Tag Archives: museums

Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun at The British Library

Victorian Entertainments: There Will Be Fun journey’s back in time to examine how folks spent their free time and got their kicks during the late 19th century. Continue reading

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Preview: Walthamstow International Film Festival

The 2016 Walthamstow International Film Festival runs tomorrow (Sunday 24 July 2016) at Vestry House from 11am to 5pm. Continue reading

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Having a Tiki Time at Musée Quai Branly, Paris

I was visiting Paris from elsewhere in France with just a few hours to play before catching the Eurostar back to London. Poking around Quai Branly was an excellent way to spend my time. Continue reading

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10 Years of Musée Quai Branly

Musée Quai Branly – one of Paris’ coolest museums, and one of my favourites (in Paris and the world) – will celebrate its 10th anniversary with two special exhibitions and an anniversary weekend of free festivities 25-26 June. Continue reading

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Wiener Demeanour: Galleries, Art and Design

Schönbrunn Palace … St Stephen’s Cathedral … the Belvedere … the Albertina … even a cursory list of Vienna’s top attractions packs the sort of artful wallop that would delight even the pickiest of culture vultures. And by all means as many of these (and so many other) places should be included in any sightseeing itinerary of the historic Austrian capital. But that doesn’t mean visitors to Vienna must relegate themselves to an urban escape set only in the past. Continue reading

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Day Trip to Margate

Over Easter weekend, Kemey and I had a really fun time visiting Margate. It was the first time down that way, but it’s safe to say we’re both now keen to return. Already fans of a few fantastic destinations in Kent (Whitstable, Folkestone and Canterbury in particular), we were so glad to say we could add Margate to our list of preferred places within easy reach of London – about 75 miles drive or an hour and a half train ride from Central London). Continue reading

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Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr at Guildhall Art Gallery

Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr opens today (4 March) at Guildhall Art Gallery offering a view of age-old and often secretive happenings in the City of London through the lens of famed Magnum photographer Martin Parr. Continue reading

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The Postal Museum to Open Early 2017

Slated to open early 2017 at the site of the Mount Pleasant sorting office in Clerkenwell, The Postal Museum will aim to bring 500 years of communications history “through the eyes of one of its most iconic services” while offering visitors a chance to experience Mail Rail with rides through disused miniature tunnels of the world’s first driverless electric railway. Continue reading

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Betty Woodman: Theatre of the Domestic at ICA

Theatre of the Domestic, the first UK solo exhibition by American contemporary artist and ceramist, Betty Woodman, is on now at ICA enlivening its galleries with a playful and vibrant collection of mixed media works created within the past ten years. Continue reading

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Window to the World with LG OLED and Bompas & Parr

Promising “maximum picture quality and minimum power consumption,” LG reckons its new OLED TV is a game changer. Continue reading

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Getting to Know Lady Unknown Playwright Lauren Johnson

Lady Unknown is the third production from ensemble group Theatre Untold. As with its two previous productions, the aim of Lady Unknown is to shine a light on a “forgotten historical figure.” This time round that disremembered person is 19th century philanthropist and chum of Charles Dickens, Angela Burdett Coutts. Continue reading

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A Musical Visit to Memphis Sure Sounds Good! (OneTravel)

Love American music? Then get yourself to Memphis, Tennessee where the roots of rock ‘n roll, country, blues and soul are on dynamic display for you see and of course to hear! Have a look at this list for some … Continue reading

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From Field to Mouth: The British Museum of Food opens in Borough Market

Recently opened to the public, the British Museum of Food is an interesting take on British culture from the perspective of what we eat. For the first time in world history, a stunning set of exhibits has been curated to introduce the evolution of how people understand and relate to their food, what part it plays in daily life, and how it is made. Part science museum, part art gallery, and part history tour, it gives guests an interactive seat at the table, inviting them to listen, touch, and yes – taste the exhibits. Continue reading

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#BBQbound: Memphis

It had been more than 20 years since I’d last been to Memphis, and I was glad my BBQ Bound road trip passed through it, affording me the chance to reacquaint myself with this fantastic town so prominently set on the banks of the mighty Mississippi. Indeed, a tour of the best BBQ destinations in the South without a stop in Memphis would have been remiss. Continue reading

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#BBQbound: Dallas

From Austin I headed north to Dallas, a city I’d never visited before and one that I really wasn’t certain whether I’d take to or not. I ended up regretting not having more time to spend there. As for the BBQ, Dallas wound up being one of the tastiest pit stops of my three week road trip. Continue reading

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HR Giger Museum: Creep Fest in the Swiss Alps (OneTravel)

With Halloween looming and long winter nights setting in, now is perhaps an appropriately eerie time to contemplate a visit to the bucolic and lilting countryside around the idyllic medieval village of Gruyeres in southwestern Switzerland. Not for its crisp … Continue reading

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New for Paris: Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton Foundation (OneTravel)

Opened October 2014 in the Bois de Boulogne public park on the western edge of Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton is the city’s newest art museum and cultural center – and is making waves more for the building itself than … Continue reading

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Experience ‘the Wrath of Gods’ This Fall in Philadelphia (OneTravel)

This fall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present The Wrath of the Gods: Masterpieces by Rubens, Michelangelo, and Titian. The focus of exhibition will be one of the finest works by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Prometheus Bound, … Continue reading

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Le Vie della Zagara: Ceramic Dynamic Caltagirone

Caltagirone was one of those places where soon into my time there I started wondered about the price of local property. Could I afford to chuck it all in and relocate? How could I make such a transition work – and what kind of work would I even be able to do if I actually did settle there? Such a feeling of immediate attraction to a place often used to overwhelm me when travelling in my 20s and early 30s. It’s a less frequent – but much deeper and more exacting – experience when it hits me these days. No, I don’t think I’ll actually up and move to Caltagirone (and I very much love my life here in London), but that possibility lingers still in my thoughts as I remember it. And I sorely hope I’m don’t have to wait too long to return there for further exploration. Continue reading

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From Her Wooden Sleep … Ydessa Hendele at ICA

On show now until mid May at the Institute for Contemporary Art, From her wooden sleep … is a major new work by German-born Canadian artist/curator Ydessa Hendeles. Described by the artist herself as a “cultural composition,” the exhibition marks the first time Hendeles’ art has been shown in London. Curated by Philip Larratt-Smith and comprised of more than 150 wooden antique manikins from the artist’s own collection arranged alongside an assortment of historic objects, the exhibition casts a distinctive mood and presents the chance to browse the thoughtfully paused moment of an intriguingly situated tableau vivant. Continue reading

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4 of the World’s Weirdest Museums (OneTravel)

The Met? Meh. The Louvre? Over it. And the Smithsonian? So what, son! Here’s a set of quirky and much more creatively curated museums for your consideration. Read my complete post at OneTravel.

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Goya: The Witches and Old Women Album on Now at Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House

Goya: The Witches and Old Women Album, a new exhibition opening today at Courtauld Gallery, presents the first time a whole Goya album in its original sequence has been reconstructed. Continue reading

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Sponsored Video: Institute of Sexology … Chris, Should We Talk?

So here’s something funny. Invited to publish this promotional video on my blog to help raise awareness of the Wellcome Collection’s The Institute of Sexology exhibition, I was sitting in bed viewing it when something came up and I had to step away from my laptop, pausing the clip at about 50 seconds into it. Then Kemey came to bed, inadvertently giving my screen a glance. Continue reading

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A Victorian Obsession: The Perez Simon Collection at Leighton House Museum

Recently opened with a run of more than four months, A Victorian Obsession: The Perez Simon Collection at Leighton House Museum brings rarely seen masterpieces of Victorian art belonging to the Mexican collector Juan Antonio Perez Simon – the largest Victorian private art collection outside Britain – to the lavish home of one of the late Victorian era’s most celebrated artists. Continue reading

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Jerusalem City Break: Israel Museum

I loved so much of what I got to view at the Israel Museum. Especially amazing was the free Archaeology Tour (volunteer guide Bernice Fogel was brilliant!) I joined. It really made the exhibits come alive with relevance and meaning and helped me get to some of the key items on display most expeditiously. Continue reading

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Jerusalem City Break: Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial

To say I enjoyed my visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, wouldn’t be an accurate account. But, to say it was anything less than the most impactful and moving experience in a very long time would be a gross understatement. Continue reading

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Celebrate Claude Monet’s Birthday (OneTravel)

Claude Monet was born November 14, 1840 in Paris and died December 5, 1926 about 75 kilometres from Paris in his home at Giverny, Normandy. During his prolific career as an artist, he painted hundreds of works of art with a passion to capture his impressions of the French countryside and beyond. With works by the beloved artist and founder of French Impressionism on view across the globe (literally there are numerous “Monets” in museums and galleries on every continent except Antarctica) what better way to celebrate the painters 174th birthday than enjoying the many gifts he left to art lovers? Continue reading

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Did Madrid: Too Hot? Not!

We were in town for the Fiestas de la Paloma (part of Kemey’s planning – I can take no credit). As one of Europe’s biggest street parties, lots of people reckon it’s the most important festival in Madrid, if not the whole of Spain. We had a blast wriggling our wee hours way through the neighbourhood of La Latin – nexus of the celebrations – and being part of the festivities. Continue reading

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6 Exceptional Museums in Basel (OneTravel)

For a city of only about 200,000 people, Basel boasts more museums than cities with more than ten times its population. From the Anatomical Museum of the University of Basel (which was founded by Professor Carl Jung – yes, the … Continue reading

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See Basel: A City Artfully Designed to Please

Keen to take a city break that’s chock full of eye candy treats by some of the world’s greatest modern architects, designers, and artists? Go to Basel. I was blown away by all the fascinating stuff I got to behold during my few days there. Continue reading

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Photos Commemorate 70th Anniversary of D-Day at War Museum in England (CheapOair)

As part of its commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England is running D-Day -The Last of the Liberators, a collection of photographic portraits featuring some of the last surviving British Normandy veterans. … Continue reading

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Amsterdam’s Best Museums (OneTravel)

From the exquisite art of the famed Dutch Masters to a humble home made famous by the diary of a brave little girl whose family had been forced into hiding, Amsterdam’s museums are among the best that Europe has to … Continue reading

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Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story at London’s Natural History Museum

Last week I popped round to the Natural History Museum to catch the Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story exhibition and was so glad I did. It’s a great show chronicling human existence in Britain since the first people set foot here (or at least as far back as the evidence suggests). I recommend going as it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be wowed by the artefacts and items on display. Continue reading

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Top 5 Sights to See in Turin (OneTravel)

Probably the nicest thing about any visit to Turin, Italy is simply having the opportunity to wander round the narrow lanes of the old city and happening upon its majestic galleries and long covered walkways. From elegant and antiquated cafes … Continue reading

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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Torino Unshrouded

Initially pursuing an opportunity to visit Torino (perhaps better known to some of my readers by its anglicized name, Turin) was what eventually led to me coming up with my the full blown “Ham Highway” itinerary. The city was (and I assume still is) keen to have bloggers visit to write about the city. There was a chocolate festival scheduled for when I knew I would be able to go, and I was pretty sure I could get a commission to write about it. The more I looked into Torino, the more I of a hunch I had that it would be the sort of “content rich” place that I’d enjoy checking out. Continue reading

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