Jean Cocteau and the Saint
May 20, 2018
These brilliant sketches show that, even to the surprise of ‘the Saint’ author Leslie Charteris, Jean Cocteau was a fully paid-up fan of Simon Templar. … More Jean Cocteau and the Saint
Category: Art
Tate St Ives Virginia Woolf exhibition
May 7, 2018
Just a day before it closed, I was lucky enough to see the recent Tate St Ives show which used Virginia Woolf’s life, writing and ideas as a starting point for an exhibition of art, craft and activism by women over the last century or so. I’ll add some pictures below but for now … More Tate St Ives Virginia Woolf exhibition
The Sky in a Room, Ragnar Kjartansson
March 10, 2018
It’s a sort of twilight in this room. People are sitting on folding chairs or the floor, leaning against a wall or holding their knees in the middle of the room, sitting alone or in small groups. Some of the children are restless, two of them are lying on their fronts, heads held in their … More The Sky in a Room, Ragnar Kjartansson
Adam Dant, Election Artist 2015
November 29, 2015
This is my photo of the finished artwork by Adam Dant from the UK General Election of 2016, ‘the Government Stable’ which is on display in Portcullis House in Westminster. You can read more about it and see explanations of what all of it means on Parliament’s website here and you can see all his sketches from … More Adam Dant, Election Artist 2015
Carmen Mills paintings, National Assembly for Wales
October 29, 2015
These splendid splashes of colour are on display in the office-block part of the National Assembly for Wales and they deserve being shared more widely. They’re by Carmen Mills who’s based in Aberystwyth but that’s all I know about her. Here’s the link to her blog. And here are some more of her abstracts which are … More Carmen Mills paintings, National Assembly for Wales
Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition, Aberystwyth
October 25, 2015
While covering a conference at Aberystwyth Arts centre there’s usually a chance to have a quick look at whatever exhibitions are currently there. This weekend that meant seeing the excellent photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe. It’s part of the Tate’s Artist Rooms on Tour project which you can find out about here. It’s on at Aberystwyth till … More Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition, Aberystwyth
Friday Picture: Gwen John
October 3, 2014
When I was in Birmingham this week I managed to grab twenty minutes to take a quick look around the city’s Art Gallery. Not a great deal of time, but just enough to see this Gwen John painting. Like so many of her portraits of women, this one is withdrawn and lost in thought. But … More Friday Picture: Gwen John
Friday Picture: Daphne Oram by Victoria Morton
September 26, 2014
Another one from Edinburgh’s National Gallery of Modern Art but this time a very recent image. It’s of electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, who co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Orchestra. The artist is Glasgow-based Victoria Morton. I think the mish-mash of bright colours probably match the strange new sounds she was producing in that studio.
Friday Picture: Pablo Picasso, ‘Mère et Enfant’
September 18, 2014
I’m posting this week’s picture a little early because I’m expecting my Friday to be a little busy! I’m in Edinburgh covering Scotland’s independence referendum and managed to snatch a couple of hours to feast my eyes on this jaw-droppingly beautiful city as well as to pay my first visit to the Scottish National Gallery … More Friday Picture: Pablo Picasso, ‘Mère et Enfant’
Friday Picture: ‘A Conversation’ by Vanessa Bell
September 12, 2014
I snapped this recently at the Virginia Woolf exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I stood, stared, went away and came back again, several times. Wonderful. More thoughts here.
