Britart
Damien Hirst's Tate retrospective - why now?Friday, 04 March 2011Damien Hirst is finally getting his first UK retrospective in a public gallery next year, but the question seems to be, “Why now?” It seems both far too late and far too early, especially since Hirst has made no significant work in some years. That... Read more... |
Modern British Sculpture, Royal AcademyFriday, 21 January 2011Austere, elegant, impressive. Edwin Lutyens’s Whitehall Cenotaph is a thing of beauty, a monument that embodies permanence in the face of all that is impermanent, and solidity in the face of all that is ephemeral. It’s an inspired decision to bring... Read more... |
The Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert & GeorgeFriday, 14 January 2011Radio interviewer: “Are you Royalists?” George: “Of course! We’re not weird.” Gilbert & George may have been accused in the past of being coprophiliac pederast fascists (owing to their love of turds, anuses, young men with cropped hair and... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Monte Carlo: Nouveau Musée Nationale de MonacoSunday, 26 September 2010Famous for its fast cars, casino, and stashing away Sir Philip Green’s gazillions, the principality of Monaco certainly isn’t a destination short on bling, nor a sense of faded, somewhat seedy glamour. So it probably isn’t high on anyone’s list for... Read more... |
A Gothic homage to late fashion iconThursday, 23 September 2010A grisly "shadow portrait" of the late fashion muse and stylist Isabella Blow goes on show today at the National Portrait Gallery. Crafted from taxidermied animals, including a raven, a species of rat linked to the black death and a snake, as well... Read more... |
The Chapman Brothers: Children's Art Commission, Whitechapel GalleryFriday, 27 August 2010When Jake and Dinos Chapman first came to the attention of a wider public at the Royal Academy’s Sensation exhibition, their work came with a parental warning: a sign barring under-18s. After all, naked child mannequins sporting surprised-looking... Read more... |
Learn to walk in Charles Saatchi's footstepsMonday, 16 August 2010Collecting contemporary art needn’t be daunting. Even if you’re just starting out, there are plenty of art fairs that offer a bespoke service designed for the budding collector. But if it’s insider tips from leading collectors and dealers you’re... Read more... |
The The Things Is (For Three), Milton Keynes GalleryMonday, 12 July 2010It’s not often you find yourself in an art gallery with the business end of a bullwhip whizzing inches from your nose. Wielded by a disconcertingly slight, black-haired woman who can barely be half its length, the terrifying instrument defines the... Read more... |
Shock and awe at TateTuesday, 29 June 2010Two recently decommissioned fighter jets are in the incongruous setting of Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries. One plane, polished to a mirror sheen, lies belly-up, like an injured animal; the other hangs suspended from the ceiling, its matt surface... Read more... |
Imagine: Art is Child's Play, BBC OneWednesday, 23 June 2010It took Picasso four years to learn to paint like Raphael, but it took him a lifetime to paint like a child, or so he said. For Brancusi it wasn‘t a case of relearning childhood, but of being careful not to lose it in the first place. “When we are... Read more... |
Art Gallery: Rude Britannia - British Comic ArtThursday, 10 June 2010There’s a rich vein of comic and satirical humour that runs through British art. Hogarth set the trend in the mid-1700s and heralded a golden age of graphic satirists. These included the three masters of the form: Gillray, Rowlandson and Cruickshank... Read more... |
Newspeak: British Art Now, Saatchi GalleryWednesday, 02 June 2010These days, it seems that approaching any new Saatchi exhibition, especially one that promises to be even bigger than all the previous ones held at the multi-galleried, three-storey Chelsea venue, makes the heart fairly sink. How much bigger, you... Read more... |