i interview Tincture of Museums. plus Hogarth at the Soane Museum
newsletter 11: October 2019
the always-busy-autumn in the museum world has meant i'm a tad late with this edition (apols). but hope you've been pleasantly occupied with lots of the great new exhibitions anyway. if you still want more, don't forget i round up my picks of what's to come at the end of the newsletter. and also, make sure you read my interview with Claire Madge below, who is doing such vital work for museums at the moment. ENJOY
catch up: news
one of my Parisian faves, the Centre Pompidou, is getting a new venue in the city. The Art Newspaper
the world's first travel guidebook is on rare display at the British Museum. CNN
and in another first, the world's earliest Christmas card is displayed at the Charles Dickens Museum. AOL
some of you won't have to travel very far to experience one of the best places to visit in 2020, as England is named second-best by Lonely Planet. The Sun
a newly discovered biblical painting by Rembrandt is to be shown in the UK for the first time. The Guardian
the Museum of Modern Art in New York has reopened after a $450m expansion. CNN
want to see a life-size sculpture of Leonardo DiCaprio with his parents made from wax that slowly melts before your eyes? you're in luck! designboom
get these dates in your diaries: the brilliant outdoor contemporary art-fest Folkestone Triennial is back in 2020. Kent Online
Dippy the dinosaur is now at the National Museum Cardiff. ITV News
the V&A Late this month take place around the Museum's soon-to-be new home of Hackney Wick. East London Advertiser
the 'new' Rembrandt. Rembrandt and others. Let the Little Children Come to Me, c. 1627. Courtesy of Jan Six Fine Art, Amsterdam
weigh up: review roundup
HOGARTH: PLACE AND PROGRESS at Sir John Soane's Museum, London. Website
"Sir John Soane’s Museum has brought together all of Hogarth’s visual narratives in one place, among them The Harlot’s Progress, The Rake’s Progress and The Four Stages of Cruelty. These raw stories of London life join together here, as never before, to make one great epic of laughter and squalor. Call it London: the Graphic Novel. It will break your heart." The Guardian
"The unusually intimate setting of the museum (for such a major retrospective) makes the works almost giddy-making — pulling us through the canvas into the grubby misadventures of Tom Rakewell and Moll Hackabout, as the city chews them up and spits them out." Londonist
listen up: this week's interview
Claire Madge has done incredible things for the museum sector. She is one of the best museum and culture bloggers, and is the founder of Autism in Museums which has done amazing work assisting venues to better welcome families with autism. She is also a member of the National Lottery Heritage Fund committee, helping to make decisions on funding projects that are accessible for all.
how did your blog - Tincture of Museum - begin?
Seven years ago I quit my job at a London university, I had three young children and my eldest daughter was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. I was finding it hard to cope with everything, I thought I would take a career break but I decided to begin volunteering one day a week in my local museum. I thought blogging would be a good way to capture what I was up to.
what has blogging about museums taught you?
Where to start! It's taught me so much, not just the depth and breadth of the amazing museums and exhibitions that the UK has to offer but the dedicated passionate staff behind them. I never dreamed people would read the blog and keep reading it, I didn't think I would be here 7 years later still doing it. Blogging has taught me to push myself, to have fun and meet new people.
any advice for budding museum bloggers and writers?
To begin with just write for yourself, write what you are passionate about. Don't worry about numbers of views. If you love what you are writing about that passion will shine through. Also keep at it. When I look back at all the places I have been, people I have met it is a wonderful way to capture 7 years that started out in quite a difficult place. Blogging has quite literally been life changing for me.
you’ve done a lot of work trying to improve how museums welcome autism. what have you seen change?
The scale of change has been massive in the last 7 years. When I first wrote about the Science Museum Early Birds autism opening, it was the only event out there - now I can't keep up with large range of events. I am beginning to see more thoughts put into supporting autistic volunteers and diversifying the workforce too. I just worked on the British Museum's first event and half the families who attended came for the very first time. Autism events welcome new audiences and provide life changing experiences.
finally, what are the London museum hidden-gems everyone should visit?
I will always be a huge fan of Bethlem Museum of the Mind in Beckenham. On the site of a working mental health hospital it is a powerful of example of what a museum can be, helping us to understand the past and the present so we can make a better future.
Visit Claire's blog, Tincture of Museum.
Sarah Lucas, Divine, 1991. digitally printed wallpaper,dimensions variable © Sarah Lucas, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London
get up: what's new
after the bumper openings in September and October, it looks like there's still no sign of a slow down in new things to see.
Bridget Riley at the Haywood Gallery - the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of her work to date
Lucian Freud at the Royal Academy - the artist's self-portraits are reunited for the first time ever
Chance & Control: Art in the Age of Computers at Firstsite, Colchester - a V&A touring show exploring 50 years of computer-aided artworks
Henry Moore: The Artist and his Patron at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester - a free display exploring Moore and his patron Walter Hussey
Hello, Robot. at V&A Dundee - explore how robots impact our lives
Anish Kapoor at Lisson Gallery, New York - incredible new mirrored sculptures are unveiled in the big apple
Sarah Lucas at the Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing - one of my faves has her first solo show in China
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