If you're in the market for some great exhibitions this winter, London is the place to be. Here’s a look at some of
my favourites.
The
Cheapside Hoard: London’s
lost jewels
Museum of London to April 27 2014. Admission £10
A dramatically lit
exhibition of late 16th and early 17th century jewels and gemstones, found hidden under a floor in nearby Cheapside in 1912 and displayed together for the first time in over a century. Lots of bling, with contemporary portraits showing how they would have been worn. Left is a cameo of Elizabeth 1, c. Museum of London. No bags allowed in – you need a £1 coin for a locker before going through security.
(See
my previous post http://greenjottings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/buried-treasure-cheapside-hoard.html for a more detailed look.)
Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in ancient Colombia
British Museum, to March 23, 2014. Admission £10
Another
blockbuster, which looks beyond the legend of El Dorado, sometimes imagined as a lost city
of gold, sometimes as a man covered in powdered gold. It shines a spotlight on
the varied cultures which existed across the region before the arrival of the
Spanish in the 16th century. It makes the point that gold was not
valued as a currency, but had great symbolic meaning, and was seen as giving divine
power to the elite. There are more than 300 stunning objects, many reflecting
the natural world, such as golden masks of jaguars, bats and frogs. Others use
textiles, feathers, stones and ceramics. Some have come from the Museo del Oro in Bogota and are being displayed in the UK for the first time, while others are from the British Museum’s collection. (Some were featured
in the Gold of El Dorado exhibition at the Royal Academy in London in 1978.)
More
details at www.britishmuseum.org
Paul Klee:
Making Visible
Tate
Modern, to March 9 2014. Admission £15
There are
plenty of the bold blocks of colour that characterise many of Klee’s paintings,
but as this exhibition shows, he was constantly experimenting and trying new
forms of expression, both representational and abstract. There are
delicate line drawings, watercolours, oils, even some sorties into pointillism.
They’re hung in the order in which they were created, thanks to his meticulous
recording and cataloguing, so you can see how he developed different
themes and moved from one idea to another. Be aware that it’s a large
exhibition – 17 rooms, covering his whole career.
More at www.tate.org.uk
Georgians
Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain.
British
Library, to March 14 2014. Admission £9, under 18s free.
A
fascinating glimpse of a society not dissimilar to our own. Unprecedented economic,
social and cultural changes in Britain
under the Hanoverian kings meant the Georgians enjoyed leisure activities such
as shopping for luxuries, reading fashion magazines, gardening, picnics and
sightseeing. They loved balls and assemblies, visited new museums and
galleries, followed the fortunes of celebrities and went to the pantomime. This exhibition shines a spotlight on the
years between 1714 and 1830, with books, paintings, letters and costumes. A bonus
is a recreation of a Georgian garden (left) which you can see for free in the Library
forecourt. And if you want to discover more about this era, the exhibition guide
includes a walking tour that takes in some of London’s finest Georgian museums – all within
a short distance of the British Library.
More at http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/georgiansrevealed/index.html
Hello, My
Name is Paul Smith
Design Museum to March 9 2014. Admission £11.85.
Sir Paul
Smith’s career in fashion spans more than 40 years. This exhibition takes you
on a journey from the minuscule first shop he opened in Nottingham
in 1970.to the global reach of his empire today. On the way, you see a recreation of his Aladdin’s
cave of an office in Covent Garden, London, examples of his many design projects
(including one of his beloved striped Minis), some of the paintings and objects which have inspired his
work, and a personal selection of clothes from his archive (below).
A fascinating look at the creative process of
this British fashion legend. Further information: www.designmuseum.org
