As John Cleese famously said in the “Michaelangelo and the Pope” sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” Art can take many forms, some of which we may not quite understand. Regardless of whether we “get it” or not, public art has been shown […]
London Art: St Pancras Gets Beautiful New Art Installation – The Interpretation of Movement
One of the coolest things to happen since St Pancras Station was refurbished a few years ago was that they regularly have new art installations. They’ve just unveiled the latest one called The Interpretation of Movement (a 9:8 in blue). About the work: The Interpretation of Movement (a 9:8 in blue), 2017, will be Conrad Shawcross’ […]
Great London Buildings – The Tate Modern
There’s an old line from Monty Python’s Flying Circus that goes, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” Modern art may certainly seem strange to a lot of people, due to the fact that it can include just about anything, doesn’t necessarily depict traditional subjects, and can utilise some unusual […]
London Transport Museum Announces Major 2017 Exhibitions
We got this news a little too late to include in the 2017 London Annual but the London Transport Museum has announced their two major exhibitions for 2017. Here are the details from the London Transport Museum. Prize for Illustration 2017: Sounds of the City 19 May to 3 September 2017 Sounds of the City […]
London Alert: The Painted Hall in Greenwich is Closing for 6 Months
The Painted Hall, at the Old Royal Naval College, one of the Jewels of Greenwich will be closing for 6 months from Sunday. This is one of the most amazing things you need to see in Greenwich but if you’re planning on seeing it for the next 6 months, remove it from your itineraries. Why […]
Londonism: Clapham Common Tube Station Overtaken by Cats
Now, this is a lovely news story. Clapham Common Tube Station in London has been overtaken by cats. Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (CATS) ran a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds to remove all the ads in a Tube Station and replace them with pictures of cats. They were a success and now the […]
10 Interesting Facts and Figures about the Victoria and Albert Museum You Might Not Know
Founded in 1852, this museum of architectural and decorative arts was named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. One of the many buildings in Kensington that spotlights the pair’s love and patronage of the arts and sciences, it was part of the area known as “Albertopolis”, in the prince’s honour. Originally part of the Great […]
Art Utopia: 10 Interesting Facts and Figure about the National Gallery You Might Not Know
Established in 1824, the National Gallery was established a response to the increase of art purchases by the British government. The first building used for it was No. 100 Pall Mall, the former townhouse of the late John Julius Angerstein, whose estate also contributed to the Gallery’s collection. Construction on the current Gallery building began […]
London Alert: Britain’s National Gallery Bans the Use of the Selfie Stick
The most annoying photographic device ever created has been officially banned from the National Gallery in London. The selfie stick is no longer allowed to be used within the museum, they are now classed in the same category as tripods – which are also banned. According to the BBC: The gallery says it has placed […]
Fourth Plinth: Trafalgar Square Gets a New Statue – This Time a Horse
It’s time for a new statue on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. As many of you may know, they change the statue every few years, giving artists a chance to do something unique with the place. The last statue was a giant blue cockerel. The chicken has given away to a giant horse skeleton […]
Classic London Double Decker Bus Gets a Giant Knitted Sweater
The soft drink company 7up has teamed up with Magda Sayeg, the pioneer of urban knitting to do what she does best – yarn bombing. Watch as she and her team transform an old London Routemaster into the colourful Number 7up Bus, with endless lengths of yarn knitted into vibrant designs. Magda and the Number […]
Amazing London: Stunning Optical Illusion Makes Covent Garden Appear to Lift Off
A bit of Covent Garden appears to have broken off and lifted into the air, creating an amazing optical illusion. The installation, named Take my Lightning but Don’t steal my Thunder, was created by the artist Alex Chinneck, who is well known for creating optical illusions. The 12-meter-long sculpture has been made from a steel […]
Laura’s London: Laura Gets an Exclusive Early Look at the New Late Turner Tate Britain Exhibition
This is the first major exhibition to survey the achievements of JMW Turner (1775-1851) during his final period (1835-50) when he was 60 to 75 years old. The exhibition reassesses Turner’s extraordinary body of work during this period which often received open and hostile criticism. 60 years old was considered the time marker for the […]
Great London Art: Lambeth Palace and the House of Commons by Alfred Daniels
“Lambeth Palace and the House of Commons” – A lovely view looking north down the River Thames with boats and barges, above traffic crosses Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge in the distance by the artist Alfred Daniels. Painted in 1978 and it is part of the Guildhall Art Collection in the City of London (the […]
Great London Art: The Pool of London During the Docklands Air Raids by Charles Pears
A haunting and beautiful painting by Charles Pears in 1940 of the German air raids during the London Blitz.
Great London Art: The Crystal Palace in London During the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in London inside an enormous structure of iron and glass known as the Crystal Palace. In five months, from May to October 1851, six million visitors thronged the gigantic trade show, marveling over the latest technology as well as displays of artifacts from around the world. In modern […]
Great London Art: The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by Joseph Mallord William Turner
The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons is the title of two oil on canvas paintings by J. M. W. Turner, depicting the fire that broke out at the Houses of Parliament on the evening of 16 October 1834. Turner himself witnessed the Burning of Parliament from the south bank of the […]
London Photo: Amazing Picture of London Blends Day and Night Beautifully and Seamlessly in One Picture
Check out this amazing photo by photographer Stephen Wilkes that shows both a nighttime and daytime view in one picture, seamlessly blended together. It’s London in a way you’ve never seen before. CLICK TO VIEW A LARGER SIZE. You can see more example of this amazing art in a limited run pop-up gallery in London: MEKA […]
“Let’s Go to London!” – Really Cool Gallery of Vintage Travel Posters Advertising Trips to London
We’re huge fans of old travel posters – they harken back to a golden age of travel that’s long gone in the day of crammed economy class – where the seats are too expensive, the food is terrible and you’re too close to your fellow man to enjoy a 8 hours flight to London. We’ve […]
Great London Art: Sir Christopher Wren’s Full Vision for a Fire Ravaged London
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Sir Christopher Wren set out a master plan for what he thought the new city should look like that was built upon the ashes. Sadly for him, only elements of his vision were ever built and all we have now are his dreams. But check out […]
Great London Art: The Houses of Parliament at Sunset in 1903 by Claude Monet
Claude Monet painted a series of paintings of the Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament, during his stays in London between the years 1900-1905. The paintings have all the same size and viewpoint, Monet’s window at St Thomas’ Hospital overlooking the Thames. They are however painted at different times of the day and […]
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!
