House of MinaLima

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art, exhibition, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter, House of MinaLima, London

House of MinaLima in Soho is a must-see for Harry Potter fans. MinaLima, the company that designed the graphic props for the Harry Potter films as well as the recent Fantastic Beasts movie, have displayed examples of their work. You don’t have to buy anything – it’s still worth a visit just to look at the incredible designs.

The ground floor has a shop full of prints and other souvenirs, but if you want to look at the exhibition, head upstairs. The first two floors have art from the Harry Potter films, including the famous ‘Wanted’ posters from Prisoner of Azkaban and the artwork of the Weasley twins’ shop.

The top floor has artwork from Fantastic Beasts, taking inspiration from 1920s New York. My absolute favourite picture is the poster for the Blind Pig bar in the movie, which to me is more of an Art Nouveau design, but hey, it’s still gorgeous.

Do not miss this exhibition if you’re a Harry Potter fan. It’s not scheduled to close any time soon, so hopefully there should be time to check it out.

FACTS

Address: 26 Greek Street, Soho, London, W1D 5DE

Website: minalima.com/house-of-minalima

Opening Hours: 12pm-7pm daily

Prices: Free

Anaesthesia Heritage Centre

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Anaesthesia Heritage Centre, London, museum

As part of my bid to visit every museum in London, I popped into the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre one day when I had a bit of free time. This tiny museum can be found in the basement of the Portland Place headquarters of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. It explores the (comparatively) short history of anaesthesia and pain relief.

The lack of pain relief in surgery obviously meant that the kinds of operations that could be performed were limited: usually things like amputations or the removal of bladder stones (as in the case of diarist Samuel Pepys, who underwent this excruciating operation in 1658). Early practitioners sometimes used herbs to anaesthetise (and, in the Far East, acupuncture), but more often an unfortunate patient was simply given some alcohol and then held down. More rigorous scientific practice led to the development of such anaesthetics as chloroform. On display are several examples of the apparatus used to deliver pain relief, including masks and needles. In the early days it was often hard to judge how much anaesthetic to give: too little and the patient might wake up mid-surgery, too much and they might die of an overdose.

The display looks at the development of anaesthesia as a valid and recognised branch of medicine. From 1912 it became part of the medical curriculum, and the Diploma in Anaesthetics was introduced in 1935.

There is a brief display on the role of anaesthetics during World War I, which is particularly interesting. I definitely recommend this tiny free museum if you’re in the area.

FACTS

Address: 21 Portland Place, Marylebone, London, W1B 1PY

Website: aagbi.org/education/heritage-centre

Opening Hours: 10am-4pm Mon-Fri

Prices: Free

Tate Britain

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art gallery, London, Tate, Tate Britain

Following my visit to Tate Modern a few weeks ago, I decided to head to Tate Britain in Pimlico. This gallery, which specialises in British art, does hold more attractions for me than Tate Modern does, and has some of my all-time favourite pictures.

The bulk of the permanent collection forms the ‘Walk Through British Art’ which allows the visitor to explore 500 years of art chronologically. I do like this ordered way of doing things. Naturally enough, I started at the beginning.

The early pictures in the collection suffer in my mind from a comparison with the National Portrait Gallery. They’re similar in style but unlike the NPG, they aren’t of anyone famous. One exception is the picture of Elizabeth I, and I was amused by an angular painting of a pair of identical twins holding their babies, apparently born on the same day.

Steven van der Meulen, Steven van Herwijck. Portrait of Elizabeth I, c.1563

Henry Fuseli. Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers, ? exhibited 1812

The rooms take you through the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, featuring such artists as Lely, Gainsborough, Hogarth and Constable. Along the way I popped into a room to view John Martin’s incredible apocalyptic canvases.

John Martin. The Destruction of Pompei and Herculaneum, 1822

I came to my favourite room in the gallery, which focuses on nineteenth century and Pre Raphaelite art. I’ve been reading a book about poetical deaths recently, so I was fascinated to see the picture of Chatterton. Millais’ picture of Ophelia, one of my favourites, is also displayed here as well as Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose, which always reminds me of The Family From One End Street.

My favourite room

John Singer Sargent. Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth, 1889

As well as familiar favourites, I came across a few unfamiliar pictures which I really loved.

Briton Riviere. Beyond Man’s Footsteps, exhibited 1894

Sir Luke Fildes. The Doctor, exhibited 1891

The next few rooms cover later art, which isn’t generally as interesting to me, although I find Francis Bacon’s picture of a man screaming rather chilling. Also, I quite like a Lowry.

Francis Bacon. Study for a Portrait, 1952

L.S. Lowry. The Pond, 1950

Before leaving I ventured to the back of the gallery to see the Turner Collection and the works of William Blake, both of which have their own spaces.

Turner Collection

William Blake. The Ghost of a Flea, c.1819–20

After my visit, my conclusion is that I should go to Tate Britain more often. There are some incredible paintings here, including some of my favourites, and while I can readily view them online, nothing compares to the real thing.

FACTS

Address: Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG

Website: tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain

Opening Hours: 10am-6pm Mon-Sun

Prices: Free (there is a charge for special exhibitions)

The Building Centre

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London, museum, The Building Centre

I work near to the Building Centre in Bloomsbury, so it’s strange that it took me so long to go in, and even stranger that when I finally did go, it was on a Saturday. The Centre exists to promote innovation in the built environment, according to its website, and was first established in 1931. Today, it functions as an architecture centre and galleries with exhibitions related to contemporary building and design – it also has a coffee shop, which is available to the public and also puts on various coffee-related events.

The centrepiece of the permanent exhibition is the New London Model, a 3D map of central London, accompanying a series of displays on Transforming The Boroughs, which contain information about past, current and future projects in all areas of London. Check out your own area or explore more widely.

The Centre also has a programme of rotating free exhibitions. The current exhibition is Night Time Is The Right Time, which runs until 15 August. It explores how architects and designers have imagined cities to run better and more efficiently during the night time, and I found it fascinating. There is also a small exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Lee Valley Regional Park.

If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth popping in to check out how the built environment of London could transform within the next few years.

FACTS

Address: 26 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7BT

Website: buildingcentre.co.uk

Opening Hours: 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat

Prices: Free

Tate Modern

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art gallery, London, Tate, Tate Modern

I love visiting art galleries in the summer. They’re lovely and cool when it’s hot outside. I popped into the Tate Modern one Sunday afternoon before going to the Globe. I’ve been before, but these days I don’t normally visit except to see the odd special exhibition. I decided to take another look at the permanent collection.

Tate Britain had been running for several years when the Tate Trustees announced their intention to create a new gallery for international modern art in London. The former Bankside Power Station was chosen as the site and the gallery opened in 2000. Recently, an extension to the gallery was unveiled, the Blavatnik Building at the rear (the original building is known as the Boiler House).

I entered the gallery via the River Entrance and came upon the Turbine Hall. This is one of the most impressive and iconic parts of the museum, its vast space playing host to a variety of installations. It’s also a lovely place to be during hot weather, as it’s nice and cool.

I worked my way through the various rooms in the Boiler House. Frankly many of them reminded me of how much I tend to dislike modern art, but there were a few gems, such as Salvador Dali’s lobster phone, pictures by Henri Matisse and Walter Sickert and sculptures by Edgar Degas. Rooms focus on themes such as ‘Artist and Society’, ‘Materials and Objects’, and ‘New Acquisitions’.

I made my way over to the other side in order to explore the new extension, known as the Blavatnik Building. This was impressive but best thing about it is the roof terrace which offers great views over London (and also, infamously, into neighbouring flats).

Truthfully, modern art isn’t really my thing, but if you are a fan then the Tate Modern is a great place to go. For everyone else, it’s still worth visiting for the views.

FACTS

Address: Bankside, London, SE1 9TG

Website: tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Opening Hours: 10am-6pm Sun-Thurs, 10am-10pm Fri and Sat

Prices: Free (there is a charge for special exhibitions)