Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.
Back home again and grounded by train strikes. I managed to get out on Tuesday to see the new look Tate Britain. My verdict? It tells the story of British Art from Tudor ruffs to modernism really well. I especially love the room given over to a Georgian style gallery hang. The contemporary additions came across as clunky, as did the explanation boards in each room. Last week we visited the Antwerp Fine Arts Museum also newly rehung, with a colonial history to grapple with and there the modern interventions and interpretation seemed more natural.
Wednesday Wishes this week has Civilisation, a photographic exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, the Design Biennale at Somerset House, the primary colours of Isamu Noguchi at White Cube, a major survey of modern Abstraction at Gagosian, Jake Elwes at Gazzeli Art Room and the London Gallery Weekend. What have I been reading on the train? The excellent Vintage Vacation by Maddie Please.
All the flags are out in Epsom this week for Derby Week. The Oaks and the Derby are for every one, you can put on your glad rags for a day in Grandstand or you can head to middle of course on Epsom Downs and see the action for free. Once the horses have done racing there is a huge fun fair in the middle of the Downs. Getting to Derby Day will be tricky this year with a train strike planned so make sure you check before heading off to the station.
Get your diaries out. A couple of theatre things have caught my eye. At the end of June A Midsummer Nights Dream comes to Opera Holland Park complete with music by Mendlessohn. I always love Holland Park Opera and Figure, who play on period instruments, are one of my favourite ensembles. Promises to be an excellent night. In a completely different part of town. A multi storey car park in Peckham, quite hard to imagine two more different venues. The Multi-Story Orchestra is part orchestra and part young performers over the summer they are performing four works. Two at Bold Tendancies (the top floor of a Peckham multi storey car park) and one at the Southbank Centre. We are heading to Peckham in July. Take a look this Youtube video for a taster of their amazing meld of orchestral and contemporary.
If you fancy a jaunt out to a stately home and still hanker after some Coronation magic then head to Blenheim Palace. Blenheim has dug out Coronation robes worn for previous Coronations and put them on display. Well more than robes. Cornonets, photo albums and the kind of stuff you have lying around when your family has a three hundred year association with the Royal family.
Happy Culturing
Catherine