A day of Art, Tate Modern style
Wednesday being my last full day of exploring London solo, I tried to pack it in...and succeeded.
The highlights: sushi at Harrods, Philip Guston at The Royal Academy of Art, a bizarre exhibit of Armani clothing also at The Royal Academy of Art, browsing the terrific textiles shop Liberty (which is now much more then textiles and includes lingerie, Alexander McQueen clothes, gorgeous jewlery, etc.), another visit to TopShop (this time with purchases), a brisk walk throught the financial district, and the major event: visiting The Tate Modern. Perhaps the most invigorating, inspiring musuem I have ever been to.
It is in a huge old brick power plant on the southbank. Visitors are greeted immediately with the hazy, yellow glow of the massive first exhibit: Olafur Eliasson's "The Weather Project." The installation takes up the full length (300-400 yards?!?) and height (5 stories) of the massive building. A giant sun eminates yellow light, reflecting on the polished cement floors and mirrored ceiling. Dry ice seeps from the walls, creating a mystical atmosphere. It is stunning. People were miling around, lying on the floor, gazing, sleeping in the atmosphere it created.
In the remainder of the building the galleries are divided not by the typical categories of school, movement, or even chronolgically, but by subject matter: the body, the enivronment, etc. The sheer amount of pieces and the caliber of the work is overwhelming. (Some examples: Monet's water lilies, Wharol's Elvis, Duchamp's fountain, Jasper John's numbers, Bruce Nauman's neon, Twombly's etchings, and on and on and on...)
It was a fantastic experience. It firmly asserts the importance of the movement of modern art and welcomes the world to see it--for free.
Thank you Tate!
The highlights: sushi at Harrods, Philip Guston at The Royal Academy of Art, a bizarre exhibit of Armani clothing also at The Royal Academy of Art, browsing the terrific textiles shop Liberty (which is now much more then textiles and includes lingerie, Alexander McQueen clothes, gorgeous jewlery, etc.), another visit to TopShop (this time with purchases), a brisk walk throught the financial district, and the major event: visiting The Tate Modern. Perhaps the most invigorating, inspiring musuem I have ever been to.
It is in a huge old brick power plant on the southbank. Visitors are greeted immediately with the hazy, yellow glow of the massive first exhibit: Olafur Eliasson's "The Weather Project." The installation takes up the full length (300-400 yards?!?) and height (5 stories) of the massive building. A giant sun eminates yellow light, reflecting on the polished cement floors and mirrored ceiling. Dry ice seeps from the walls, creating a mystical atmosphere. It is stunning. People were miling around, lying on the floor, gazing, sleeping in the atmosphere it created.
In the remainder of the building the galleries are divided not by the typical categories of school, movement, or even chronolgically, but by subject matter: the body, the enivronment, etc. The sheer amount of pieces and the caliber of the work is overwhelming. (Some examples: Monet's water lilies, Wharol's Elvis, Duchamp's fountain, Jasper John's numbers, Bruce Nauman's neon, Twombly's etchings, and on and on and on...)
It was a fantastic experience. It firmly asserts the importance of the movement of modern art and welcomes the world to see it--for free.
Thank you Tate!