HOBNOBBING WITH FAMOUS ART

Another day with Warren in town, so we took advantage of the rainy weather to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum. The Fitz houses an impressive range of artifacts as well as artwork by masters such as Pablo Picasso. We just missed an exhibition of French Impressionists but did see a fabulous gallery of etchings by Lucian Freud. The building itself is a stunning piece of architecture, particularly the frescoed ceilings with skylights, and would be a wonderful place to visit even if it were empty of all the art.

The British approach to art seems to be a lot more up close and personal than what I’ve experienced in North America (albeit I have very limited exposure to the art world). The most valuable paintings were just hanging on the walls with nothing to shield them from the public (although there were security staff in each room) and the museum regularly gives tours to running, shouting children without too much worry. I liked the feeling that so much work was so accessible.

As a horsey nut, I was most pleased to see two original oils by George Stubbs, a celebrated anatomical and horse artist. It was fun to see the paintings from across the gallery, and think “gee, those look familiar…”