Posts Tagged ‘National gallery’
Ideas for a week-end in London: May 13-15, 2011
In my handbag, I have just added some heart-shapes sunglasses. At the first sign of grey sky this week, my colleagues sighed: well, that’s it, summer is over… I much prefer a pinky vision of life.
* And why not start with a rainbow of sweetness? The new Ladurée shop is opening in Covent Garden today. You know where to find me!
* Did you know the Waldorf Hilton serves the most luxurious cocktails?
* Friday will celebrate Museums at night. There is plenty going on but our favourite is the (free) Renaissance evening at the National Gallery: themed tours, music with candelight and kids can com in their favourite costume to listen to a storyteller. Churchill War Rooms offer a 1940ies party (£15.95) with makeovers, the chance to pause with accessories in front of the original 10 downing street door… Quite atmospheric.
* Don’t you love the atmophere in village fetes? This one will have bales of hay, a farmers’ market, a beer tente, traditonal dances…
* Another traditional touch: Morris Dancers take London over for a day!
* Relax on Trafalgar Square for the Asian Vaisakhi festival – this should be a lovely musical afternoon.
* The amazing Marawa will make you discover the fun world of hula-hooping. We have met and she is the most sparkling girl!
* Not a minute to loose – summer means lido-time!
* You won’t remain of stone at Tom Stogdon’s exhibition.
* Cheers to natural wines.
Post-it for the week-end: April 15-17, 2011
Tick-tock, tick-tock, the countdown to the week-end has begun…
* Stop by the Scoop, the Open Air theatre close to London Bridge, for a dose of modernised Shakespeare. It’s free, every evening till April 18.
* Knitting has become so trendy it is now the perfect occasion for a tea party… There is even a funny word for this new fashion: a crafternoon. Even Liberty follows!
* Saturday is Queen’s day in Holland - a national public holiday. Trafalgar Square will have a dedicated market with music and the National Gallery proposes to discover the masters of this colourful country.
* The artist Chantal Powel got inspired by Alice in Wonderland and is recreating this magic on Saturday. Come and have a look – there will even be a Mad Hatter Party!
* Flutter by the Natural History Museum – the Butterfly House is back for the summer!
* Easter’s just arounf the corner. Come and make your own gourmet chocolate eggs and enjoy a cocktail.
* Go ad-Mire the colourful Miro exhibition at the Tate.
* The Royal Wedding has a Marmite effect: love it or hate it!
* Did the London Cooking Club win your heart (or stomach)? Well, it’s time for desert!
* We love the nostalgic touch of The Carter Steam fair, with retro style rides… A few pics from last year this way.
*Uniform is all the chic at Selfridges.
* You know summer’s just around the corner when open air cinemas start popping up again…
* Get some fresh air and have a walk in the Lea valley.
Post-it for the week-end Dec 17-19, 2010
It’s Xmas party time! You know, work ones, drinking and cheering a littl too much with colleagues, sitting all together with a paper crown on your head… So kitsch. So Xmas. We had ours, an indian dinner one, just wanted to rebel against the whole system. Definitely was a first, probably was the last too… How about yours? Anyway, let’s keep on patying this week-end, it will give us an excuse to, hum, forget to do those best wishes cards…
- Why not go for a free Xmas walk on Friday?
- THE address all whisky fans should visit…
- Put a smile on your face with this Norman Rockwell exhibition!
- Who said you could not play with your food?
- Take the kids to a free panto @ the Scoop… or at the O2 funfair!
- Go and burn all the mince pies calories @ a Xmas disco…
- Another Xmas market, on the Docks, this time…
- A quince perfumed tea (and other sweet treats) this way…
- It’s all in the detail with Ben Johnson @ the National Gallery…
- Mulled wine and BBQ this Sunday @ the Phoenix Garden!
- Discover strange historical jewels…
Psssst: £1 menus @ the amazing Café Luc in January – keep an eye on them to know when to book!
Post-it for the week-end Nov 12-14, 2010
Take a pinch of art shows, add a zest of events, a dose of parties and mix: here you go, a happy week-end on the rocks! (the weather will take care of the icy part)
- On Thursday, come and admire the Xmas lights at Covent Garden. Do bring a lover: a kiss under the mistletoe will switch on the 50,000 red and white lights of the giant Xmas tree… On Saturday, kids will get a chance to pet real reindeers.
- Panicking about the ton of Xmas shopping to do? Rush to the Country Living Xmas Fair and fill your Santa sack…
- And all that jazz…
- Where’s Charlie? @ Selfridge’s on Saturday!
- The Lord Mayor’s show is something to be seen once at least in you London life. The parade counts 6000 participants, 200 vehicle, 21 carriages… This year, Hong-Kong acrobats will jump along African warriors and hip-hop dancers. And at 17.00, tadam, fireworks on the Thames!
- Celebrities have a garage sale @ Selfridge’s…
- This way for a vintage fair…
- Come and learn to dance! We love the fact that profits will go to a charity. And you will get to try latin dances, salsa, tano and even… belly dancing!
- Love fashion? Don’t miss the Dior perfumes illustrations by Rene Gruau: Japanese inspired, funny and so glamour.
- Swoon and Know Hope are your favourites? Run to the Black Press Project!
- Forget the Joconde. Come and see more of Leonardo Da Vinci’s paintings.
- Shopping @ Westfield? Relax and keep cool on their ice rink!
What did we forget? Share your tips!
Post-it for the week-end Oct 15-17, 2010
What a strange week, which celebrates chocolate, cocktails and… wool! So, what’s on this week-end?
- Play the arty card. I have tried quite a few opening this week! The Shadow Catchers @ the V&A on photograms - some really great works there. Barbican presents Japanese fashion (and don’t forget their late evening!). You’ll find more fashion @ the Somerset House… Do your gym @ the Hayward with Move! Balance, rings, hula-hoop… Very interactive and playful. If you’re into something more classic, try Canaletto - great paintings of the Venice scene.
- On the street art line, try and get one of the last spaces for Hell’s Half Acre. Right in the Waterloo tunnels and extraordinarily good. The best show I have seen for a while! You will also find Eine and Polly Morgan @ the Moniker Art Fair that opens tomorrow…
- Get ready for Halloween with this themed afternoon tea… (or get yourself this book on monstruously cute cupcakes!)
- Have a free gin and tonic in a Victorian carriage of curiosities. And on the 16th, there is a croquet competition for barmen!
- Alternatively, say cheers in the pop-up Courvoisier…
- Or do you prefer wine? You can also try the Real Food Market…
- Taste some (free) chocolate @ Harrods! Or even better, have a chocolate orgy @ Chocolate Unwrapped…
- Be zen in the British Museum…
- Hop, go and see art in a park for once with the Frieze Art Fair…
- Have a pint in a fab pub…
- Lost your jacket? It may be here….
- Take the kids to cut and pastes paper templates…
- Contribute to this strange harvest @ the Wellcome Collection…
- Sci-fi fans, head that way!
- Go, on, have a very French dinner… you know it is soooo worth it…
- And last, order yourself the cutest cupcake in a jar. Just out of curiousity…
The National Gallery is painting the town red
What a show! The National Gallery clearly is cutting away from its classical looks with moment the Hoerengracht, one of the last works by Ed and Nancy Kienholtz.
What is this all about? The artists recreated a few streets from Amsterdam’s red light district. Same yellow and red lights, same tiny rooms doubled as window shops, same women, waz like, empty look, almost disappearing clothes, compensated by heavy make-up. As if they were dolls in a plastic box. Buy me. Glass cubes cover the body parts for sale.
Vulgar? But also fascinating somehow. You just cannot help but looking. Voyeurism takes over. A curtain only half closed? You’ll find yourself spying. It’s all baout the dark irony of a few walls…
Interesting. And free. Do have a look before criticising the idea!
Hoerengracht
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
Free
Until February 21, 2010
