Images of Nature 2
Earlier this month I previewed Images of Nature, a new art gallery at the Natural History Museum, London (CLICK). It opened today, and BBC News has posted an audio slideshow by Paul Kerley to show some of the beautiful exhibits. Peronel Craddock and Judith Magee from the museum talk us through the highlights and evince more art knowledge than the vast majority of pundits. Well worth 5 minutes of your time. This painting of a Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Ara ararauna, is from the John Reeves collection. Those of you who followed the saga of the northern bottlenose whale which swam up the River Thames in 2006 (CLICK) might like to know that the whale's 6-metre-long skeleton goes on display tomorrow at the Tring branch of the NHM (CLICK). Admission to both exhibitions is free.
posted by Unknown @ 21.1.11
6 comments
6 Comments:
The book "Dry Store Room No1" by Richard Fortey is an insider's view of the Natural History Museum, its history, scandals, and many colourful human characters. Amusing as well as informative.
Peter Purves was the eccentric "Whale Man" responsible for reducing stranded "Fishes Royal" to their skeletons by means of caustic alkali. "Once he fell into the 'stripping tank'...he said afterwards that he would never have survived had he been sober".
Remaindered hardback (gbp6.99) and paperback (gbp3.99) at Postscript Books.
http://www.psbooks.co.uk/SearchResults.asp?Title=dry%20store%20room
Beautiful. I have wanted to go back to the Natural History Museum since Darwin's 200 years anniversary in 2009.
Hi, Kris
Thanks for the news. I'll put that title down on my list of books to order from my local library. It sounds fascinating.
Hi, Guillaume
I was a small boy when my mother took me there and it's been my favourite museum ever since. The exterior of the building is fabulous too and looks really beautiful since they cleaned it.
I have been in the Museum of Natural History as a kid, during my first visit to England. I loved it.
It's a brilliant museum for kids. The last time I visited it as an adult, it had a new Hall of Mankind with lots of hi-tech stuff. The most impressive exhibit was a huge womb you could enter, with a gigantic foetus and the sound of a massive heartbeat.
I hope you caught one of the 2 Luc Bresson movies on Channel 5 TV yesterday: "The Fifth Element" and "The Transporter". The latter opens with the most insane OTT car chase I've ever seen. It was more a black comedy than a thriller.
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