The Benaki Museum started as the private collection of Antonis Benakis, a wealthy cotton merchant, and is housed in the family’s original neoclassical home. Antonis and his three sisters donated it to Greece in 1930. The museum contains thousands of exhibits tracing Greek culture from the prehistoric to the modern age.
Back in May I went to the Wallace Collection to visit the Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts exhibition. In collaboration with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art this exhibition, which finished recently, focused on how 18th century French art influenced Disney animators, particularly for the original Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed the exhibit, particularly the hand drawings of the transformation of Cinderella’s dress from rags, and the audioguide which was included in the £14 for adults admission price was really well done. Somewhat inevitably photography wasn’t allowed in the exhibition. Photography is allowed however in the Wallace Collection itself, which is free to enter.
On until 19th June this free exhibition at the Djanogly Gallery on the University of Nottingham campus is on tour from the British Museum. It’s aim is to highlight the challenges of protecting Iraq’s cultural heritage following decades of conflict. It had some very interesting objects on display such as this statue of Gudea who was the king of Girsu, one of Ancient Iraq’s earliest cities. Gudea had the statue of himself placed in one of the city’s temples as evidence that he worshipped the gods.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
While visiting the Dinosaurs of China exhibition at Lakeside Arts on the University of Nottingham campus we decided to pop next door and visit the Museum of Archaeology, which none of us had been to before. Focusing on artefacts that have been discovered in the East Midlands, the collection is housed in a single room but well worth a visit.
Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.
I don’t really think that Stonehenge requires much of an introduction and I have written about my first visit to the site here. This time I made the return because my brother had never been and wanted to go and we happened to be holidaying fairly nearby.
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