features work by many groundbreaking artists, including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons.

Across 17 rooms, Pop Life charts the way that artists have embraced commerce and celebrity in an increasingly multi-media world.

The show starts with a look at the work of Andy Warhol, who once proclaimed, “Good business is the best art.”

Warhol sold his services as a portrait artist for a fixed fee, and you can see his paintings of celebrities such as Mick Jagger, David Hockney and Grace Jones.

Other items on show include copies of Warhol’s Interview magazine, advertising images, videos of the artist and friends in the Factory studio, and wallpaper covered with pictures of Warhol’s face.

In the following rooms, you’ll see the work of a new generation of artists, who followed in Warhol’s footsteps and became part of mass media culture.

One highlight is a recreation of Keith Haring’s Pop Shop, which originally opened in New York in 1986.

The shop has been faithfully reconstructed at Tate Modern, complete with black and white patterned walls and 80s house music. You can even buy Haring’s sew-on patches, badges and t-shirts from a hatch in the wall, manned by staff from the Tate shop.

Other must-see exhibits include:

  • Damien Hirst’s glittering Memories of / Moments with You, made from gold and diamonds
  • A metalic bronze room containing the work of Pruitt Early (Rob Pruitt and Jack Early), whose work explores popular conceptions of race and adolescence
  • Images of artist and porn star Cosey Fanni Tutti, whose exhibition at the ICA was taken down after people complained about the adult content
  • A gallery dedicated to the Young British Artists, including items from Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucus’s shop in Bethnal Green, East London

Allow a few hours to walk around the entire exhibition, and prepare to be starstruck!

Pop Life: Art in a Material World opens at Tate Modern on 1 October.

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25 Sep

Design Museum Announces 2010 Exhibitions

Posted by Hannah in Arts, Attractions No Comments

One Laptop Per Child by Yves Behar, Winner of The Brit Insurance Design Awards 2008

The Design Museum today announced a wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions for 2010, covering all aspects of design, from architecture and products to photography and fashion.

The first new show, Sustainable Futures – Can Design Save the World?, opens on 31 March, showcasing designs that could help us live more sustainable lives in the future.

(If you’re interested in sustainable design, don’t miss the Royal College of Art’s current exhibition, Sunny Memories, where you can see prototypes of new solar powered products – from a glowing bench to a mobile charger for homeless people.)

Back at the Design Museum, an exhibition of photos by David Adjaye also opens on 31 March, documenting the architect’s journey through Africa, and celebrating the continent’s rich diversity of culture, buildings and urban landscape.

Next up is Illustrated Fashion, opening on 23 June, which features some of the world’s most recognised fashion drawings, including work by Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons and Victor & Rolf. The original drawings will be displayed alongside key garments from couture houses.

Then on 22 September, British architect John Pawson  – whose commissions include the Cistercian Monastery of Novy Dvur in Bohemia, Calvin Klein’s flagship store in Manhattan, and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – gets a chance to show his work.

Although the contents of Pawson’s exhibition are still to be confirmed, you can expect touchable exhibits, walk-in buildings, large-scale photos of architecture, and a biographical account of how Pawson lives in his own home.

Finally, two of the Design Museum’s regular shows return next year.

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year opens on 17 February. Around 100 designs shortlisted for the prestigious prize will be on display at the museum, arranged in seven categories: architecture, transport, graphics, interactive, product, furniture and fashion.

And from now until March 2010, the Designers in Residence scheme continues, with emerging designers invited to take over an area of the museum.

With a possible move to a new location at London’s Commonwealth Institute in 2013, and a packed year ahead, these are exciting times for the Design Museum.

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