# Visted a good museum lately?



## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

With all of the postings in this new "arena", they are all concerned with the performing arts. I am interested in hearing from those of you out there who are interested in the visual arts. 

I recently vacationed in London, and saw virtually all of the local special exhibitions at major venues there - "Byzantium" at the Royal Academy, "Rothko" and "Cildo Meireles" at the Tate Modern, "Francis Bacon" at the Tate Britain, the Turner watercolours at the Courtauld, "Renaissance Faces" at the National Gallery, "Annie Leibowitz" at the National Portrait Gallery, and "Cold War Design" at the V&A. 

And what have you seen of late?


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## Franko (Nov 11, 2007)

*You had a busy holiday.*

I can only speak from a London perspective of course, I intend to revisit The Wallace Collection soon, the coffee bar with atrium is a bonus.

There an exhibition at the British Library on the theme of Liberty, the venue is one of the best in London, not just welcoming but inexpensive sandwiches available.

If I can find the courage I hope to visit one or two of the medical museums, The Hunter Museum is devoted to surgery, I may need a whiff of laughing gas before I look around it properly.

F.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

I too like the Wallace museum in London, after you've done all the big ones! I like the "new" British Library, THE British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert is phenomenal.

The new de Youngart museum in San Francisco is worthwhile including the architecture of the museum.

Rijsmuseum is great in Amsterdam and of course the Ufizzi and any other museum in Florence!

In NYC the Metropolitan.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

upr_crust said:


> the Turner watercolours at the Courtauld


On an episode of _Red Dwarf_, Lister blew his nose and looked into the tissue. Kryton exploded, "why do you humans always look when you blow your nose? What are you expecting to see? A Turner seascape?"

It's been several months, but I enjoyed a massive Turner exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

I got there close to closing time, and the Hopper exhibit was in the other building, so I missed it. I was irritated by this because when I was in Chicago last December _Nighthawks_ was gone, loaned to the exhibit in DC.

I did get to see the other landmark masterpieces of the Art Institute of Chicago: _American Gothic_ and _Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte_.


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

Here in Canberra we have most of the major cultural institutions in the country, the National Gallery of Australia is about to open a major Degas exhibition, which is something to look forward too in terms of pure visual enjoyment and they also have Blue Poles by Pollock which I sit down quietly with when ever I am in the gallery.

The Australian War Memorial is always good it currently has a Victory 1918 exhibition on, its the third installment of the 90th anniversary of The Great War and Australia's involvement in Europe. When ever I visit Sydney I always find time for the MCA and the Art Gallery of NSW. 

That said its always good to take in smaller galleries to see what is currently occurring, and most the time I enjoy taking in photographic works last week the wife and I went to see a photography exhibition by William Yang who has over the years aside from his photographic work staged some very interesting and stimulating one man monologues where he speaks about the stories in and behind the photographs which he presents in slide format. 

Having a wife that is a theatre and film designer helps keep you stimulated but then the arts, and I say this as a practitioner and as appreciator are something which features prominently in my life.


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## upr_crust (Aug 23, 2006)

*If you're a Turner aficianado, you really need to visit the Tate Britain . . .*

I don't know how deep your knowledge of Turner is, but, if you aren't aware, Miket61, Turner made his fortune by selling reproductions of his large paintings, and retained the majority of his large oils for his lifetime.

These he left to the Tate (now the Tate Britain, which has them housed in their own wing (the Clore galleries, I believe). I took a turn through the galleries when I was there, after seeing the Francis Bacon show (something to life one's spirits - the Bacon was a good show, but hardly a walk in the park, emotionally).

As for the British Museum (mentioned above by others), I saw the new Babylon show which just had opened the week that I was there. Much of the material came from the BM's own collection, or from the collections in the museums of ancient art in Berlin, but the educational materials surrounding the exhibits were informative and thought-provoking.



Miket61 said:


> On an episode of _Red Dwarf_, Lister blew his nose and looked into the tissue. Kryton exploded, "why do you humans always look when you blow your nose? What are you expecting to see? A Turner seascape?"
> 
> It's been several months, but I enjoyed a massive Turner exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
> 
> ...


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## Joe Frances (Sep 1, 2004)

The Medieval Court Christmas tree should be going up soon at the Met in New York. It is something beautiful to see. Additionally, groups such as the Tallis Scholars and the King Singers often give concerts in that space, and makes for a terrific Christmastime event.


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