Wander/Wonder

Today I ventured into London alone, on a quest to find art and experience the gallery life of the city. I was a bit hesitant at first to go alone, but decided that these are the days to be adventurous. My plans turned out extremely well and I actually began to relish the fact that I could wander alone without having to worry about any one else's plans.

My day began at the National Portrait Gallery, which houses over 1,000 portraits of men women from the late Middle Ages to the present day.

The Gallery is pretty much organized historically, with faces of monarchs, writers, and lots of people that I have never heard of.

My favorite was the self portrait of L.S. Lowry- Man with Red Eyes. There was also a portrait of Isabella Blow by Tim Noble and Sue Webster. If you don't know of those two artists, they are well known for their silhouette self-portraits made out of garbage or other random objects.

This one here is made out of mummified creatures (pic via britishmuseum.org)

and here is the one that was in the National Portrait Gallery of Isabella Blow...

(image from npg.org.uk)

Next I went and checked out the Fourth Plinth which is an empty plinth located in front of the National Gallery that holds commissioned pieces by some great artists. The work that is currently sitting atop of the plinth is "Nelson's Ship in a Bottle" by artist Yinka Shonibare.

After that, I moved away from Trafalgar Square to go gallery hunting. I visited Sims Reed Gallery that was showing work from Richard Estes (photorealist painter), Roy Lichtenstein, and Joan Miro´. Next I went into Olvia Fine Art gallery that was holding an exhibition including Warhol, Ruschenbert, Haring, Wesselmann, and Stella. It was titled "Sold Out: American Pop Art from the 1970's & 80's" I love Pop art so it was really exciting to see the pieces in that gallery. I stopped into a few other smaller galleries, but embarrassingly cannot remember the names. I basically just wandered around the galleries that were by St. James Square and went into the ones that were open and looked interesting.

After my gallery search I decided to take a stroll down Regent Street. I walked into the Top Shop there which I missed last time I visited London. It is huge, and wonderful, and full of great things!

So that was my wonderful adventure into London, and I am absolutely exhausted!

"I do not know why I go on. I do not search for truth. I do not believe in it. But I believe in something. Maybe simply in the beauty of the world which I wander or in the will to live itself."

Mind the gap.