This much-lauded return of one of Frederic, Lord Leighton’s final RA submissions is not quite as exciting as intended. Perhaps best to see it in Puerto Rico where it’s the star of the show? Flaming June It’s not normally the Royal Academy I come to for small, free exhibitions. The National Gallery is a more […]
A series of painstakingly constructed sketches reveals much about the nature of the artist in Frank Auerbach. The Charcoal Heads at the Courtauld Gallery. Frank Auerbach. The Charcoal Heads It’s fascinating sometimes how much you can glean from a few simple works. In this case a series of charcoal sketches, completed by Frank Auerbach in […]
The Hayward Gallery’s current exhibition, When Forms Come Alive, is visually impressive. But does it do the artists and artworks a disservice by not going beneath the surface? When Forms Come Alive There is no doubting that this is an aesthetically pleasing exhibition. Instagrammable, even. From the first space you enter, where soft, organic forms […]
An exhibition centred on remarkable drawings, Holbein at the Tudor Court is marred only by having to jostle with fellow visitors to get close to the works. Holbein at the Tudor Court If you call an image to mind when you think of Hans Holbein, it’s likely a member of the Tudor court. Probably someone […]
A thought-provoking and deeply reflective exhibition, Entangled Pasts, 1768-now looks inwards and outwards to examine the Royal Academy‘s entanglements with British colonial history over the centuries. Entangled Pasts, 1768-now “What does it mean for the Royal Academy to stage an exhibition in 2024 that reflects on its role in helping to establish a canon of […]
Art, history, and women’s stories intersect in Women of the RNLI at the National Maritime Museum, marking the charity’s 200th anniversary. 200 Years of the RNLI This year, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) turns 200. That’s 200 years of saving lives at sea. Think of the changes during that time: from wooden rowboats heading […]
A free exhibition at Two Temple Place, The Glass Heart explores 170 years of glassmaking in the UK. The Glass Heart On a recent walk along the Victoria Embankment I stopped in a whim at Two Temple Place. Or not quite a whim: I decided it would be a lovely thing to show the friend […]
Two small, free exhibitions at the National Gallery explore artists in depth. Which will your favourite be between Pesellino and his sumptuous colours and Liotard’s portraits observed in soft pastels? The National Gallery’s Latest in Mini-Exhibitions It’s been a while since I’ve been to see the National Gallery‘s small exhibitions. As well as their bigger, […]
The Wellcome Collection’s exhibition The Cult of Beauty is a mirror reflecting back to us the importance we place on ever-changing beauty standards. The Cult of Beauty If there are two things that are certain when it comes to beauty, they are these. That what we consider beautiful changes with the times and in different […]
The Royal Academy exhibition Impressionists on Paper assembles a great selection of artists, media and subject matter. Does it do as well in making the argument that the Impressionists elevated works on paper to the same status as paintings on canvas? Impressionists on Paper We are all familiar with the work of the Impressionists. Even […]
