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LONDON FOR FUN Newsletter: 05 May 2009 Issue No.171

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http://www.londonforfun.com
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1.) Top 10 London events
2.) Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries
3.) How to unsubscribe

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1. Top 10 London events
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1 - Le Corbusier - The Art of Architecture - This is the first major survey in London of the internationally renowned architect in more than 20 years. This timely reassessment presents a wealth of original architectural models, interior reconstructions, drawings, furniture, vintage photographs, films, tapestries, paintings, sculpture and books by Le Corbusier himself. It also features important works by his collaborators and artistic contemporaries such as Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant. Until 24 May. www.barbican.org.uk

2 - Picasso: Challenging the Past - Displaying some 60 works by the artist, this exhibition invites visitors to re-explore the National Gallery’s permanent collection in light of Picasso’s fascination with the Old Masters. The exhibition is organised thematically, showing how Picasso repeatedly returned to the great subjects of the European painting tradition, analysing them as his personal style developed in myriad directions. Sections include self portraits, the Spanish tradition of male portraiture, the female nude, still life, and the seated female figure. Until 7 June. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

3 - Framing Modernism: Architecture and Photography in Italy 1926-1965 - This exhibition investigates how the development of Italian modernist architecture was recorded and shaped by photography providing a clearer picture of the often shifting but symbiotic relationship between the two disciplines. The exhibition consists of around 100 period photographs drawn from the RIBA British Architectural Library Photographs Collection which contains 1.5 million images and is generally considered one of the outstanding archives in its subject field. Until 21 June. www.estorickcollection.com

4 - Michael Raedecker: line-up - A new exhibition by London-based artist Michael Raedecker includes new paintings and a selection from the last 8 years. He uses a unique combination of thread and paint to create his atmospheric paintings. They derive from and also reinvent different genres from the history of art including still lifes, landscapes, ruins and flower paintings. Before starting each painting, Raedecker questions its legitimacy today. Why this motif? What is the current relevance of the genre? The diversity of the images in the paintings shows his fascination with the possibilities and limitations of the medium. He treats their heritage with both nostalgia and suspicion. Until 28 June. www.camdenartscentre.org

5 - BP British Art Displays: Turner/Rothko - The links between these two artists are well documented. After visiting an xhibition of Turner’s works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1966, Rothko reportedly commented that ‘This man Turner, he learnt a lot from me’. A few years later, Tate’s renowned Turner Bequest was a major influence on Rothko’s decision to donate nine of his Seagram murals to the Collection. For the first time, Tate Britain visitors are able to move directly from the immersive, meditative environment of the so-called ‘Rothko Room’ into a display of Turners from the 1966 MoMA exhibition that Rothko attended. These include a key selection of loose, experimental watercolours, such as A Pink Sky above a Grey Sea c.1822, and Storm Clouds: Sunset with a Pink Sky 1833, which demonstrate the striking affinity between these two great painters. Six works from Rothko’s Seagram series are on show, as is a selection of other works by the artist. Until 26 July. www.tate.org.uk

6 - Bob Dylan 1966 European tour: Photographs by Barry Feinstein - Photographs of Bob Dylan's 1966 European Tour by Barry Feinstein will be displayed for the first time in London at the National Portrait Gallery in May. These photographs offer a rare insight into the time when Dylan was arguably at his most controversial and iconic. Having taken the portrait of Bob Dylan that appeared on the sleeve of his 1964 album The Times They are A-Changin, Feinstein was commissioned by LIFE magazine to photograph the 1966 European tour. It was on this tour that Dylan was famously jeered on stage for using an electric guitar. The photographs on display were taken in Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, London, Bristol, and Paris. These are not conventional hackneyed shots of Dylan performing but a private view of an introspective Dylan captured amongst the endless hotel rooms, engagements and travel involved with the tour. From 11 May until 30 August. www.npg.org.uk

7 - BP Portrait Awards 2009 shortlist announced - record number of entries - Following a record number of entries, three artists have been short-listed for the BP Portrait Award, one of Britain's most prestigious art prizes. This year the prize received 1,901 entries, an increase of over 10% on last year. For the third year running, the competition has been open to all aged 18 or over. 56 portraits have been selected for the exhibition which will be shown at the National Portrait Gallery from 18 June to 14 September. www.npg.org.uk

8 - Futurism - This exhibition will be the first large-scale showing of Futurism in Britain in thirty years. The movement set out to modernise Italian art and social attitudes and its influence spread across Europe and beyond, revolutionising the response to the dynamism of modern life. Its master of ceremonies was the poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and this exhibition celebrates the centenary of his publication of The Founding and First Manifesto of Futurism in 1909. A core group of artists – Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla and Gino Severini – pledged its enthusiastic adherence to Futurism and abandoned the art and culture from the past. The Futurists embraced a celebration of modern technology, speed, and city life and they often painted urban and industrial scenes. The fascination and experience of cars, trams and airplanes is frequently represented in their subject matter together with the use of bold and strident colours on the canvas. From 12 June until 20 September. www.tate.org.uk/modern

9 - French Porcelain for English Palaces: Sèvres from the Royal Collection - This exhibition brings together around 300 pieces created by the pre-eminent European porcelain factory of the 18th century. The finely painted and gilded works by Sèvres were loved by royalty, aristocrats, connoisseurs and collectors. The factory’s unrivalled techniques and revolutionary methods of production appealed to their liking for the rare, exotic and extravagant. The Royal Collection contains the world’s finest group of Sèvres, much of it acquired between 1783 and 1830 by George IV, who popularised the taste for French porcelain in Britain. From 23 May until 11 October. www.royalcollection.org.uk

10 - Mariscal - Drawing Life - The Design Museum presents the first UK retrospective of Spanish designer and artist Javier Mariscal. Regarded as one the world’s most innovative and original designers of our time, Mariscal’s rich and diverse body of work spans kooky cartoon characters to stunning interiors, from furniture to graphic design and corporate identities. The exhibition and graphics will be designed by Mariscal, promising an immersive experience for the visitor into the world and mind of Mariscal. The exhibition space will be a fully illustrated environment, rich with orchestrated scenarios and installations, each telling the story of Mariscal's pivotal projects, designs and the drawings that shaped them. Sketches, designs, films and photographs will be on display alongside furniture and textiles. Mariscal will also design and paint an elaborate mural for the exterior of the Design Museum showcasing his unique vision and signature design style. From 1 July until 1 November. www.designmuseum.org

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2. Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries:

Events listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/events-in-London.htm

Theatre listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-theatres.htm

Museum listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-museums.htm

Galleries listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/galleries-in-London.htm

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