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Published: June 30th 2016
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NATIONAL GALLERY Spend all day at the National Gallery. The museum is located at Trafalgar Square a large public square in Central London. Surrounding the square are the National Gallery on the north side and St Martin-in-the Fields Church to the east. To the south west is The Mall leading towards Buckingham Palace. So you must come here even if you do not want to visit the museum. It is easy to get here by the tube or by bus. The museum is free but we do pay for an audio guide (highly recommended). We eat lunch in the museum cafe, fish pie with salad. After a day of looking at world class art we take a walk along the Thames.
The
National Portrait Gallery is just around the corner, it is free too but since we have visited it before we pass on it this time.
BRITISH MUSEUM Another full day at a museum, this time the British Museum. This museum is also free and again we pay for the audio guide (highly recommended). This museum is a human history, art and culture museum. It has 8 million pieces and documents the story of human culture
from its beginnings to the present. The museums take is by bringing artifacts to London they were preserving them. In Great Britain seniors (60 and up) get discounts, if you are over 60 and there is a lower price called concessions ask for the concession price, be sure to have your ID with you in case you look young and they want to check. We saw the Rosetta Stone, lots of mummies, part of the Greek Pantheon and so much more. You can get here by the tube so that is easy or take the famous Black Cabs. We eat lunch in the museum café. There is a lot to see but since it is free you can bail at any time. After the museum we head back to our flat to get ready for a night on the town, dinner and a play.
THE COURTAULD GALLERY We were not able to visit this museum on our last visit to London because it was closed for renovation. The museum collection was donated by the Courtauld family who were French Protestants who fled religious persecution in France and settled in London. They made their money as makers of high
quality silverware and silkweaving. The gallery is small but is filled with European masters. Courtauld is also a school for degrees in History of Art, Masters in History of Art, Curating Art Museums and Masters of Art Conservation and Paintings. The collection has a lot of impressionist art.
The following artists have paintings at the Courtauld: Peter Paul Rubens; Jan Brueghel the Elder; Francisco de Goga; Giovanni Baltista Tiepolo; Paul Gauguin; Edward Manet; Paul Cezanne; Toulouse Lautrec; Vincent Van Gough; Camille Pissario, Claude Monet; Edgar Degas and Renoir. We ate lunch in the café here, where else. The museum took about 2 1/2 hours but we look at everything. This museum is not free but full price is seven pounds but we paid the concession price of six pounds. There is an additional cost if you want to visit temporary exhibitions.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS The academy is an art institution, its purpose is to promote the creation and appreciation of art through exhibitions and education. The exhibition they had while we were visiting was In the Age of Giorgione from Venice 1478 to 1510. It is an exhibit about the dawn of Venetian art. What I
liked about this exhibit is they showed the influences in a chronological manner so you could see paintings by artist that influenced art in Venice. The art exhibited included among others Albrecht Durer, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Giorgione. The only sculpture by Michelangelo in Great Britain is located here in the permanent collection it is The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John. For lunch we went back to the National Gallery to eat.
THE WALLACE COLLECTION The Wallace Collection is located a short walk from Selfridges. After a visit to Selfridges and lunch on St James Street we walked to The Wallace Collection. It is an art collection located at Hertford House in Manchester Square. The house and the collection of art belonged to Sir Richard Wallace and his widow bequeathed the entire collection to Great Britain. I love these small museums because they don't take much time to visit and you get to see the inside of these beautiful houses. The collection includes a large collection of arms and armour, porcelain, French 18th century paintings and Old Master paintings. The museum is free but no audio tours here. They do have a café outside.
The collection includes art from the following artists and well as many more artists: Frans Hals; Nicolas Poussin; Peter Paul Rubens; Anthony van Dyck; Titian; Francois Boucher; Diego Velazquez; Rembrandt and Thomas Gainsborough.
There are so many museums in London you cannot visit them all so pick a few with the type of art you enjoy.
Victoria and Albert Museum - Decorative arts like furniture
Churchill War Rooms - a must if you are interested in World War II
Natural History Museum - kids will love seeing the dinosaurs
Museum of London - learn everything about London's history
Imperial War Museum - covers World War I and II, we liked the recreations of Flanders Fields and being in the blitz
Tate Britain - British art from 1500 to present
Tate Modern - well its name says it all
Sir John Soane's Museum - the personal collection of John Soane located in his house and left untouched for 180 years ago, Greek and Roman antiquities and lots of other stuff.
Madame Tussauds - kids and adults like this collection
Kenwood House - I like this museum in a stately home
in Hampstead north London. This home has been seen in many films the grounds are beautiful and you can find Rembrandt, Turner, Gainsborough and Vermeer here.
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Stan Skiba
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Museum
Great to be able to see so many of the Masters, it also has some of the best antiquities to be seen. Glad to see you are enjoying your trip. How was the fish pie? Was it Cod?