For me though the most extreme contrast of reaction between seeing the reproduction and the original was the Rothko Seagram murals.
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.
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.
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.
If anyone's around Keswick in the next two months check out Henry Iddons exhibition at the museum.
DM me if you’d like it.
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.
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
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.
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.