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Top 5 London Exhibitions 2014

I normally go down to London four or five times a year – my sister lives there so I plan my museum schedule well in advance. For both your benefit and mine, here is a round-up of this year’s hot tickets…

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

Barbican

9th April 2014 Ā – 25th August 2014

Ā£14.50

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I’m kind of excited. No, scratch that, I’m practically shaking in anticipation. I had tickets for this at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, which Immigration at JFK forced me to miss, so when my sister sent me the e-mail with the news of this I made a small squeak at my desk, which I had to disguise as a cough.

140 couture and ready-to-wear outfits will be exhibited in all of their fabulous glory. The exhibition also highlights JPG’s work in the cinema (the amazing Fifth Element and Almodovar offerings) and collaborations with music megastars for their tours (Madonna’s Blonde Ambition and Kylie’s Showgirl).

The show mixes outfits, catwalk footage, photography, music videos, concerts and my guilty pleasure – Eurotrash footage! I’ve tried not to look at too many exhibition images so it’s more of a surprise – but it’s just beautiful and blue.

The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 – 2014

italian

V & A

5th April – 27th July 2014

Ā£13.50

Another fashion exhibition, apologies but it’s my thing šŸ™‚

Examining the major contributors to Italian fashion since the Second World War, this exhibition also explores the link between fashion and cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, with major stars like Audrey Hepburn championing Italian fashion in her movies, and in Rome where she lived. There are over ninety outfits on display from fashion heavyweights such as Pucci, Valentino, Armani, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Prada, as well as the new breed of Italian designers. It promises to do justice to the contribution of Italian designers and organisations to the international stage.

Matisse – The Cut Outs

matissethehorse

17 April ā€“ 7 September 2014

Tate Modern

Ā£18

Most other people would have downed tools but the old Master just kept going, finding ways around the obstacles his ill-health presented to continue to produce relevant work. What I didn’t realise was that he started the cutouts to make drafts for commissioned work, then realised he had stumbled upon a new technique in the process. (I love it when that happens).

The exhibition includes 120 works spanning a twenty year period up until his death. The Snail is here, as well as the famous Blue Nudes and the ten metre long Large Composition with Masks. One of my favourites Memory of Oceania is also present. (I’m hoping to go on my Birthday and it would make my day)!

Hannah HochĀ 

hannah1

Whitechapel Gallery

15th January – Ā 23rd March

Ā£9.95

The shining female lightĀ inĀ theĀ male dominated world of Dadaism, a movement which began in Zurich in 1917. This retrospective displays one hundred works from the period between 1910 and 1970, showing her forward-thinking collage techniques using images from fashion magazines and journals. She had important things to say about society, and made her point in the most creative of ways, commenting on the position of women in society, financial matters. The perfect mix of aesthetic beauty and satire.

Hockney: Printmaker

Hockney

Dulwich Picture Gallery

5th February – 11th May 2014 Ā£10

Charting Hockney’s amazing graphic/printed works from the late 1940s to end of last century. It’s the kind of thing where you look at some of the work from the 50s and it’s so modern – you’re like – really, this is from 1958? It shows some of my personal favourites of his work, including Rain on the Studio window (above) and Self Portrait (1954). His use of etching and lithography is sublime and it’s interesting to look at his work using computers and photocopiers in the 90s.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

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