Category: Art

Black Tulip

You can buy a bag of ten tulip bulbs for less than a tenner and, in April or May, see a display of black flowers. ‘Twas not ever so.

Join the Dots

Radical Harmony, Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists is the official title of the National Gallery blockbuster, on until 8th February. But I prefer the NG’s informal monicker: ‘join the dots, from Seurat to Van Gogh’.

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Budapest Buildings

I usually try to avoid having people in photographs but here the couple emerging onto the steps of the Museum of Fine Arts show its scale and grandeur.

Books and Maps

“The British Library holds more than 150 million items in its collection. British Library Publishing actively publish from the Library’s collection to bring forgotten stories and original non-fiction to new audiences.  We publish thought-provoking books to showcase unexpected treasures from our collections, including maps, manuscripts, great works of literature and rare books.   We are also… Continue reading Books and Maps

The Gaumont

The Cadogan Estate has done its magic on Sloane Street turning it into a shopping boulevard with wider pavements and more greenery. It has already transformed the Duke of York barracks site into a pedestrian precinct with restaurants. Now it is moving west along the King’s Road.

Pictures at an Exhibition

This is a self-portrait in pastel of my great grandmother, Ada Gilbey. She died while giving birth to my great-aunt, aged thirty. Like many Victorian ladies she was a competent artist.

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Categorised as Art, History

Edward Burra at Tate Britain

As I was saying, artists often study the work of their predecessors and pay them homage: Faces at an Exhibition.

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Millet

You know the name, you know he is a 19th century French artist but like me you may be unfamiliar with his work.

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Categorised as Art, Family

The Barber in London

The Courtauld is one of my favourite London galleries but familiarity can breed ennui. I went again yesterday knowing what to expect but I was in for a surprise.

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Faces at an Exhibition

It used to be called the BP Portrait Award, open to British artists under forty. Lucy Willis won in 1992.

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Categorised as Art