which began, on the evening of Thursday 7th March, with a trip to the Barbican to experience The Bride and the Bachelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns. Quite a mouthful. The exhibition focuses on Duchamp's interaction with and influence on four key American creators after he moved to New York in 1942. The main …
Category: art
cut and paste
What a revelation the current Tate show, Schwitters in Britain, is. Although the main focus is on late work by Schwitters, made after his arrival in Britain as a refugee in 1940, the exhibition does include work from earlier periods in Germany and then Norway, and highlights the breadth and inventiveness of his art throughout …
magic, danger, fear
magic, danger, fear: the first words I jotted down last night, sitting in the hushed gallery space of the Parasol Unit, listening with intense concentration to Ian MacFadyen talking about the Third Mind. We were there for On beat, an event billed as exploring 'some of Beat culture's most evocative moments and its ongoing legacy …
not quite hibernating
It's dark by four and we're in the middle of a sustained cold snap, but a hardy, not to say hardened, culture-vulture will still be tempted out by a private view or two. Last week, it was the opening of NULL OBJECT: Gustav Metzger thinks about nothing at WORK. The exhibition is the culmination of …
cinq nuits à Paris
Zut alors, we packed a lot in. Five nights, six days, in tourist-crammed Paris. Our visit coincided (unintentionally) with the English half-term holidays. Weather as changeable as Melbourne, or London. Downpours, and glorious autumn sunshine. Paris art overload: the Pompidou Centre, just after it opens, straight up to level 5 for early Dada and surrealism. …
evening buzz
A fine evening on Friday. Balmy would be overstating it, but spring was in the air, it hadn't rained for over a day, and it was light well beyond eight thirty. Near perfect conditions for the private view of the open studio exhibition at Johnsons Island. Brentford Is Brilliant, banners on the streetlights proclaimed, with …
stones and spots
Two cultural outings in this last week. On Monday, to Kings Place for an evening of challenging music performed by Ilan Volkov and friends. I know Volkov as a conductor and have seen him in this role at a couple of Proms concerts. Monday's event was a very different affair, much more initmate and informal. …
two for a tenner
To the Hayward Gallery yesterday evening and for one ten pound ticket got to see two stimulating exhibitions: Jeremy Deller - Joy in People - an overview of Deller's work from the last 20 years. I really like the spirit of his work: enquiring and politically engaged. He's interested in communities and their (often unheard) …
a fair fortnight
Two weeks since we returned from Melbourne, and here are a few things that have eased my adjustment back into London life: The weather. We've had a spell of glorious, almost summery weather. Clear blue skies, temperatures into the low twenties, hazy sunshine. Crisp mornings and balmy evenings. Warm enough to sit outside a pub …
melbourne calling
Ten days down and six to go of our short trip to Melbourne. Ignoring the vagaries of the weather, we have packed in quite a lot, in between catching up with family and friends. Highlights so far: Cafe culture. It would be easy to believe all Melbournians spend at least a third of their time …
Hilaire 