Touring London’s Tate

June 27, 2010 — London, England

It was tough to make time for “cultural” expeditions during our 1-week trip to London – especially because we had agreed beforehand that this was to be a “sporting” weekend: Wimbledon & World Cup watching.

So, try and we might to make it work, seeing Shakespeare at the legendary outdoor theater The Globe was not to be. Luckily, we squeezed in time to tour the famous Tate Museum. 

In general, I’m a lover of modern art and was thrilled to see a few paintings by several of my favs: Picasso, Miro, Warhol.

• One of a series of Self Portraits by Andy Warhol, 1967 – full of color and life! (Although supposedly, Warhol was trying to de-humanize himself through these self portraits.)

• Nude Woman in Red Armchair, a portrait by Pablo Picasso of his mistress, 1932. Her elongated neck is beautiful.

• Joan Miro’s Woman and Bird in the Moonlight, 1949. The images of the woman and bird, along with the moon and stars, constitute a language that Miro was creating to represent the harmonious nature between humankind and nature. Cool.

• Portrait by Diego Rivera of tennis champion Mrs. Helen Wills Moody, 1930. I love her straight-forward gaze and soft use of color.

I was also fortunate to see several artists that were new to me, including these pieces:

• Giant 3-Way Plug Scale 2/3 by Swedish artist Claes Oldenburg is one in a series of everyday objects portrayed on a grandiose scale.

Made with mahogany, this piece is supposedly reminiscent of the lights hanging in the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul.  

Um, I’ve been to the Hagia Sophia – and while I think this is a stunning piece, I see no resemblance.

•  Water by Germaine Richier is a seated bronze figure representing an analogy between the female form and a water receptacle as two sources of life.

Once again–beautiful sculpture– but not really seeing the water flowing from the bronze chair.

My favorite new find was British artist Bridget Riley, who was able to literally create energy with her painting.

It was surreal how her twisting ribbons of colors formed waves that played a visual trick with your eye — you actually “saw” the waves of colors move.  Here’s her painting: To a Summer’s Day, 1980

 Wow – A woman who can literally make you feel movement and kinetic energy while standing still!  I think I’ve found my inspirational spirit…

What’s your favorite piece of art?

Tags: Andy Warhol, London, Tate Museum

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 and is filed under Europe.