Wifredo Lam Exhibition at Tate Modern

A new exhibition at Tate Modern will feature the works of Wifredo Lam (1902-1982). Born in Cuba of mixed heritage, Wifredo Lam pursued a successful artistic career within avant-garde circles on both sides of the Atlantic and was closely associated with 20th century artistic and literary icons such as Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Aimé Césaire, Lucio Fontana and Asger Jorn.

Wifredo Lam’s work poetically addresses themes of social injustice, nature, and spirituality, and was greeted internationally with both consternation and acclaim. A witness to 20th-century political upheaval throughout his long career – including the Spanish Civil War and the evacuation of artists and intellectuals from France with the onset of World War II – Lam defined a new and unique way of painting for a post-colonial world. Lam’s work now brings a historical perspective to contemporary issues. The Wifredo Lam exhibition at Tate Modern runs 14 September 2016 – 8 January 2017.

The Sombre Malembo, God of the Crossroads, 1943. Photo Credit: © SDO Wifredo Lam.

Tina Engstrom

The British Museum is the most visited museum in London. Visitors from all over the world are drawn to the museum to see with their own eyes world-famous artefacts, such as the Rosetta Stone or the Parthenon frieze, artefacts that might have only be seen in school or art books. They also come to experience other cultures, because after all the British Museum is the museum of the world for the world. But for the discerning visitor a scratch beneath the surface of all the "celebrity" objects can reveal some real surprises. Here is my list of such surprises.

30 August 2017

Sandycombe Lodge - J.M.W. Turner's Thames House Re-Opens

Sandycombe Lodge, the Thames-side villa designed by J. M. W. Turner, has now been re-opened to the public, following a £2.4 million conservation programme. Built in Twickenham in 1813, it was a peaceful retreat for him and he lived there with his father until 1826. Using Turner’s sketches, a William Havell drawing of 1814, architectural evidence and paint analysis, the Turner’s House Trust has returned the house to its original form and decoration as closely as possible.