Anselm Kiefer

We went to see the Anselm Kiefer Exhibition at the Royal Academy with the kids last weekend. His work is monumental. Kiefer is an artist who inspires on so many different levels. I love the size, the colours, materials and the thoughts and connections Kiefer makes in his works. There are difficult questions being asked regarding our recent German history and our dealings with it. We are let way back through layers upon layers of the history of the world, Paul Celan, Ingeborg Bachmann, Wagner and the Grimms at our side.

This is one of my favourites of this exhibition, made especially for the Royal Academy (till 14.12.2014)

Ages of the World

found here

The Catalogue is worth checking out as is this review in the Guardian. 

Foreign Envoy

greyorgreen

V&A Museum

Ming Dynasty

It's Friday

And greyorgreen is back! An (admittedly ) very long hibernation has come to an end. So ….

 …. Let's infuse some colour into this very grey and wet Friday.

la jeune fille à la perle

from the series Les Revisités

http://davrinche.com

Some time ago I fell in love with this painting by Gaël Davrinch, a french artist whose series Les Revisités is inspired by the great masters (here Vermeer). His paintings are part homage, part flirtation, part irreverence. I don't think he is coming to London soon, but if you happen to be in Shanghai ….

Or get your own inspiration at the National Portrait Gallery this weekend.

Vermeer himself will be the subject of an exhibition this summer at the gallery: Vermeer and Music - the Art of Love and Leisure. Sounds promising!

Have a lovely weekend!

It's Friday

What shall we do this weekend? Endless possibilities!

See Picasso at the Tate Britain (till 15. July),

or stock up on your Monster Supplies (at the Ministry of Stories Store),

or walk London with Bowl of Chalk 'pay what you want' tour to find out new and old things about the city

or just find yourself a nice swing and enjoy the moment

greyorgreen

Whatever you do, have a lovely weekend!

A spot of gardening

If you could see our back garden you would not believe that I am even considering this title for a post. However, although we have covered all our space with an enormous trampoline, living in England you cannot really avoid catching the gardening bug on some level.

found here 
via

Apart from all the fantastic London Parks you can get inspiration at the Chelsea Physics Garden. They are at the moment creating a new part, the Garden of Edible and Useful Plants, which will open on 23 May 2012.

And since this is a big jungle of a city, you could even join the garden guerrillas at night, or - and this is something for the coming weekend - go all tropical at Kew Garden (till 4.3.12)

But if you want to take it one step further, check out the Garden Museum on the South Bank. I recently stumbled across it and need to check it out as soon as it gets a bit warmer. In the meantime I will stick to the warm Green House at Kew.

Have a lovely Weekend!

A different kind of Bookshop

Here is a different kind of independent bookshop - housed in a glasshouse, the Wapping Project Bookshop specialises in art, photography and new fiction. On Thursday evenings the tiny place hosts poetry readings, book presentations etc. It is part of the Wapping Project (check it out here), which apart from art exhibitions etc also has a nice restaurant, so you can make it a real outing should you live quite far away.

found here

If Wapping is too far out of your way however they have relocated from today to fashion shop COS on Regent Street for 2 weeks. Less charming, though, but probably warmer to take your time and browse a bit.

Venice in London

There is quite a haunting exhibition on at the Hamiltons Gallery (till 25. 2. 2012) in London. 'Venice in Solitude' by Christopher Thomas shows the city devoid of people - beautifully shot in black and white, the photographs remind one of another area, another time.

I do think a city does take on a totally different kind of persona once the people have gone and is more than just a collection of buildings.
One can contemplate whether any city is there for its people, representation, inspiration or better be left alone but this could take us quickly enough into the realm of modern architecture and city planning and away from the magic of Venice.

If you cannot make it to the exhibition, Prestel Publishers is releasing the accompanying book with 75 photos and text by the German poet Albert Ostermaier.

found here

Accession Day - the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Today marks 60 years since Elisabeth II ascended the throne. The main celebrations will happen in June but do listen out today for - 41 Royal Gun Salutes in Hyde Park at noon and 62 at the Tower of London at 13.00.

by Lucien Freud

found here

A major exhibition of Lucien Freud's work focusing on his portraits will open at the National Portrait Gallery this coming Thursday (till 27. May 2012)

Leighton House

.. on a miserable early January afternoon

greyorgreen

.. on a lovely late January morning

greyorgreen

Leighton House (close to Holland Park) is a lovely example of 19th century (well-off) artist's home. Victorian artist Frederic Lord Leighton (the only British artist to have become ennobled) sold his first major painting to Queen Victoria and became President of the Royal Academy of Arts. Leighton is associated with the Aesthetic Movement. Wanting to reintroduce beauty to Victorian Britain the aesthetes often blended art from different cultures. You find this e.g. in the main hall or of course the amazing Arab Hall with its beautiful tiles and fountain in the middle. I also love his studio, immense and lit by a huge north facing window, once filled with paint, books and canvases. For me, it is one of these places where you feel you can breath and get inspired, away from High Street Ken and modern day London, by a personality, a style or just one room.

And if you are in need of a strong coffee or a bite to eat after your tour, try Cafe Phillies, which is just 5 min down the road. It has good coffee, a nice atmosphere and does not look like a chain (since I would not recommend going from 19th century Aestheticism to 21 century coffee chain - not healthy)

greyorgreen

Quentin Blake

You cannot remember a book by Roald Dahl without thinking of the fantastic illustrations by Quentin Blake. Even watching the Musical 'Mathilda' last weekend, I unconsciously compared the pictures from his book with the real life characters on stage - pretty close!

If you love this illustrator as much as our family, than you will be happy to learn, that today sees the opening of "As large as life" - an exhibition of resent work created for four hospitals in the UK and France. Also shown are works by William Hogarth and contemporaries who donated their art to the Foundling Hospital in the 1740.

The exhibition takes place at  Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, WC1, from today till 15. April 2012

found here

And if you want to make it a literary outing - the Charles Dickens Museum is just around the corner. It will shut in April for a major renovation project, so get there fast. (why in the year of Dicken's 200th birthday is anyones guess).

Norfolk House Music Room

The Norfolk House Music Room at the V&A contains the panelling from the former Music Room and the doorways from the Great Room of Norfolk House. The House itself, which used to be at London's St James's Square, was demolished in 1938.

Nevertheless you can go back in time and enjoy free concerts every Friday till 23. March 2012, performed by musicians of the Royal College of Music. Sounds like a lovely idea to start the weekend!

the colour of music

can you guess what it is?

found here

via

P.S. As mentioned before, the V&A is open late every last Friday of the month celebrating art and design. On the 27th they will try to warm you up with HOT BRASIL, installations, contemporary music and more.

Happy New Year

One of my many New Year resolutions will be not to miss out on exhibitions, events, plays, concerts .... in other words: be organised!

Charles Dickens

found here

If you feel the same, want to feed your brain (I certainly need it after an indulgent Christmas)

see all the talks, films, exhibitions etc. around Charles Dickens 200th birthday here

check out the weekly Wednesday lectures at the Idler Academy (I wrote a post about them here),

go to the Wigmore Hall and listen to upcoming Soprano Anna Prohaska,

the AA - Architectural Association - has public lectures and events nearly every day

and update your style at London Fashion Week - starts 17. February 2012

via

Can't wait!

Curious?

I only just found out about the Wellcome Collection, a "free destination for the incurable curious". It does sound like a fascinating concept. Based on the collection of Sir Henry Wellcome, whose passion for medicine led him to collect more than a million objects, the aim of the Wellcome collection today is to connect science with art and/or history, explore our relationship with the world of science through exhibitions like 'Sleeping and Dreaming', or 'Life before Death'. This Saturday you can join a Pop-up Anatomy lesson or learn all about a"Charmed Life"!

I for one love these inter-disciplinary approaches.

the line is thin ...
Church of the

Lower Austrian Institution for the Cure and Care of Mental and Nervous Disorder

found here

PS. The museum is on Euston Road, close to the British Library

Wildlife Photography of the Year

Wildlife Photography at the National History Museum ( till 11 March 2012) - stunning!

winner in the category 'creative visions of nature'

Stefano Unterthiner

And somehow, looking at these pictures, I suddenly remember that the Ice Rink is open outside the museum (till 8th January 2012) ...

The Knife Maker

Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo.


Very powerful and inspiring - just the right accompaniment for V&A's exhibition "The Power of Making"
(See here and here, found via SwissMiss)

For your diary

I had a snoop around the more off beaten events coming up soon and found some very promising stuff indeed:

Cerberus Theatre present Max Frisch's Count Oederland at the White Bear Theatre in Lambeth. Check out the review here  and hurry, last show is on the 19th November.

See Dance at the Jerwood Space:  Rough Cuts with Darren Ellis on the 2 December.

Or go and check out London's newest Exhibition space: Two Temple Space and its inaugural show about William Morris (till 29th January 2012) I found out about it on Jane's blog. Thanks!

found here

V&A - The Power of Making

V&A exhibition about the power of making 

till 2 January 2012

The exhibition is showing works by amateurs and leading makers. Will have to have a look this week and find out about the V&A interpretations.

I find this picture already amazing. Can you spot the alphabet? (you probably have to check out the original website pic). 

Wapping Project

found here

What was once a Hydraulic Power Station is now a gallery, bookshop, event space and restaurant. The building itself is only transformed by light, art and drama "an idea, consistently in transition". Not much has been done to alter this impressive industrial building, you will still find the old machinery, green with age, holding their own in this inspirational environment. It was closed down in 1977 and only re-opened in 2000.

Since moving West I have not been back for years now and it is definitely time to re-visit Wapping Project (situated somewhere between the City and Canary Wharf), its art and its food. They do have a very yummy looking menu, and special offers for table for 9. Check it out here and here

found here

Visual Note - V&A Museum

greyorgreen

Sunday Cafe

greyorgreen

Found a lovely, new independent coffee shop in a nice little cobbled area off New Bond Street, called "Everbean" - very relaxed style compared to the racy glitz just down the road. It's on Avery Row, which is part of a nice tiny Quartier with a few more small but sophisticated shops and restaurants (it is Mayfair after all), and around the corner from the Handel House, if you like to fit in some culture, too.

Have a lovely weekend!