Follow Up Friday
A little summary of the week that’s just been!
Including art history news, DIY tips, exhibition & literature reviews, auction announcements, etc.
Email me with your ideas. I’d love to hear from you.
1. Getty Virtual Library Online…for FREE!
This is the best news I’ve heard all week! You can search catalogues, then choose to download them or view them online. The books in the Virtual Library come from three of the Getty’s programs: the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The selection will continue to be updated with more works making art history even more accessible. Check it out here.
2. How to Curate a Great Collection
Grace from Design*Sponge writes about twenty great collections. The items that are featured aren’t high art pieces, they are everyday objects just displayed in a beautiful way. This makes a project like this accessible to anyone, she writes:
From tiny deer figurines and mirror collections to stunning framed botanical prints and shadowboxed handkerchiefs, these homes have used so many creative ideas for displaying collections without them feeling overwhelming, or by relegating them to closed books and cabinets somewhere.
Be sure to check out her post, which is jam packed with ideas and photographs. You’re sure to find some inspiration.
)
3. Vikings: Life and Legend Opens at the British Museum
Yesterday saw the opening of the BP sponsored exhibition on the Vikings. It’s the first major exhibition that the British Museum has put on featuring the Scandinavian explorers in thirty years. Opening in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, the exhibition has been developed with the National Museum of Denmark and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and focuses on the core period of the Viking Age from the late 8th century to the early 11th century. It’s aim is to go beyond the brutal stereotypes and look at the more human history of their cultural. On until the 22nd of June, tickets are £16.50 and are available for purchase here. Bettany Hughes and the wonderful Art Fund have created a little behind the scenes video (see above) of the exhibition. If you register for their National Art Pass you get 50% off the ticket price.
4. Aurora Borealis!
The Northern Lights illuminated the skies of the United Kingdom. BBC featured a collection of stunningly vibrant photographs taken from many different locations around the country. The last time the phenomenon could be seen this well in the Isles was almost twenty years ago. Check out more of the stunning photographs here.
5. Women of the Wallace Collection
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. To commemorate the occasion the Wallace Collection have written a post which highlights all of the women featured in their collection.
From the patron, to the artist, to the painted face there can be little doubt that women played a significant part in shaping the Collection that exists today.
Housed in Hertford House in Manchester Square, the Wallace contains exquisite examples of a fine and decorative art. A hidden gem off of Oxford Street, it’s usually a quiet oasis away from the tourists and hustle and bustle of shoppers. Here’s the best part: admission is free! With the money saved, you can get a cup of tea in the café.
