London: favorite recent exhibits?

Old Sep 1st, 2015, 09:43 AM
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London: favorite recent exhibits?

Hello

The day rapidly approacheth. I have a long wkd in London coming up in a few days.

I have a full dance ticket already but should have time for at least one if not two museum exhibits. I am in the midst of perusing Time Out, Londonist, etc.

What were your favorites from a recent visit?

I'm staying in Covent Garden area but will be roaming all over.

Thank you for any thoughts!
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 10:53 AM
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Presumably "exhibit" is a quaint colonial word for "exhibition", and by "museum" you mean what English speakers call "museums and art galleries". As a matter of interest, what do you call exhibits (the things museums and art galleries show all the time) in your funny lingo?

This is a bad time to ask people what exhibitions they've recently enjoyed. Summer exhibitions typically finish around August 31, the first couple of September weeks (when most people are still driving home from Tuscany or working out the new school run) stay fallow while they change over, and the autumn exhibitions usually start around Sep 15ish.

If your long weekend is sort of Sep 3ish to Sep 7, there's scant pickings. The Hepworth at Tate Britain is still on and liked by those who can stand 20th century British public sculpture: personally I'd happily consign all her, and Henry Bloody Moore's, oeuvre to a redundant coal mine. The next goodie at the British Museum is the Celts - from Sep 25, though there's a nifty drawing in silver show from Sep 10. Tate Modern's doing Pop Art from Sep 17, and Calder in Nov (that'll be good), but nothing much right now.

The Royal Academy's got a nice Joseph Cornell show on right now, and an interesting display about its buildings as well. Its big galleries are being cleared for Ai Wei Wei, who's even ghastlier in my view than Moore & Hepworth rolled into one - and probably weighs more than the two of them put together. The British Library's finished Magna Carta, though there's an installation in its courtyard (www.crossroadsofcuriosity.com ) they keep on sending me bumpf for and I still can't understand. The National's got a sweet show about frames (well worth seeing), but they're saving up for their Goya blockbuster in Oct.

The NPG's still showing Audrey Hepburn (well she did immigrate here briefly, and their Van Dyck (not Dick: Sir Anthony, who was also a Dutch immigrant so he's eligible too) show is about the first autumn show this year: opens Sep 4. The Courtauld summer show ("unfinished paintings") is still on till Sep 20, but I've not seen it.

I'd plump for the Van Dyck, followed by Cornell. But you may be better rewarded seeking out exhibits (as we say in English) you've overlooked in the past than temporary exhibitions. The British Museum Gallery of Enlightenment is always worth revisiting.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 11:57 AM
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Audrey Hepburn, say no more. I would have stopped by NPG anyway and what a treat this will be. I will be near the Courtauld so that will be easy too.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 12:21 PM
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Ouch. She's speaking neither quaintly nor unintelligently - and it's clearly typed in English by what I'm guessing is a fluent, if not native, English speaker. Just because one continent uses words differently doesn't mean the writer isn't speaking the same language - the language is the same though the meaning may be slightly different. With that in mind, please don't roll your eyes the next time an American (we are not "colonial", and haven't been for over two hundred years) or another native English speaker (Canadian, perhaps?) looks at you strangely when you speak of the boot of your car. It's the same situation. No need to be condescending about it.

OP, I'm married to a Brit and go to London/the south coast quite often (my brother in law lives on the outskirts of Windsor/Camberley and my MIL lives in Southampton). You're looking in the right places for current information. Also check out specific websites for specific museums: the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate (not a fave of mine, I must admit), the V&A (Victoria and Albert), the British Museum, and the Imperial War Museum all have permanent and rotating exhibits that I've enjoyed many times on my trips. I haven't been over recently (I was last there at Christmas), so I can't advise on current specifics. I do know I could spend (and have!) hours in the V&A and the British Museum and still know I've not seen everything there is to see there....

The London Transport Museum is in Covent Garden, and despite its name is actually very interesting. They had an exhibition there the last time I went at Christmas about the London home front during WWI and how that war began changing the culture, with women going to work outside the home for the first time for the Transport service and how London came under attack during the war. So it's not all train tracks and trains at the Transport Museum.

The Capital also has charming, out of the way, "niche" type museums...I don't know what your interests are, but the Huntarian and the Old Operating Theatre are fascinating glimpses into 19th century medicine (and many have never heard of nor visited either of them). I'm a nurse practitioner, so of course I'm drawn to such things. There are others with a different sort of focus, and Time Out London is a great place to stumble across some of them. For example, London has a fan museum (I think that's the only one in the world, actually) and a toy museum. I've also been to the Foundling Museum (pretty interesting, actually!)I bet the average tourist has never heard of many of those types of places.

I've seen a lot of fine art in my day - some of it in the US, some of it in England, some of it in Europe. Art's not my thing even as I have an appreciation of it. But history - I love history - I go to museums and exhibits and the like to see things I can't see anywhere else (the Rosetta stone - the Elgin marbles - the eagle that was on top of the Reichstag when the Russians liberated Germany, riddled with bullet holes). There's plenty of that sort of thing to see in London.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 12:55 PM
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Thank you TiggerToo! Excellent information. I was just in London in February and at the time visited the IWM - it's an old favorite of mine, too. I love the tiny niche museums! I was hoping someone would come across this and say they stumbled into some hole in the wall museum and saw "xyz". In 2013 I joined the British Museum just so I could get same-day tickets to the Pompeii exhibit... and I joined the Barbican in order to get my Hamlet tickets (the reason I am coming over this wkd).

I love the London Transport Museum!

Ol' Flanner says stuff like that a lot, pay him no mind.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 01:24 PM
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Shoes is still on at the V&A . . . Doesn't hold a candle to the recently closed Alexander McQueen but is fun.

But in general flanner is right - this is sort of the dry spell before the autum season starts.

Of course all the museums/galleries have interesting permanent exhibitions
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 02:30 PM
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Wait! Wait! I think the Fallen Woman exhibit is on at the Foundling Museum. Hang on, I'll check...

Shoot, not until Sept 25. I would love to see that one myself.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 05:51 PM
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I believe there is an exhibition/exhibit at the London Transport Museum, perhaps closing soon, of illustrations about London. I saw a blurb for this on either Londonist or TimeOut London and it looked intriguing, and might be just the sort of exhibition/exhibit to fill in a corner of your weekend, and it would be close to home for you, so to speak.

I think I also read about an exhibition of restored Titian paintings at Apsley House. Also perhaps they have something on for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo?

The National Theatre does backstage tours; I know that's not exactly an exhibition or museum but thought you might be interested. I think they are offered most days and are about an hour in length.

I'll have a look in my notes and see if there's anything else that jumps out at me.

We will be in London in October, so I'm making my final list of what's on at all the various galleries and museums. I would be interested to hear about anything you particularly do, or do not, enjoy. (But, please, no Hamlet spoilers without a warning!)

Hope you have a good trip!
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 06:22 PM
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Hi FLYGIRL,

I always enjoy your posts. You might consider the WALLACE COLLECTION'S 300th commemoration of the death Louis XIV.

The museum is housed in HEREFORD HOUSE off Oxford Street, the ducal residence of the 4th Marquess of Hereford, art collector extraordinaire and his illegitimate son Richard Wallace who bequeathed the collection and property to the nation around 1900. They invested heavily in French art after the Revolution of 1789.

I can't overlook FLANNERUK's jibe -

"Presumably "exhibit" is a quaint colonial word for "exhibition", and by "museum" you mean what English speakers call "museums and art galleries". As a matter of interest, what do you call exhibits (the things museums and art galleries show all the time) in your funny lingo?"

Wow, doesn't he take every opportunity to stick it to us Yanks? Yet, he took the time to fill you in on current offerings. But I have to admit - this guy really bugs me!

Let us know how you enjoyed London...
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 06:52 PM
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Flygirl, I just came back to mention, to you and to others, that there is a good listing of events large and small on the Ian Visits website: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/

Perhaps you will find something interesting there, if none of the above exhibits/exhibitions suit.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 10:51 PM
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Hi Flygirl,
I was going to recommend the Sonia Delauney exhibit at the Tate which was FABULOUS though not heavily attended. Unfortunately it's now over. It's certainly true it's a bit of a turn over period for exhibits.

In terms of < the tiny niche museums> you mentioned looking for I have a few suggestions...

Have you ever been to The Estorick a very interesting collection of Italian Futurist Art in Islington ? It'

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ck-museum.html

In Kensington I'm a fan of the Leighton House if you want something more traditional. You can combine it with a visit to the rood garden on Kensington High street which could be fun. Or it works in combination with the nearby 18 Stafford Terrace a charming and astonishingly preserved Victorian house. You would need a reservation for a weekend visit.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...sambourne.html

Another unusual place to see (though I'm getting away from the art gallery side of things would be taking a tour of the Art Deco Freemason's Hall right in Covent Garden. It's quite fascinating, I think you have to book on the weekends.

http://www.freemasonry.london.museum/tours/

Or see parts of the permanent collection at the British Museum that you may not know, the Islamic Gallery or the Percival David collection...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ection-at.html

Hopefully some of these are new. Hope you have a great time, sorry we couldn't conjure up an fab exhibit for you!
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 06:31 AM
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Interesting suggestions, I am saving this list for my own upcoming trip.

Here is an article from the Londonist with a list of recommended exhibitions this fall:

http://londonist.com/2015/08/10-exhi...to-this-autumn
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 09:59 AM
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Hi NIKKI,

Thanks for suggesting LONDONLIST - what a great site - I was not familiar with it.

Glad to hear that you are traveling again.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 12:16 PM
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You guys are FABULOUS. Thank you. Now to go through the suggestions...
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 01:44 PM
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I just visited the Riviera exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum. I had expected it to be over, but it was extended into September. Bathing costumes/swimsuits.

I visited Freemason Hall this morning with my UK-based sister, and we were both very impressed.
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Old Sep 9th, 2015, 07:53 AM
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After all that, I only had time for Audrey. I saw her twice. I bought a membership to the NPG in order to do so - I took a friend the first time and went back the next day.

Three days in London went very, very fast.

Thank you for all the great suggestions!
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Old Sep 10th, 2015, 10:11 AM
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I take it that means you enjoyed the Audrey Hepburn exhibit/exhibition/show/display/whatever you call it?

Maybe I'll put Audrey on my list for October. I'm glad you had a good visit!
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