Turner and Constable Together: surely a must-see show

I’ll confess that when I first read that Tate Britain was to mount an exhibition entitled Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals, I wasn’t exactly filled with excitement. Don’t get me wrong: Turner has been one of my favourite artists ever since I first saw his work at the Tate in my mid-teens, and while … Continue reading Turner and Constable Together: surely a must-see show

Summer in the City: London’s treasure trove of art

London is always a great city for art, and while there are several current exhibitions I’ve yet to get to*, this summer has some superb painting on offer, in addition to the many masterpieces on permanent display. I’d meant to write before now (but for various reasons didn’t get around to it) recommending the Edward … Continue reading Summer in the City: London’s treasure trove of art

Photographic genius at the Tate: the remarkable work of Don McCullin

Tate Britain’s exhibition devoted to the work of the great photographer Don McCullin is, in its own pleasingly straightforward and unpretentious way, one of the finest exhibitions I’ve been to in some years. Of course, as someone who used to peruse the Sunday Times magazine in his teens, when McCullin’s strikingly vivid, often deeply disturbing … Continue reading Photographic genius at the Tate: the remarkable work of Don McCullin

Stranger than expected: the Paul Nash exhibition at Tate Britain

I must confess that until now, I’d never really found the paintings of Paul Nash (1889-1946) particularly striking. Perhaps that’s not so surprising. Apart from the fact that I’d only ever seen two or three examples of his work at any one time, I wasn’t aware of any especially great claims having been for him … Continue reading Stranger than expected: the Paul Nash exhibition at Tate Britain