Cathy's Art Diary

Nice small display at the British Museum of prints of Switzerland bequeathed by Robert Wylie Lloyd. Lloyd was a businessman, entomologist, art collector and mountaineer as well as being chairman of Christie’s. He left the museum over 5000 prints, paintings and books including 60 watercolours by Turner. Some of the prints demonstrate how the landscape has changed. It included a print of a model of Mont Blanc and a coloured and uncoloured version of a print of the Reichenbach Falls. I loved this print of Saussure and Balmat’s ascent of Mont Blanc in 1787. The show looked at geography, geology, print technique and mountaineering. No end date given

Interesting exhibition at Hauser & Wirth of work by Swiss artists from the 1930s to the present day. The title comes from the name of the street in Zurich where Cabaret Voltaire was based which was the birthplace of Dada. It also takes the added meaning of art history not being an evolutionary process but as a hall of mirrors in which artists encounter and reflect each other. OK I admit I got that from the press release I didn’t pick up that theme from the show. The show was an eclectic collection of work. My favourite piece was a 1939 painting of an unmade bed by Meret Oppenheim with white bedding and pale grey walls. I also liked Urs Fischer’s “The Art of Falling Apart”, a chair, suitcase and shelf od glasses in black and white. It had shades of the Julian Opie I’d seen earlier that day. I’m not sure what it was about but I like it. I loved an installation by Manon called “The Salmon Coloured Boudoir”, a room full things from a ladies bedroom.   Closes on 28 J...

An exhibition at the National Gallery of 19th century Swiss and Norwegian landscapes from the collection of Asbjørn Lunde. I must admit I found the pictures a bit uninspiring! I have not been to either country so did not relate to them from familiarity. The picture descriptions were good and explained the political significance of the work however again it seemed to pass over me. Maybe it’s just because I’m a city girl and don’t ‘get’ rugged landscape!