[andy popp]

For me though the most extreme contrast of reaction between seeing the reproduction and the original was the Rothko Seagram murals. 

This come up amongst some of my FB friends last week. I've had the privilege of seeing the Seagream Murals twice, both times in Liverpool. I was kind of interested in Rothko before going but was completely unprepared for how powerful and transporting the paintings are. Transcendent, as you say Moose.

[moose]

I think the knowledge of the murals' history and the sombre setting was a factor in my response.  The Tate had taken great pains to create an appropriate environment; I recall seeing a documentary showing how the curators agonised for years on matters such as bench design!  However, the works themselves, when seen in the flesh, had a visceral quality I was unprepared for; the topography of the paint, thickly trowelled on, seemed to give them both a physcial and an emotional texture.

[galpinos]

I really enjoyed the Warhol exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery (Manchester). I ended up re imagining Warhol not just as a pop-art money-maker, but as a darkly satirical artist. Some of his self-portrait prints in particular were almost a bit disturbing.

Totally forgotten this was on. Cheers for the reminder!

[jfdm]

Went to RA teachers evening last week to look at the American After the Fall exhibition.
Was brilliant, seeing American Gothic was amazing.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/6565
Grant's works reminds me of Stanley Spencer, working at a similar time, content/execution similar.
The Gothic arrangement looks really simple, but the more you look at it, the more you notice repetitions that Grant used to create the image. These aren't obvious from the reproductions much more noticeable in the flesh. It is rightly a revered image and lucky to have it London for a while.
One word of warning this exhibition is in the small galleries upstairs in the RA, rooms tight and I expect it to be rammed.
Yesterday went back to look at the Revolution - Russian Art, this was rammed, a bit of a hodgepodge, there was some great Kandinsky's and the Malevich install was brill.
Both exhibition are worth a few hours of any bodies time.
Showing how economic/political turmoil effected culture in these two countries.

The question I would like to know is it just coincidence that these two shows are on together at the same time? Could Russia not put on a show without American culture flexing its muscles? Or for Trumps and Puts are these shows about soft power for both nations? Or just coincidental in there timing?

The other thing is the American infiltration of recent RA shows.
The Head of Learning is American and wonder how much of the curatorial staff are American. Just a thought not a conspiracy.

[cjsheps]

For me though the most extreme contrast of reaction between seeing the reproduction and the original was the Rothko Seagram murals.  Although, I suspect fore-knowledge of their history was critical to my reaction.  Rothko was commisssioned to paint them for the Four Seasons restaurant in  New York but then became agonised and returned his advance due to misgivings about decorating an expensive restaurant where the patrons would spend “obscene amounts of money” and pay no attention to his work. Rothko supposedly said “I accepted this assignment with strictly malicious intentions. I hope to ruin the appetite of every son of a bitch who ever eats in that room.”  He held back the murals and they were dispersed around the world.  I saw an exhibition of them at the Tate and it was a transendentally gloomy experience.

This is brilliant. Just had a look at the murals - he did a good job at communicating a "closed-in" feeling.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

If anyone's around Keswick in the next two months check out Henry Iddons exhibition at the museum.

http://keswickmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/event/instanto-outdoors-exhibition/

Contemporary photographs by Henry Iddon, taken with a 100 year old Underwood Instanto Camera previously used by the Abraham Brothers, whose early 20th century climbing images accompany the exhibition.

[Disclaimer: H is a mate of mine, but I'm not getting paid for this post.... ]

[steveri]

If anyone's around Keswick in the next two months check out Henry Iddons exhibition at the museum.

That'll be good. I've been a fan since bumping into 'Spots of Time' at the Brindley in Runcorn. Funnily enough I reconnected with an old schoolmate after seeing him on  http://www.henryiddon.com/Forton-Stories

[Will Hunt]

I'm in the Westminster area on Wednesday. Finish work at half 2/3. Need to be at King's Cross for a train at half 6.

Anything that I ought to do in the interim? Either gallery or museum, I think. Last time I was in a similar scenario I went for a tour of Parliament and it was amazing. If anyone can recommend some good quality fast food (like some nice noodles or something) that I can get on the way then even better.

[SA Chris]

What have you done?

Bit of a detour, but I find the Tower of London a fascinating place. Great if you can join one of the walking tours (or even part of one), the Beefeater's knowledge and delivery is brilliant.

If there is no queue, the royal bling is pretty amazing to see.

[Falling Down]

British Museum is close to Kings X Will.  Free entry and loads to see.

Lots of nice noodle places nearby too.  I can recommend Hozi (25 Theobolds road) Korean - delicious and cheap.

You could swing by the British Library as it’s next to the station.  The public exhibition of historic books is really something.  Free and easy to get in and out.

[Will Hunt]

Sounds bomber, FD. I don't suppose you've been to the Troy exhibition at the BM? At £20, it seems a bit steep but it's had very good reviews. Will Gompertz suggested that you might already need a functioning understanding of the mythology to get the most out of it, which I certainly don't have beyond what I've seen in Hollywood films.

[mark20]

The Grant Museum of Zoology is nearby, free and quite interesting. Basically lots of animals pickled in jars. It’s quite small though and I don’t think many would stay longer than an hour or so

[Will Hunt]

That sounds almost too good to miss. Reminds me of that museum find from Manchester (I think it was found by TomTom). The stuffed goat sporting a very fine blue jumper. With absolutely no explanation as to why it was wearing a jumper.

[andy popp]

Anyone interested in things pickled in jars should check out the Mutter Museum (should they find themselves in Philadelphia that is) - a particularly gruesome and disturbing history of medicine museum.

[HarryBD]

Off topic but if you are at all interested in Greek mythology then Stephen Fry’s Mythos & Heroes books are amazing for an accessible and well-strung-together overview. Shocked me how plagiarised the bible and Shakespeare’s works are... I’ve the audiobook of Heroes that I think I should be able to share with you over audible. DM me if you’d like it.

[Will Hunt]

DM me if you’d like it.

Yes please 

[SA Chris]

Anyone interested in things pickled in jars should check out the Mutter Museum (should they find themselves in Philadelphia that is) - a particularly gruesome and disturbing history of medicine museum.

Likewise Aberdeen Uni if anyone has some time to kill https://www.abdn.ac.uk/about/campus/zoology-museum-387.php

[slab_happy]

Closed until next year, but for history of medicine and Things In Jars, I highly rec:

https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums-and-archives/hunterian-museum/

[slab_happy]

The Grant Museum of Zoology is nearby, free and quite interesting. Basically lots of animals pickled in jars. It’s quite small though and I don’t think many would stay longer than an hour or so

But! Looks like that's super-close to the Petrie Museum, one of my favourite ever London museums, so you could visit both:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/petrie-museum

Tiny two-room museum crammed with some of the most breathtaking ancient Egyptian artefacts I've ever seen -- like a child's ragdoll that's thousands of years old.

[tomtom]

That sounds almost too good to miss. Reminds me of that museum find from Manchester (I think it was found by TomTom). The stuffed goat sporting a very fine blue jumper. With absolutely no explanation as to why it was wearing a jumper.

Thats the Natural History Museum at the University (Oxford Road). Part of its now being re-built. But (for families) they now have a small coffee shop and indoor picnic area on the top floor... The stuffed goat is a Mouflon. No idea why it was wearing a blue jumper - City colours though...

[Falling Down]

Sounds bomber, FD. I don't suppose you've been to the Troy exhibition at the BM? At £20, it seems a bit steep but it's had very good reviews. Will Gompertz suggested that you might already need a functioning understanding of the mythology to get the most out of it, which I certainly don't have beyond what I've seen in Hollywood films.

Hi Will - I've got a membership for the museum, it's 60 quid per year but gets you into all the exhibitions and talks without charge plus a members room and cafe where I go to study. You don't have to queue to get in and there's a 10% discount at the cafe and shop.  I feel like Howard Carter or a character from an HP Lovecraft novel when I'm in the members room and library  .   I went to the Troy exhibition over the christmas hols.  It's really good but was quite busy when I went during holiday time so will go again when it's quiet.  When do you come down as I could slip you my card?  Unfortunately I'm interviewing in the morning and then in our monthly management meeting all Friday afternoon otherwise I would have ducked out 'for a meeting' and taken you in or just given you my card.  OK, how about this?, just swing by my office as it's only 5-10 mins walk away and I'll duck out quickly and give it you, you can drop it back afterwards at the desk downstairs. DM me and I can send you my number.

The exhibition is good.  I must admit that my recent studies into Greek mythology (Footnote - to understand what Jung is  about really demands a quite intimate knowledge of this stuff) and reading the Iliad and Odyssey a couple of times certainly enhanced the experience for me 'cos I largely knew the stories and who they all were.  There's plenty of explanatory boards and stuff but it's mainly statues and pieces of pottery with people on them, so on face value it might be disappointing for twenty quid.  There's some interesting art - in fact the best piece of the whole exhibition is Cy Twombly's 'Vengeance of Achilles' which is amazing and then a whole section of how the Iliad, Odyssey and legends of Troy in 19th C and 20th C art that's pretty good.

Anyway, if you fancy it DM me.  This goes for anyone else - Duncan, Sean, csl, Yossarian - who live nearby or anyone who's visiting.  I've got two cards for me and W so feel free to use them anytime. Just tap me up on here or directly.

[Muenchener]

Not entirely local for most on here, but I was a fantastic Dürer show at the Albertina gallery in Vienna recently.

The permanent collection there at the Kunsthistorisches Museum is also amazing - not surprisingly I suppose on reflection, given that the Habsburgs were the most powerful and influential family in Europe all through the time when the best sutff was being painted. Bruegel's Hunters in the Snow alone is worth driving five hundred miles to see.

[Will Hunt]

That's a really kind offer, Ben. Thank you! I'll send you a PM 

[Falling Down]

My pleasure - have messaged you.

[Will Hunt]

FD's recommendations certainly delivered. The Troy exhibition is really good and I needn't have worried about not having enough background knowledge. Walking round, I realised that nearly everyone must know the basics of the Iliad and the Odyssey from reading the stories as kids.
I saw an incredible amount of VERY old stuff. I get a real sense of awe when I get to stand in front of something that was made in 500 odd BC (that's right. B fucking C!). To think that it was held by someone that long ago and has survived intact.

I just about had time to dash around a few other things before leaving. Highlights were a single-use disposable clay cup that was made in Crete 3500 years ago and a 17th century silver-gilt huntsman automaton. Imagine this: a beruffed huntsman wearing gaudy regalia; he carries a long spear which he points in front of him; he is hollow, and can be set into motion by clockwork. His purpose? Getting lashed with your mates. The figure would be filled with wine and whoever his spear should point to when he stopped would have to neck the lot.

Now, at a metre in diameter and weighing over 17Kg, the Regency silver Shield of Achilles, with Apollo bursting forth in his chariot, may look impressive, but this could not give me the same pleasure as the 1st Century AD Roman medical toolkit that I later happened upon. Not only were there some gnarly looking catheters but also a genuine RECTAL SPECULUM. It looked like the kind of thing you might find attached to Fiend's chalkbag.

A grand couple of hours. Thanks, FD!