Cathy's Art Diary

Thoughtful small exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum on the role of humour in debates around identity, empire and power over the past two hundred years. It asked the question “What is Britishness?” and asked how laughing at something demonstrates specific tastes and belonging. It was gently themed under the headings Cruel Britannia, Allies and Enemies, Rulers and Regulators and Country Files. It could have been quite a heavy show but there were some great objects which made you laugh and think. You have to smile at a Dame Edna Everage costume of a fry up! It was also fun to see Manuel’s costume from “Fawlty Towers” and a Splitting Image puppet of Margaret Thatcher. These were shown with fun clips from film and television. Closes 23 December 2024    

Small Room 1 exhibition at the National Gallery to commemorate 200 years since the abolition of the slave trade bringing together "Mrs Oswald" by Zoffany and "Colonel Tarleton" by Reynolds to look at their and their families role in the trade. Also looked at the role of slave trade money in art collection of the C18th and how those collections formed the foundation galleries such at the National itself. The initial core of the collection was given by John Julius Angerstein (of whom their is a portrait in the exhibition) who was instrumental in the development of LLoyds which profited from insuring slave ships amongst others and who also had shares in Caribbean plantations. The Room 1 exhibition was complimented by new work by Yinka Shonibore MBE both in that gallery and Room 36 where the two main portraits usually hang, which explores the effects of the wealth created by the trade on society. The main work were two headless figures shooting birds with clothes mirror...