Pangaea: new art from Africa and Latin America was held at Saatchi from 2nd April to 2nd November 2014. The African and Latin American theme was stunning, and appealed on both emotional and conceptual levels, as many paintings dealt with war, suffering and religious conflicts. The sculpture “Casa Tomada” by Columbian artist Rafael Gómezbarros was outstanding. The artist had used […]
The Henri Matisse: Cut-Outs exhibition ran at London’s Tate Modern from 17th April to 7th September 2014. Built in the former Bankside Power Station, Southwark, the Tate Modern might arguably be one of the most-visited modern museums in the world and it was a great venue for this popular exhibition from one of France’s finest artists. I so enjoyed the […]
The Joan Miró Foundation’s Centre d’Estudis d’Art Contemporani is a museum honouring the work of Spanish artist Joan Miró. This stunning modern gallery sits on Montjuïc hill with a commanding view over Barcelona. The museum houses more than 13,000 items including 225 paintings, 169 sculptures, sculptures, graphics and books, and it provides a superb introduction to the life and work of […]
At the start of the 20th century, Eusebi Güell tried to establish a garden city in the hills of Barcelona where residents could escape the impact of industry and enjoy nature and the associated health benefits. Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí worked on the construction of Park Güell between 1900 and 1914, moving his home there in 1906 and […]
From 11th March to 6th July 2014 the Musee D’Orsay mounted a superb Vincent Van Gogh exhibition based on the essay by Antonin Artaud (1896-1948), Van Gogh, the Man Suicided by Society. Artaud had spent nine years in a psychiatric hospital so was well situated as an artist to write about a painter who is often deemed to be mad. […]
A retrospective of work by Martial Raysse was staged at the Pompidou Centre in Paris from 14th May to 22nd September 2014. It’s the first retrospective of this pop-artist’s work, so at 78 years old, Martial Raysse, a French contemporary of America’s Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, and England’s David Hockney, has had to wait a long time for […]