Cathy's Art Diary

Exhibition of photographs of Bruce Springsteen at the Proud Gallery by Charring Cross Station including rare unseen photographs from those who have worked most closely with him. Artists included Jim Marchese, Rene van Diemen, Debra L. Rothenberg, Adrian Boot and Terry O’Neill. Ok so I’m biased but this was a fantastic exhibition of photographs running through from the famous Hammersmith concert in 1975 to the Devils and Dust Tour in 2005. There were great action shots but my personal favourite was a monumental head shot showing every fine detail of pore and stubble. Whoever this was of it would be a great photo. I just wish I had been able to afford one! Photo spread Guardian Review Collective : the BBC interactive cultural magazine

Annual exhibition and prize at the National Portrait Gallery which showcases the work of the most talented emerging young photographers, photography students and gifted amateurs alongside that of established professionals. The introduction answered my earlier question, at the Pop Art Portraits, of what is a portrait. This exhibition defined it as “photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis in their identity as individuals.” This that about says it! It was a nice collection of photographs, each with something to say. I found there was too heavy an emphasis on children. My favourites were “The Lime Plasterer” by Clare Richardson, a man and his dog outside the house he had helped to plaster, “Sophia” by Billy and Hells, which explored the effects of light in Dutch C17th paintings and “Otis Ferry and his hunting hounds” by Tim Waite which gives a new take on old hunting prints. Reviews Times Guardian Daily Telegraph

Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of portraits from the pop art school. I must admit this exhibition mainly made me use on the subject of what is a portrait. I feel it is a representation of a real person in a realistic or abstract form not people used in a picture to express something else. I therefore felt the Eduardo Paolozzi’s at the start of the exhibition were not portraits. I did however like the Marilyn Monroe theme running through the show culminating in a room devoted to her. The Marilyn pictures mainly focused on the effects of fame on a person and an image. It was great to see a Lichtenstein close up again. We are so used to seeing them in prints that the images are familiar but it is good to be reminded of the sheer precision of the original. I think my favourite picture was Mel Ramoes “Hunt for the Best” a picture of his wife with a ketchup bottle. I also liked the dialogue it unconsciously set up with previous exhibitions such as last year Hockney portraits and...

Excellent talk at the National Gallery by Sian Walters, an art historian and Darren Walters, a dance historian, looking at how we can learn about dance in the Renaissance from the paintings and the role that dance played in society and art. It was a talk to compliment the current Renaissance Sienna exhibition . Sian Walters outlined the artistic themes them Roy Walters and his group Nonsuch History and Dance Company demonstrated the dances which had been shown in the pictures. It was a really magical moment when they recreated the dance in the Good and Bad Government fresco from Sienna with the picture behind.

Exhibition at the Doge’s Palace in Venice looking at the relationship between Venice and Islam over nearly 1000 years looking at the role it played in design, trade, diplomacy and science. It included the Bellini portrait of Mahomet II alongside a contemporary portrait of a Doge with an example of the Islamic material he is wearing. I loved the idea that Venice learnt its glass making arts from Islam only for the East to then buy venation glass lamps for their mosques. By the end you also realised you were in an exhibit as the exhibition was held in the council chamber of the palace featuring the “Battle of Lepanto” by Andrea Vincentino. The Battle of Lepanto being the great battle with the Turkish forces which end the relationship. This was a good compliment to the exhibition at the National Gallery last year on “ Bellini and the East ”.

Exhibition at the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice which examines the relationship between art, time and the power of display, representing a breadth of cultures and periods and featuring over 300 objects ranging from rare archaeological materials to contemporary installations. This was exhibition was like entering a cabinet of curiosities drawing subtle parallels between the art and objects of different times and places. It left you to make your own links and to have your own ideas. Works included those by Picasso, Man Ray, Francis Bacon and many others as well as ancient objects with unknown artists. I must admit I found it really mind blowing. The venue itself was stunning too. It was the home and workshop of the fashion designer Mariano Fortuny who also designed theatre sets and lighting and had his own printing press. The whole place was sumptuous giving a picture of a life and interests. Much as I loved the exhibition I would like to go back to see the palazzo on an ordinary day.

Exhibition at the Cini Collection in Venice of the C18th portrait painter Rosalba Carriera. Rosalba specialised in portraits in pastels and exported her technique to France. A portrait by her become one of the main purchases on a Grand Tour. The exhibition included pictures commissioned by the English aristocracy on their travels and a wonderful set of clerical portraits. This gallery itself was a real find and I can’t believe I had not head of it before. It contained Count Vittorio Cini’s collection of Tuscan art including a Peiro della Francesco, a Giotto, a Daddi and a Gaddi, a Filipo Lippi and wonderful Pontormo portrait of two gentlemen.

Exhibition of contemporary works from the Francois Pinault Collection at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice timed to coincide with the Biennale. I found the whole thing a bit precious after the Biennale. Each artist had their own white room and rather officious guard. I loved the series of identical black and white painted self portraits by Rudolf Stingel. Marlene Dumas homage to the Holbein picture of Christ in the tomb and a gently loving cigarette packet but I can’t now trace who that was by. The exhibition included the skull made up of tin cans outside on the Grand Canal by Subo Guptadh. Francois Pinault, the French owner of department stores as well as Christie's, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, owns an 80% share in the Palazzo Grassi as a venue for displaying his collection. Photos from the Daily Telegraph

Exhibition at the Ca Rezzonico in Venice of drawings of ships and other canal scenes by Luca Carlevarijs. described as a precursor to Canaletto. These were exquisite detailed drawings of the ships and boats which could be seen around Venice in the late C17th early C18th. I must admit this exhibition came at the end of the long day so I did not do it justice.

Exhibition at the Ca Pesaro , the museum of modern art in Venice, of contemporary works, I think by an artists collective in the city but my Italian wasn’t up to translating. I particularly liked some marquetry portraits of women by Vanni D’este and bronze sculptures of hands by Sara Casal. The museum itself was rather good with a work by most C20th artists, its start work being a super Klimt of Salome. I fell for a picture by Umberto Boccioni of his sister reading.

I spent two great days at the Biennale exhibition in Venice starting with the displays in the gardens on day one and moving on the Arsenale the next day. The theme of the event was “Thin with the senses: feel with the mind”’. It was great to see so much cutting edge modern art in a relaxed atmosphere. There was so much it was as if exhibit said “take me or leave me. If you like me great if you don’t oh well.” I felt the whole thing was rather over burdened by the theme of war although at times this produced great works such as Emily Prince’s wall of drawings of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan arranged in the shape of the US flag. This felt like the Vietnam memorial in Washington. One wonders if she continues to draw as more die. Jason Rhoades neon installation provided a welcome wake up for the eyes half way round the Arsenale. I loved the Morrinho Project’s recreation of townscape in the gardens complete with lego block people. Jose Alejandro Restrepo’s Veronica, projection...

An exhibition at the Museo Correr in Venice of celestial and terrestrial Globes of the 16th-20th century. The exhibition included the seminal texts which developed the techniques for mapping the world and the heavens, some of which we hold at work, as well as full scale globes plus the printed papers to cover globes. I had never thought of what shape a globe is when flat and printed before so it was fascinating to see these flat representations.