I’ve had a busy morning; I went to two gallery exhibitions in my pyjamas.
There’s no doubt we’re living in strange and unsettling times. If there’s one small positive we can take from the current crisis, it’s highlighting the importance of the role that creative industries can play in our lives.
In the last few weeks I’ve been to plays I could never get tickets to, exhibitions that are usually crowded and concerts I could only imagine being on the front row of.
My own little exhibition went online this year too: https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/favourite-places/
Here’s the two I ‘walked around’ this morning.
Royal Academy of Arts - Picasso and Paper
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/picasso-and-paper
I didn’t initially buy tickets to see this exhibition but I kind of wish I had now. Picasso painted well into his nineties and so there’s generally a lot of opportunity to see his work throughout the world.
Whilst I love a Picasso exhibition when I see it, the title of this one made me think I probably wouldn’t be missing much. Today’s online tour of the exhibition definitely made me think otherwise.
At one point it explained that Picasso is ‘endlessly resourceful’ and this really comes across. The exhibition shows Picasso’s love of creating art out of pretty much anything and everything, from hotel letterheaded paper, to wallpaper samples. Cut-outs and collages helped to shaped some of Picasso’s most famous works, from Guernica to Weeping Woman.
One of the most interesting parts about this exhibition is how most of the work on display has even survived! Some are just frail scraps of ripped paper, others are massive cardboard costumes. I’ve no idea how they’ve been preserved but I’m glad they did.
Tate Modern - Andy Warhol
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/andy-warhol/exhibition-guide
The exhibition is a biography of Warhol’s life, showing his transition from commercial illustrator to the creator of some of the most iconic images in recent history. In particular, the exhibition focusses on sexuality and Warhol’s experiences living as a gay man during a time of significant cultural change.
There are some important works on display, including images from Silver Clouds, marking his transition from artist to filmmaker.
Overall, I came away with a better understanding of who Andy Warhola was (he dropped the ‘a’ when he moved to New York) and a much better awareness of who and what inspired him before he became a modern-day icon.
I don’t think anyone is saying an online exhibition will ever replace getting up close and personal to actual works of art, but I still came away from both feeling I understood more about the artists and their works. Let’s hope they are still running once we’re able to leave the house!