Posted by Frances Spiegel

The British Museum is attracting record numbers of visitors to its various exhibitions such as Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler and Professor Munakata's British Museum Adventure, a display of manga – Japanese comic art.

During Winter 2009 the Museum is offering a broad range of activities specially designed for young families including arts and crafts, photography, film shows and digital design. These articles give further information.

British Museum – Winter 2009 Events for Children

British Museum – Winter 2009 Fun for Children

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The British Museum is planning a wide variety of new shows for 2010.

The shows will feature work by Italian Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Angelico.

Also on display will be West African Art from the Kingdom of Ife (pronounced ee-fay).

There will also be a major exhibition that will examine the meaning and content of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

British Museum – Leonardo da Vinci Coming Soon gives more information about these three major exhibitions.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The latest exhibition at London's Fashion and Textile Museum explores the work of Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin, two of the most influential British fashion designers of the 1960s.

The Fashion and Textile Museum is providing free tours of the exhibition on the last Friday of every month.

There will also be talks and discussions, art and craft workshops for adults and children, and opportunities to meet Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin.

The following articles provide more detailed information.

Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin – Made in England

Fashion and Textile Museum – Free Tours

Fashion and Textile Museum – Adult Craft Workshops

The exhibition will be on view until 24th February 2010.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Frank Auerbach has certainly been in the news recently.

A new exhibition at London's Courtauld Gallery is showing a group of 14 paintings of building sites painted between 1952 and 1962. The display will be on view until 19th January 2010.

A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition and is well worth reading for its informative study of Auerbach's life and work. The publication also presents the results of new research into his art.

These articles are relevant to the exhibition and catalogue.

Frank Auerbach The London Building Sites 1952-62 is a review of the exhibition catalogue.

Courtauld Gallery Presents Frank Auerbach presents a detailed review of the exhibition and Frank Auerbach – London Building Sites 1952-62 offers further information about the Courtauld show.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Day of the Dead festival dates back at least 3,000 years and originated with Mexico's pre-Hispanic cultures.

Activities at British Museum in the Week Leading up to 1st November 2009

In the half-term week leading up to 1st November children will have the chance to help Mexican artists, such as Adriana Amaya, make a Day of the Dead altar (ofrenda) in the Great Court.

On the Day

The British Museum's day of events will offer activities such as live performances, processions, face painting, talks, demonstrations, displays and storytelling sessions.

Activities will be organised by professional artists and will concentrate on preparing props and costumes for the parade. Musicians and dancers will perform in the Great Court and stilt walkers will strutt their stuff on the colonnade.

Events for Adults

Adults and older children will be offered a choice of Gallery Talks as follows:

• Author Chloe Sayer will explain some of the traditions surrounding this festival.
• Food writer and TV presenter, Stefan Gates, will talk about his experiences of Day of the Dead while filming the Feast series for BBC4.
• The Paul Hamlyn Library will present a volume of the Kingsborough Codex. There will be an adult workshop on pictograms to accompany the presentation as well as a Mexican-themed storytelling session.

This family activity is part of a programme of events linked to the British Museum's current exhibitions Moctezuma Aztec Ruler (entrance must be pre-book as tickets are limited), and Revolution on Paper (admission free). Further information regarding all events is available from the British Museum.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Question: What do you get if you take a moving train, a firing cannon, and a hall of mirrors?

Answer: One of the most outstanding and exciting exhibitions of modern sculpture to be shown in London for many years.

Kapoor's Mirror Sculptures

On visiting this exhibition the first thing that struck me was the number of young children, some were just three or four years old, that were really enjoying the exhibition, especially Anish Kapoor's mirror sculptures.

These highly polished stainless steel creations resemble fairground fun mirrors, showing visitors as thin stick-like creatures, or short and plump, or upside down and suddenly changing to the right way up depending on how close you are to the mirror. You get the feeling that you could walk right into another world!

Two of the most impressive sculptures on display are still creating themselves: Svayambh and Shooting into the Corner.

Svayambh – Red Wax Train

And then there's the train. A massive, 30-tonne block of ruby-red wax, shaped like an engine, travels on a matching red track that runs the entire length of the gallery. As it moves it forces its way through arches and doorways so that its shape is constantly evolving.

Shooting into the Corner

As if the train isn't fascinating enough, Kapoor's innovative approach to sculpture goes one step further with Shooting into the Corner. Throughout the exhibition a cannon will fire projectiles of red wax onto the opposite wall. The wax slowly slides down the developing wax pile to create new and weird shapes.

Anish Kapoor at Royal Academy of Arts – Preview explores Kapoor's life and career as well as some of his monumental outdoor sculptures which do not appear in this show.

Anish Kapoor Exhibiting at Royal Academy of Arts looks in greater detail at the highlights of this exhibition.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Design Museum announced recently that plans to re-locate its comprehensive collections have now been approved.

The site chosen for the new museum is that of the former Commonwealth Institute, in Kensington High Street, which has been empty for many years.

Moving the Design Museum to its new home will provide three times more space in which to display the museum's vast collections. The museum will become one of the world's leading centres for the study of design and architecture.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Moctezuma Aztec Ruler is about to open at the British Museum. The show will feature magnificent treasures loaned by institutions in Mexico, Europe and America. The exhibition will also include many items from the British Museum's own comprehensive collection.

Among the treasures on show will be jewellery and jewelled items, oil paintings, architectural remains, and a carved stone throne - The Teocalli of Sacred Warfare.

The show will explore the life and death of the Emperor, his achievements and legacy.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

A new show, about to open at London's National Portrait Gallery, will explore the pop culture of the 1960s. Beatles to Bowie – the 60s Exposed will show how the icons of the era helped make London the pop capital of the world.

The show will feature 150 photographs, many not exhibited before. These will include photos of all the well-known bands of the 1960s such as The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Pink Floyd and more. Also on display will be photos of iconic soloists including Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Lulu, Cilla Black, Petula Clark and many others.

The photos were taken by leading photographers of the day including Cecil Beaton, Norman Parkinson, Fiona Adams, David Wedgbury, David Bailie, Robert Whitaker to name but a few. Robert Whitaker's work was recently on show at the Movieum of London in an exhibition specifically about The Beatles entitled The Beatles on Film.

Beatles to Bowie – on Tour

Beatles to Bowie – the 60s Exposed will be open from 15th October 2009-24th January 2010.

The show will move to the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, open from 6th February-18th April 2010. The exhibition will then move to Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, where it will be open from 8th May-5th September 2010.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Beyond Bloomsbury is a fascinating exhibition showing designs by Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Frederick Etchells, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Winifred Gill and other artists who were associated with the Omega Workshops.

The Workshops were established by Stephen Fry, in London in1913. Fry insisted that all designs were produced anonymously, bearing only the Greek letter Ω (Omega) in a square.

The show explores the relationships between the artists, their customers, and the Workshops, through modernist crafts and design in the early 20th Century.

Omega Workshop customers included George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, W.B. Yeats and E.M. Forster and high society figures like Lady Ottoline Morrell and Maud Cunard.

The exhibition, which is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, will be open until 20th September 2009 and further details can be obtained from The Courtauld Gallery.

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Posted by Frances Spiegel

Take a walk down memory at the Museum of Shops located at the seaside town of Eastbourne in south-east England.

One hundred years of shopping, packaging and social history is displayed in authentic room and shop settings.

The Grocer's shop, the Tailor's shop, the Photographer's studio, the Village Post Office and the Ironmonger's shop are displayed side by side with a Victorian kitchen and World War II room settings.

The history of the British Royal Family, from before Queen Victoria to the modern day, is explored through a display of mugs, china and coronation memorabilia.

This is an amazing exhibition guaranteed to bring back memories and raise questions about how we lived in the Victorian era and through the World Wars.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Estorick Collection, Islington, London, has been the setting for a number of excellent exhibitions including Futurism 100 at the Estorick Collection and Workshop Missoni – Inspired by the Futurists.

A forthcoming exhibition, entitled Terra Incognita – Italy's Ceramic Revival, will highlight 20th-century Italian ceramics from the Bernd and Eva Hockemeyer Collection, one of the world's finest collections of modern Italian ceramic art.

The exhibition, at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, will feature a number of items from the Hockemeyer collection, most of which have not been shown in Britain before.

The display will highlight the different styles of ceramic art that emerged in Italy during the 20th Century. Items by some of Italy's most important 20th-century sculptors, including Leoncillo Leonardi, Marino Marini, Arturo Martini, Pietro Melandri, Lucio Fontana and Fausto Melotti will be featured.

Highlights of the exhibition will include San Sebastiano Bianco (White Saint Sebastian, 1962) by Leoncillo Leonardi (1915-1968) and Medusa (1936) by Lucio Fontana (1899-1968).

The exhibition will be open from 30th September to 20th December 2009 and further information can be obtained from the Estorick Collection.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Royal Academy of Arts is currently hosting an exhibition of the works of John William Waterhouse. This is the UK's first major Waterhouse exhibition since the 1970s. The show explores his relationship to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

The display includes more than 40 paintings loaned by public and private collections. Highlights of the show include his most famous pieces:

• The Lady of Shalott
• Hylas and the Nymphs
• Circe Invidiosa: Circe Poisoning the Sea

Also on display are sketchbooks, period photographs and studies in oil, chalk and pencil.

John William Waterhouse at the Royal Academy of Arts will close on 13th September 2009. Don't miss out on this chance to see some wonderful paintings.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Kenwood House is home to the Iveagh Bequest, a wonderful collection of Old Master paintings. The House is managed by English Heritage.

As well as works by Rembrandt, Larkin, Lawrence, Reynolds, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Kauffman, Romney and many others the house is also home to a superb collection of miniature portraits, and a collection of Georgian jewellery and shoe buckles.

Kenwood House is free of charge. The gardens are magnificent and still contain ancient woodlands. There is also a tea place and an excellent restaurant in the grounds of the House.

A number of public events, for both adults and children, are on offer and full details can be obtained from English Heritage.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Fashion and Textile Museum has recently opened its latest exhibition.

Undercover – the Evolution of Underwear looks at the history of female under garments over the last 100 years.

The display includes creations by famous designers such as Elle Macpherson Intimates, Triumph, La Perla, Stella McCartney, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Myla and Zandra Rhodes who founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2003.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• the first ever bra patented in 1915,
• a Swarovski crystal-encrusted bra,
• the so-called Bullet Bra by Triumph International, and
• a balcony bra and skirted thong by Myla.

Undercover – the Evolution of Underwear will be on view until 27th September 2009.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

In October 2009 The Courtauld Gallery will open a new exhibition featuring paintings by Frank Auerbach, reputed to be one of Britain's finest living artists.

The display will show the artist's fascination with the bomb sites left by World War II. He captures the drama and excitement of the newly reconstructed city.

The exhibition will include fourteen paintings, some early sketches, as well as oil studies. The show will reveal the artist's working processes and his responses to the devastation of the blitz.

Frank Auerbach – London Building Sites 1952-62 will be on view from 6th October 2009 to 19th January 2010 at The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, London.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

We've been touring Yorkshire in north west England, and Edinburgh in Scotland for a few days, so hopefully I'll have some interesting ideas for articles and plenty of news for readers.

Earlier in the week we stayed in the spa town of Harrogate. One of the places we went to was Harewood Hall. This is a very interesting stately home/art gallery/museum and I hope to write something about it when I get back home.

Edinburgh is fantastic. Our hotel is within sight of Edinburgh Castle and as I write this I'm listening to a military band rehearsing for the Tattoo, about to start in a few days. The bands rehearse from 7 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. and the range of music is amazing. Wherever you go in city you can hear the music.

The streets are full of buskers with every conceivable instrument and every type of music. Incredible!

Later in the week we'll return to Stokesley, a small town in North Yorkshire for more sightseeing, and then back to London.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Wellcome Collection's latest exhibition features 50 anatomical models. The initial impression is that this is a rather dry, boring show. In fact, it is one of the most fascinating displays currently showing in London.

The Exquisite Bodies date from the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries. Anatomical models were used to teach students about the human reproduction system and internal organs. Some were the property of travelling showmen who posed as doctors and "dissected" the bodies while Victorian audiences gazed in wonder.

The exhibition looks at Victorian attitudes to sex, birth, life, disease and death and includes both beautiful and grotesque figures including an "anatomical Venus", with removable internal organs, representing an idealised female form.

Exquisite Bodies – Or the Curious and Grotesque Story of the Anatomical Model gives more information about the exhibition.

Exquisite Bodies will be on display until 18th October 2009 and is accompanied by a programme of public events including art workshops, talks and demonstrations.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Buckingham Palace has just opened to the public for the 2009 Summer season and is hosting a exhibition of 28 of Her Majesty's dresses and gowns worn during overseas tours, together with gifts received. The exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Commonwealth.

Queen and Commonwealth – The Royal Tour explains how and why the Queen's garments are chosen. The colours she chooses often reflect the colours of the national flags of the countries she is visiting.

As Head of the Commonwealth Her Majesty has undertaken many tours giving and receiving gifts as she goes. The exhibition features more than 100 gifts received by the monarch and explains their history.

The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace will be open until 30th September 2009.

An article entitled Buckingham Palace – Queen and Commonwealth reviews the exhibition in detail.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

A forthcoming exhibition at the British Museum, entitled The Power of Dogu, will feature ceramic figures from ancient Japan, known as Dogu.

Dogu are clay figures with animal or human features. Some are very obviously female while many others are not gender-specific. The faces of some figurines are concealed behind masks. Many have heart-shaped faces, some squat as if in childbirth, while others seem to be praying.

They have an interesting history going back several thousand years to the Jomon period in Japanese history, approximately 12,500-300 BC. The clay forms have been discovered at many sites throughout Japan, with more than 1,000 coming from two major cites; Shakado in Yamanashi prefecture and Sannai Maruyama in Aomori prefecture.

The exhibition will include 67 items, three of which have been designated National Treasures of Japan, and a further 15 objects which are ranked as Important Cultural Properties. The collections have been loaned by several public and private Japanese collections.

Highlights will include the so-called Venus from Tanabatake, Nagano prefecture and Dogu with palms pressed together from Aomori prefecture.

The exhibition will be on view from 10th September to 22nd November 2009.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Before it was home to the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, on London's Piccadilly, was one of the capital's finest private residences.

At some time during the 19th century most of the original furniture was removed from the house and lost.

However, thanks to the detective work of Joseph Friedman, an independent consultant and art dealer, two items, known as the Burlington Commodes, have now been returned to the Academy.

As far as is known the cabinets were built by London craftsmen John Mayhew and William Ince. They are fine examples of Neo-classical design and craftsmanship.

Burlington Commodes Back in Original Home gives further information about the history of the commodes.

The Burlington Commodes will be on display in the Royal Academy’s John Madejski Fine Rooms, from 27th July to 31st December 2009.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

There are lots of great shows on this Summer at the Whitechapel Gallery. I've already told readers about two of them, here are some more:

Patrizio Di Massimo

This is a video installation which examines Italy's colonial occupation of Libya. Di Massimo uses black and white archive material and footage from The Lion in the Desert (Mustapaha Akkad,1981) and overlaps it with chunks of his own footage shot on the streets of modern-day Tripoli and the historical ruins of Libya.

• Patrizio Di Massimo can be seen until 20th September 2009

MaxMara Art Prize for Women: Hannah Richards

This display features the video work of the winner of the MaxMara Art Prize for Women: Hannah Richards.

Richards takes natural phenomenon as her starting point. In Thunder (2005) a clap of thunder was transformed into a musical score, recorded by a sextet, and played back at a greatly accelerated speed.

The exhibition features a video installation based on spoken eye-witness observations of a city viewed over Lake Michigan during unusual effects caused by changes in temperature on the Lake.

• Hannah Richards can be seen in London until 23rd September 2009, after which it will travel to the Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Whitechapel Gallery – Summer Exhibitions 2009 and Whitechapel Gallery – Shows for Summer 2009 provide more details about all these exhibitions.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Whitechapel Gallery has recently re-opened after a major expansion and renovation programme which has created new spaces for exhibitions, as well as new study areas and facilities. The Whitechapel has two great eating places: a cafe and a separate restaurant.

Exhibitions for the coming year include the following:

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

This exhibition, sponsored by Banana Republic, showcases the work of contemporary American artist Elizabeth Peyton.

Peyton is known for her intimate portraits of figures of 19th Century heroes and iconic figures from the world of art, music, fashion and literature such as Napoleon Bonarparte, Elizabeth II, Liam Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Sid Vicious and Pete Doherty.

• Live Forever Elizabeth Peyton can be seen at the Whitechapel until 20th September 2009.

East End Academy: The Painting Edition

East End Academy is a triennial show open to artists living or working in east London . The 2009 exhibition includes only paintings, hence The Painting Edition. The show presents the work of mainly young artists at the start of their careers.

• East End Academy: The Painting Edition can be seen until 30th August 2009.

These are just two of the new exhibitions at the Whitechapel. Whitechapel Gallery – Summer Exhibitions 2009 and Whitechapel Gallery – Shows for Summer 2009 provide more details about all these exhibitions.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The summer of 2009 will see Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth, a space normally reserved for Kings and Generals, become a living sculpture.

The Plinth, which stood empty from 1841 until 1999, has now become the setting for contemporary art works and the latest piece, One & Other, created by sculptor Antony Gormley, will occupy the Plinth from 6th July until 14th October 2009.

Visitors to Trafalgar Square will see the sculpture change every hour throughout the day and night, for 100 hundred days non-stop, as a new person steps up to occupy the square.

Gormley invited the people of Britain to apply to become part of One & Other. Participants were picked at random and the rules are very simple. Occupants must stand on the plinth on their own for the full hour. They can take with them anything they can carry and can do whatever they like, sing, dance, recite poetry or drama, demonstrate, or simply stand still, as long as it's legal.

Many will ask if this is truly art? Whatever it is, it will certainly be representative of the times we live in.

Speaking to BBC News on 6th July 2009, Gormley described the living monument as "an experiment to pluck people from their daily lives and see what they look like as a representation of British life".

Posted by Frances Spiegel

London is caught up in the excitement of Henry VIII celebrations. 500 years since he came to the throne and Londoner's are still fascinated by this intriguing personality.

The following exhibitions are taking place in the capital.

Henry VIII Man and Monarch at the British Library until 6th September 2009. this fascinating exhibition features a love letter written by Henry that was hidden in the Vatican for almost 500 years.

Special Offer: The Library is offering the chance to buy two tickets for the price of one, but it's essential to contact the ticket office because this offer is subject to availability and only available until 31st July 2009. See below for more details.

• Henry VIII – Exhibition at Windsor Castle until April 2010
• Henry VIII – Dressed to Kill at Tower of London until January 2010
• Henry VIII Heads and Hearts at Hampton Court until 1st January 2010

To take advantage of the discount call the British Library's Ticket Office on +44 (0)1937 546 546. Quote 'E-What's On Offer'.

Alternatively, book online at the British Library. Use promotional code '6224' .

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The British Museum's latest exhibition features 54 paintings loaned by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust in Jodhpur, India. This utterly spectacular exhibition is recorded in a remarkable catalogue.

The publication explores the art of the Marwar court of Jodhpur between the 17th and mid-19th Centuries and features all the items displayed in the exhibition.

This luxurious catalogue also contains the results of recent research into the paintings of the Rathore dynasty of Marwar and the Jodhpur-Marwar school of painting. It offers an entirely new perspective on Indian painting.

To read the full review, see Garden & Cosmos, the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur.

The 337-page catalogue is published by the British Museum Press (2009), priced £30.00, (ISBN 978 0 7141 2458 2).

Posted by Frances Spiegel

In Autumn 2009 an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, entitled Anish Kapoor, will feature some of the artist's best-known pieces including Shooting into the Corner and Svayambh.

In addition, a brand new previously unseen work, will occupy the Annenberg Courtyard.

Anish Kapoor will open on 26th September and will run until 11th December 2009. A preview of the exhibition can be found on Suite101.

Anish Kapoor – About the Artist

Anish Kapoor was born in Bombay in 1954 to Indian-Jewish parentage. He has lived in London since the early 1970s and studied at Hornsey College of Art (1973-77) and Chelsea School of Art (1977-78). He won the Turner prize in 1991 and was elected Royal Academician in 1999.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

London's National Gallery is already well known for its programme of initiatives helping disabled visitors understand and appreciate its collection.

Working with the charity, Access to Art, the National is constantly making its collection available to the widest possible audience thereby ensuring that visitors with disabilities can enjoy improved access.

The National is now taking things a step further with a special one-off event that will provide a unique opportunity for the deaf and hard of hearing, blind and partially sighted visitors and elderly people or visitors with mobility impairments to experience a number of famous paintings at eye level and close up.

This event will take place on the evening of 29th June 2009 from 6.30pm to 9pm.

The popular paintings to be lowered will include:

Sunflowers by Van Gogh

The Hay Wain by Constable

The Gare St-Lazare by Monet

Throughout the evening there will also be a number of additional events such as lip-speaking interpreted talks, object handling sessions and guided tours of the galleries.

New Booklet for Blind and Partially Sighted Visitors

The National will also be launching its newest innovation specifically for blind and partially sighted visitors. A special booklet will feature tactile images, descriptions of art work in large print, together with a Braille interpretation.

Pre-Booking Essential

Pre-booking for this event is essential as the Gallery is already expecting more than 200 art enthusiasts to attend. To book a place and to receive regular updates on BSL events, contact the National Gallery.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The Courtauld Gallery (Courtauld Institute of Art) is hosting an exhibition of works by members of the Omega Workshops, entitled Beyond Bloomsbury Designs of the Omega Workshops 1913-19

The Workshops were established in 1913 by Roger Fry, art critic and painter, as an experimental design collective. Members of the group included Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Winifred Gill and other artists of the Bloomsbury Group.

The members experimented with domestic design, producing a wide range of household items including ceramics, furniture, clothing, carpets and linens. The work stood out because of the bold colours and abstract designs.

None of the work was signed by the artists, but each piece carries the Greek letter Ω (Omega).

The show will be on view from 18th June – 20th September 2009 and full details can be obtained from the Courtauld Gallery.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Controversial, sensuous, sexy, playful, conceptual – all words used to describe the art of Jeff Koons.

This is the man who caused a riot in the art world, in the 1990s, by appearing in love scenes in the Made in Heaven series with his then wife, Cicciolina (Anna Elena Staller), the Hungarian-born Italian porn star-cum-politician. Koons also created a 12-meter-high puppy from thousands of flowers and set it in front of the baroque castle in Arolsen. A similar puppy appears in the photo below.

After this escapade, no one could ignore his artistic endeavours, and over the years he has always attracted both ardent supporters and angry detractors.

Koons' work has often been displayed alongside Andy Warhol's.

A new 600-page, large-format book, published by Taschen, explores his work in depth, and in particular his large-format paintings and mirror-finished sculptures.

A review of Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar appears on Suite101.com.

The book is available from all good bookshops, priced £39.99, ISBN: 978 38365 03280.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The 5th annual Art Car Boot Fair will take place on 14th June, at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, in London's East End.

The Fair will feature established artists such as Sir Peter Blake, Gavin Turk, Bob and Roberta Smith as well as emerging artists chosen by the curatorial team, Pearce and Ramsey, curators of a recent exhibition entitled Best in Show. There will also be live performances by Donald Uruquart and Studio Voltaire.

One of the highlights of the day will be a customized Vauxhall Astra (donated by Vauxhall). The vehicle will be transformed into an 'art mobile' with multiple works of art created by 17 invited artists. Pearce and Ramsey say it is a chance "for artists to let their hair down and for all-comers to engage with art in a totally informal way".

Pearce and Ramsey will also construct a wooden building which they describe as "reminiscent of an art fair booth, gallery shop, or front of house area to act as a backdrop to the car." Invited participants will sell merchandised versions of the items created for the 'art mobile'.

The aim is to explore the relationship between creating artwork and branded, reproduced art souvenirs.

Further information is available from the Art Car Boot Fair.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Phaidon publishers are offering art enthusiasts a chance to enter a draw for five pairs of tickets to the forthcoming retrospective exhibition of the work of John William Waterhouse RA (1849-1917).

The exhibition, which will run from 27th June to 13th September 2009 at London's Royal Academy of Art, will feature more than 40 paintings by this leading Pre-Raphaelite artist.

To enter the competition go the the Phaidon website.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Ammar Khammash is a Jordanian architect with a remarkable knowledge of the geology and flora of Jordan. He has also studied anthropology and archaeology and uses this knowledge and experience to portray the ancient landscapes of his homeland capturing the spiritual and almost supernatural essence of the countryside.

Khammash is also known for his sculptures such as the Monument at Darat Al Fonoun, Jabel Amman.

Ancient Landscape – the Landscape Paintings of Ammar Khammash is published by Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd. The case-bound 246-page publication will be available from mid-2009 at a price of US$75.00. (ISBN: 978 1 86470 278 1).

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Graphic designer Tristan Manco is a leading authority on international street art. Previous publications include:

• Stencil Graffiti
• Street Logos
• Graffiti Brasil

Manco's new title, Street Sketchbook, comes with more than 500 colour illustrations and according to the publishers is: "a treasure trove of creativity for street art lovers everywhere".

Readers are given access to the sketchbooks of more than 65 of the world's best-known graffiti artists, including Banksy (UK), Purdy (USA), Erone (France), Joska (Germany), Bfree (Holland), Ekta (Sweden), Neb (Belgium) and Zbiok (Poland).

Manco demonstrates how these artists work in various media such as animation, design, illustration and painting, but all are linked by one common theme – street art.

Street Sketchbook is published by Thames & Hudson and priced at £19.95, ISBN: 978-0-500-600290.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The 584-page three-volume monograph includes all of Frank Lloyd Wright's (1867-1959) 1,100 designs, whether completed or not, from 1943 until his death in 1959.

The book provides an detailed study of Wright's work and his subsequent elevation to "starchitect" status. Wright is considered by many to be the greatest American architect.

The book has been written by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, Director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, Taliesin, Arizona, and edited by Peter Gössel.

The Complete Frank Lloyd Wright has been digitised by the publishers and If you'd like to see more go to the Taschen website.

The Complete Frank Lloyd Wright, published by Taschen G.m.b.H., is a multilingual edition written in English, French and German, and priced at £120.00. (ISBN: 978-3-8228-5770-0)

Interest in architecture has risen sharply following a major exhibition entitled

Andrea Palladio – His Life and Legacy at the Royal Academy of Arts.

The following Taschen books may be of interest:

Palladio the Rules of Harmony

Palladio the Complete Buildings

More books of general interest from Taschen include:

Leonardo da Vinci, the Complete Drawings and Paintings

The Most Beautiful Bibles

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Taschen GmbH has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with the publication of several fine books including The Most Beautiful Bibles and Leonardo da Vinci The Complete Paintings and Drawings.

As part of a global expansion programme Taschen have opened new stores in Brussels, London, Los Angeles, New York and Paris. In addition, they have opened their latest store, in Berlin, this week.

The store, which will stock the full range of Taschen art books and limited editions, is located in the bustling historical heart of the city close to the Gendarmenmarkt and the Konzerthaus. Taschen believes Berlin is the ideal location because of its interesting architectural heritage and exciting cultural and creative history.

Like all Taschen stores, the Berlin venue has been designed by Philippe Starck and features his unique fittings and furnishings. The shop is lit by a vintage ceiling light designed by Gio Ponti and Pietro Chiesa in 1930 for Fontana Arte.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

On 30th April the winners of the 88th Art Directors Club Awards were announced. The list includes two Aperture-published titles acknowledged for Design in Print in Photography:

• Erwin Olaf, featuring photographs by Dutch photographer, Erwin Olaf, took a silver cube award, and,
• The Transparent City, featuring photographs by Michael Wolf, took gold.

The Aperture Foundation was established in 1952 as a not for profit organisation promoting photography. It was set up by a group of historians, writers and photographers including Beaumont Newhall, Nancy Newhall, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, and Minor White.

The Foundation has been affected by the financial downturn and announced cut backs in staffing levels from 41 to 34, with some staff members taking reduced salaries for a short period. Aperture also intends to reduce the number of titles published each year.

Aperture's art gallery in New York will not be affected by the cuts and its planned programme of artist talks, discussions and exhibitions will go ahead. The Foundation is known for its quarterly magazine Aperture and publication of this will continue.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The London Book Fair took place at Earls Court, London, earlier this week. The exhibition is massive, filling both exhibition halls at Earl's Court.

This annual event is attended by almost every British publisher and book producer as well as many from around the world.

The Fair is an excellent networking opportunity for writers wishing to meet publishers in every field from paper book producers to e-book and print-on-demand publishers.

It's also a good opportunity to see what type of books publishers are publishing.

There are several good Book Fairs around the world including:

Antiquarian Book Fair – 4th-6th June 2009, Olympia, London

Hong Kong Book Fair 2009 – 22nd-28th July 2009,

The Frankfurt Book Fair 2009 – 14th-18th October 2009

Beijing International Book Fair 2009 – 3rd-7th September 2009

Details of all these, and many more, can be found at The Publishers Association.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

Thames & Hudson are celebrating 60 years in the publishing business. When Walter and Eva Neurath founded Thames & Hudson 60 years ago their mission was to establish a programme of books to educate, inform and entertain.

Sixty years later their catalogue includes publications on subjects ranging from the environment to travel, history and archaeology, jewellery, fashion and textiles, art, street art and architecture, photography, style and interior design.

T&H's most exciting forthcoming publication is Vincent van Gogh - The Complete Letters. The artist's thoughts and opinions will be on show through more than 900 letters. There will also be two exhibitions as follows:

• Vincent van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – October 2009
• Royal Academy of Arts, London – January 2010

The Thames & Hudson

2009 Spring Catalogue gives more details.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

To mark the 21st anniversary of Andy Warhol's death, London's Haywood Gallery, recently presented a major exhibition entitled: Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms, (7th October 2008-18th January 2009).

Andy Warhol 'Giant' Size — Phaidon Press

Following this very successful exhibition Phaidon Press, a leading producer of art books, has published a visual biography of this richly complex and fascinating personality — Andy Warhol 'Giant' Size. The book, as its title implies, is 'giant' sized in more ways than one.

At more than 600 pages, with 1400 colour images and 600 black and white illustrations, it should certainly prove to be a good read. Priced at £24.99 this book is accessible to everyone.

Posted by Frances Spiegel

The release of the film Angels and Demons (15th May, 2009) is sure to lead to an increased interest in calligraphy because of its heavy use of ambigrams – words written in such a way that they read the same either backwards or forwards.

The film features calligraphic art by calligrapher John Langdon, whose book, entitled Wordplay explores the theory and method involved in creating an ambigram.

It's a fascinating book guaranteed to interest both calligraphers and the general reader. Why not have a go for yourself?