Tag: THE F art blog

National Gallery London: see Lucian Freud ‘New Perspectives’

Lucien Freud Reflection

Get your tickets into the world of Lucian Freud (same name; not the psychologist you’re thinking of), the artist celebrity has often overshadowed approaches to the artist’s work and the historical contexts in which it was made. This exhibition at London’s National Gallery at Trafalgar Square seeks to present new perspectives on Freud’s art, focusing on his tireless and ever-searching commitment to the medium of painting. Sponsored by Credit Suisse, the exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to see the astonishing range of work and the remarkable artistic development of one of Britain’s finest figurative painters. Think renowned pieces like HM Queen Elizabeth II  (2001, lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection), Girl with Roses (British Council Collection) from the 1940s; to Reflection with Two Children (Self-Portrait) (Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid) in the 1960s and right through to his famous late works, such as The Brigadier, 2003-04 (Private Collection.) As ever at the National Gallery in London, will be an exhibition to journey for and a deep dive into the mind and technical skill of one of surreal expressionists of history. Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said: ’The Freud centenary exhibition at the National Gallery offers the opportunity to reconsider the artist’s achievement in the broader context of the tradition of European painting. He was a frequent visitor to the Gallery whose paintings challenged and inspired him.’ For more and to book tickets, head to the National Gallery website

A 315 year first: The National Gallery London brings Titian’s work back together

National Gallery London Titian

The National Gallery in London is doing something that hasn’t been done in a very, very, very long time. They’re bringing five works by Titian back together for their latest exhibition, Titian: Love, Desire, Death from 16 March to 14 June next year. MORE: The National Gallery’s celebrating Artemisia Gentileschi What does it mean? Well, five of Titian’s greatest works – he was regarded as the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school – of large-scale mythological paintings, known as the poesie, will be brought together for the first time since 1704 at the National Gallery, which for fans of the period is quite the thing. The pieces were painted between around 1551 to 1562 and are amongst the most original visual interpretations of Classical myth of the early modern era and are touchstone works in the history of European painting for their rich, expressive rendering. The paintings that’re being brought together are: Danaë (1551–3, The Wellington Collection, Apsley House) Venus and Adonis (1554, Prado, Madrid) Diana and Actaeon (1556-9) Diana and Callisto (1556-9) Rape of Europa (1562) from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.   The National Gallery’s own Death of Actaeon (1559-75), originally conceived as part of the series, but only executed much later and never delivered, will also be included in London. See more about the exhibition to come and plan your visit to the Gallery at their website. Feature image credit: Apollo

Eat The Problem: MONA’s Kirsha Kaechele opens the new exhibiton

Mona Eat The Problem Kirsh Kaechele dining table

Everything you’d be loathed to see in your kitchen, presented in a striking contemporary compendium of graphic imagery, inspiring recipes, underpinned by social-political commentary: this is Eat The Problem. A book and exhibition by Kirsha Kaechele from MONA in Hobart – read more about the gallery here – Eat The Problem is a sensory experience of overloaded proportions, forcing its viewers to see, feel, smell and taste like never before. Or at least, insanely rarely. Fuelled by the reality that faces the Australian ecological system, that is invasive species, creatures and experiences, the Eat The problem exhibition startles visitors through dazzling light, permitting them to taste colour, feel sound vibrations and participate in movement and music. In a nutshell, Eat the Problem lets visitors engage in various acts of transformation as part of Kaechele’s surrealist exploration of turning flaw into feature using invasive species—including humans—in food and art. Heralded by a gigantic glockenspiel (like a xylophone), that assumes the role of a dining table that’s been illuminated in the full colour spectrum, MONA’s executive chef Vince Trim has designed a menu that uses invasive species such as deer, sea urchin and thistle and transforms them into sumptuous monochromatic dishes for visitors to eat. And if you’re not hungry or would like the full experience, the exhibition allows you to book a session to undergo a range of transformative healing sessions in the gallery, including sound baths, reflexology, massage and hot and cold treatments. “Eat the Problem brings to life the practice of transforming shit into… Read More

See Spain, eat Spain: National Gallery London celebrates Spanish art in more ways than one

National Gallery London fountain

For the Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light exhibition, the National Gallery has introduced some new menus to what’s on offer – read more about that here – but it’s the art on-show by Bermejo alongside it that’s one of the real drawcards. Dubbed the Master of the Spanish Renaissance, Bartolome Bermejo’s exhibition will star at the Gallery until 19 September 2019. On show, pieces of work by the master from the period of about 1440-1501 will be displayed, including six loans that have never been seen outside of Spain, including two of Bermejo’s masterpieces: Triptych of the Virgin of Montserrat and Desple Pieta. The latter was named after Lluis Despla, the archdeacon of the Barcelona Cathedral, where the painting has been since the 15th century. Also right at the centre of the exhibition, the National Gallery will have what’s widely considered the most important Spanish renaissance painting in Britain on display: Saint Michael triumphant over the Devil. Director of the National Gallery, Dr. Gabriele Finaldi said, “The National Gallery’s Saint Michael Triumphant is a supreme work of European 15th-century painting. The exhibition introduces the public to Bermejo, a great Spanish renaissance master with exceptional loans never before seen in Britain.” See more about exhibition, alongside the rest of the summertime exhibitions at the National Gallery at the Gallery’s website.

MONA museum in Hobart: Why you need to go right fucking now

MONA Hobart

When it comes to MONA – the Museum of Old and New Art – in Hobart, there’s one thing it has plenty of: stories. Sure, there are the tales of the debaucherous parties that went on in the gallery’s earlier hey-days. The fact it’s privately owned and how and why that came to be. The stories of its political disdain; the owner’s penchant for personal gratification through a gallery hacked into the side of a mountain; it goes on. One thing is for certain, though; there’s only one story that matters, and that’s that it’s a damn good time. There’s nothing but one hell of a cultural awakening that is a far cry from what you’d expect to come out of Hobart, but 8 years prior. MONA is the art gallery that put Hobart on the map, turned up the city’s tourism quota and sits at the pinnacle of wholesome Australian experiences that can only really be found in our southernmost city. The city itself is known – if anything, for its work over the past few years alone – for quality. Quality food, wine, art, experiences, hotels, road trips, scenery, oxygen. Much like the rumours of the existence of MONA, what you can take away from a trip to Tasmania is as wide and varied, but one thing is constant: quality, stories and the whole array of it all. The gallery almost sits atop it all. Though it’s about a 20 minute trip from the centre of town – a journey easily embarked on… Read More