Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • In the spotlight

    In the spotlight

    Dora Carrington; Beyond Bloomsbury While the great Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington has long been out of the shadows Dora – the ‘other Carrington’ (1893-1932)- remains an obscure figure. It’s 30 been years since her previous major show at the Barbican but late last year she was propelled quite literally into the spotlight once more with […]

  • Inspiring new perspective on Van Gogh’s last years

    Inspiring new perspective on Van Gogh’s last years

    Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers A major part of the National Gallery’s 200 year anniversary celebrations is the stunning Van Gogh exhibition, Poets & Lovers. It is also the centenary of the acquisition of Sunflowers in 1924, when as co-curator Christophe Riopelle says, the National Gallery was “trying to be more modern”. All the 47 […]

  • Best art shows for the New Year

    Best art shows for the New Year

    EDWARD HOPPER’S NEW YORK Mention Edward Hopper and nighttime images of gas stations and American diners spring to mind. While they are certainly iconic and typical of Hopper, much of his work is rather less well known. The Whitney Museum sets that right with a major new exhibition documenting Hopper’s love affair with the Big […]

  • The translucent trans art of Georgia Dymock

    The translucent trans art of Georgia Dymock

    Georgia Dymock: Under Our Together The JD Malat Gallery this month opens a new show of paintings by Georgia Dymock that coincides with a digital display across the front of The Flannel store in London’s Oxford Street to celebrate International Women’s Day. Georgia Dymock, a Masters student at the Slade School of Fine Art, is […]

  • Banksy is laughing all the way to the bank

    Banksy is laughing all the way to the bank

    Christie’s Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge by Banksy is the star of an online auction until 15 March 2022. The title refers to Banksy’s Laugh Now screenprint and the sale features works by Banksy as well as editions by contemporary artists such as Stik. Banksy’s Morons, also in the sale, could […]

  • Stellar wine cellars

    Stellar wine cellars

    WINE can mark you out as a person of breeding and taste as well as a brand-conscious big spender. Louis Vuitton recognised this back in 1972 when the firm merged with Moet Hennessy to form LVMH. The luxury brand conglomerate is still snapping up top vineyards. Along silver, art and gold; wine is one of […]

  • From Durer to Dubuffet – genius shows

    From Durer to Dubuffet – genius shows

    Hever Castle’s 500 year old disaster A recreation of the Château Vert pageant, at which Anne Boleyn made her English court debut exactly 500 years ago, inspires Hever Castle’s summer schedule. The traditional pageant, staged on Shrove Tuesday 1522, was the first time that King Henry VIII laid eyes on the ill-fated Boleyn girl and […]

  • African affairs

    African affairs

    I realised quite early on that I was never ever going to be a great engineer, so I had to find something which would set me apart. As it happened my return to England coincided with the United Kingdom entering the EEC and as I spoke fluent French, I was always on the lookout for […]

  • New Year New Passions

    New Year New Passions

    Andrea Marechal Watson rounds up a selection of winter wonders in the art world Unlocking art Lavishly illustrated, The Secrets of Art by Debra Mancoff, uncovers mysteries and messages underlying some of the world’s best know works of art. Mantoff’s erudite but highly readable texts unlock these stories using many close up details. Leonardo’s famous […]

  • Best of the autumn arts review

    Best of the autumn arts review

    Jeff Koons: Shine This latest Koons show at the Palazzo Strozzi brings some of his most celebrated works to the Renaissance heart of Western art – Florence – a blessing for the city as it endeavours to recover from the Covid 19 pandemic. Koons is undeniably a crowd puller. From Wall Street banker (but still […]

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