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Large gallery showing a range of work by the prolific Brasilian artist and friend to the stars Romero Britto. There are some beautiful pictures on display and plenty of bars and cafes to relax in afterwards on Rua Oscar Freire.
Rua Oscar Freire, 562
In an area heavy with pizza competition, this little place is a slice of the unusual. Excellent pizza and garlic bread, but it’s the décor that makes it stand out – the walls are covered in graffiti. Fully sanctioned by the owners, customers have recorded their thoughts for posterity, spidery handwriting reaching all the way to the ceiling. It makes for interesting reading as you enjoy your pizza.
On the little street behind the Virgen Milagrosa Church next to Kennedy Park, Miraflores.
Delhi’s public art setting. Its walkways are lined with sculptures and local art students display paintings. Some of India’s hippest rock stars have taken to giving free performances there.
Said-ul-Ajaib, (off MB road), near Saket; Tel: 2653 4401/ 2651 0519; delhitourism.nic.in/fivesenses.html
A long, narrow, cobble-stoned alleyway with everything from small commercial galleries, to little old men selling their own paintings. Original oil paintings are very cheap, and make a nice, unique and authentic souvenir that'll hang on your wall forever.
Beware - some of the shops lower down sell low quality fakes. These are usually the places that sell other souvenirs too.
To the right of the cathedral, up the hill.
Less a museum in the British sense and more an art gallery, with a range or erotic work, from Japanese scrolls to pieces by Georg Grosz and Weimar-era pornographic cartoons that were used as political satire. Far more interesting than the Sex Museum in Amsterdam.
Joachimstaler Straße 4, Charlottenburg; S3, S5, S7, S9/U2, U9 Zoologisher Garten. 10623 (886 0666)
The card offers unlimited bus, art gallery and swimming pool access for one, two, or three days. I know this doesn't sound spectacular, but consider this:
1) Cabs are horrifically expensive and the bus system, although somewhat antiquated, really works. Therefore you'll have more money to spend on the most expensive pints in the world.
2) These are no ordinary swimming pools. Thermal pools, four levels of hot spa pools (make sure you experience them in order, otherwise you feel as if your having a stroke), Olympic standard pools for true swimmers, there's even a waterslide or two, all naturally heated. And no chlorine red eye.
3) The art galleries are a great place to chill out, and dry out after being caught in one of Reyk's many storms.
- Strætó City Buses
- Reykjavík City Thermal Pools (7)
- Reykjavík Art Museums: Kjarvalsstaðir, Ásmundarsafn, Hafnarhús
- National Gallery of Iceland
- Hafnarfjörður Maritime & Folk Museum
- The Family Park and Reykjavík Zoo
- Árbæjarsafn, The Reykjavík City Museum
- The Sigurjón Ólafsson Art Mueseum
- The Culture House
- National and University Library
- ASÍ Art Museum
- The Living Art Museum
- The Nordic House
Available at various places throughout the city - see website for details: visitreykjavik.is/displayer.asp?cat_id=293
Take an hour and twenty minutes train trip south to Camucia and catch the local bus or what appears to be the only taxi in the area, up to the ancient Etruscan walled town of Cortona. From Piazza Garibaldi the main street has many bars where you can take a light lunch enjoying the casual atmosphere before walking out of town back past the Piazza Garibaldi into the tree lined avenue of the public park, Giardini Parterre, with magnificent views across the Valdichiana.
At the end of the park turn left up the cypress lined road with wonderful views over the hills and you will come to Bramasole, the big peach coloured house where Frances Mayes wrote Under the Tuscan Sun. Carry on to the village of Torreone and turn left to follow the old roman road through the Porta Montanina back into Cortona. Stroll down through the steep narrow streets to Piazza della Republica just after siesta as the town comes to life and a possible free wine tasting at Enoteca Molesini.
The Piazza buzzes with life early evening and you will find it hard to leave to catch the train from Camucia back to Florence.
Camucia Station, a ten minute bus ride or five minutes by taxi from Cortona.
Google map: bit.ly/12lPJP5
MONA is Australia's largest private art museum and one of the country's most talked-about cultural institutions. It opened in January 2011 and houses the collection of eccentric Tasmanian millionaire David Walsh.
Carved into the sandstone cliffs of a peninsula in north Hobart, the building alone is worth a visit. It won the National Architecture Award in November 2012.
The collection ranges from antiquities (including several Egyptian mummies) to contemporary art, and visitors are encouraged to give their opinion of the artworks through the interactive audio guide 'the O'.
I loved the design of the building and the way in which visitors are encouraged to interact with the art. MONA lives up to the hype and is one of the most unusual and entertaining art galleries I've ever been too.
The best way to get there is by ferry. The trendy, camouflage print MONA ferry leaves from the docks of Hobart's old town. There is a coffee bar on board and if you go out on deck there are amazing views of Mount Wellington and Hobart's beautiful surroundings.
Adult entry to MONA is $20 and the ferry costs another $20 for a return ticket.
www.mona.net.au/
655 Main Rd Rosetta TAS 7011
+61 3 6277 9900
Google map: bit.ly/10Nyl9e
The Wheeler Centre is a cultural institution dedicated to books, writing and ideas. It is the centrepiece of Melbourne’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature and organises events, lectures, readings and debates about literature and a wide range of other issues. All the events I've been to there have been really thought-provoking, and they are a great way to gain insight into both contemporary writing and 21st-century Australia. And one of the best things about The Wheeler Centre is that most of the events are free! Reserving tickets through the website is very simple so if you're visiting Melbourne make sure you check out The Wheeler Centre's programme.
www.wheelercentre.com/
176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
+61 3 9094 7800
Google map: bit.ly/Zfu6Ar
Is public napping performance art? It is if you're kooky, androgynous actress Tilda Swinton! She did just that in London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, in collaboration with the artist Cornelia Parker, and now she's at it again at the MoMA. Swinton will appear unannounced six times in 2013 to publicly sleep in a clear box. But hey, maybe you'll be at the museum at the right time? You may as well check. The Museum of Modern Art is at 11 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 708 9400
Google map: bit.ly/17o7Abq
* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen
Olek is a Polish crochet artist (don't call her a "yarn bomber"!) who's crocheted the Wall Street bull statue and various other items around NYC. She hasn't had an NYC exhibition since getting arrested in London a few years ago. Now she's back and crocheting skeletons, household items, people, and more. Check out her funny, subversive, and very touchable exhibition "The End Is Far" at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea's gallery district until March 23. If you go on the right day, you might see me!
www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
529 W 20th St #9, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 243 3822
Google map: bit.ly/167CfZT
* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen
No Dublin-based film would be complete without a shot of the capital's cultural quarter, Temple Bar. In the final few moments of the movie 'Once', Glen and Marketa take a walk through the sun-dappled cobbles. It's a bittersweet scene. On the one hand, they're celebrating the completion of their album but ultimately they know they will soon be going their separate ways. If you choose to stick around, you’ll easily while away an hour or so checking out the latest exhibition in the Gallery of Photography on Meeting House Square.
The Gallery, Booshop and Darkrooms are open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-6pm, Sundays 1-6pm.
Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar,
Dublin 2
+353 1 671 4654
Google map: bit.ly/YCR0hQ
* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com
Mucha painted 20 huge canvases, inspired by the Czechoslovak and other Slav nations and with his trademark Art-Nouveau style. Monumental and stunning, with an excellent interpretive leaflet, see it while you can as they are destined for a permanent home, when Prague can agree where, and how to fund it.
www.ngprague.cz
Dukelských hrdinů 530/47, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice, Czech Republic
+420 224 301 122
Google map: bit.ly/WRdxtw
I recommend Les visites particulières, which is a private tours agency in Paris.
They offer private guided excursions throughout several exceptional art locations in Paris. Their passionate guides open the doors of art galleries, foundations, museums, artist workshops and private collections of Paris.
Oh luxury, a personal driver is provided.
I've never lived such an experience anywhere. Paris is the capital of arts, I live there, and I didn't know there was so much beauty.
Since the 1970s, the sculptor and conceptual artist Wolfgang Laib has been collecting pollen, pouring it in museums and galleries, and calling it art. Not that I'm skeptical — NYC's been so dreary that I think we could all use a burst of color, at the very least. "Pollen From Hazelnut" is on display in the Marron Atrium at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) until March 11. Don't forget to bring antihistamines! MoMA is at 11 West 53rd Street and is open free for all every Friday from 4-8 p.m. Check the website for more hours.
www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212 708 940
Google map: bit.ly/XNFKyX
* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen
Hungarian artist Victor Vaserely created what we know as Op Art - images that trick the brain and make the eyeballs throb. The Sixties wouldn't have looked the same without him. Situated in a charming square in Obuda (Old Buda), the Vaserely museum has a huge collection of his (also huge) works - as well as suspicious staff who follow you around to check you haven't stolen an eight foot square painting. It also hosts changing exhibitions by contemporary artists and an interactive room for children to explore colour and light. The geometrical images make a refreshing break for eyes saturated with Austro-Hungarian opulence, but it's not a good idea after a few palinkas the night before ...
Entry is cheap and it's easily accessible from the city centre.
www.vasarely.hu
1033 Budapest, Szentlélek tér 6, Hungary
+36 1 388 7551
Google map: bit.ly/V1wgDV
Arpad hid HEV station
The Pinacoteca is home to a number of art works from thirteenth century triptychs to nineteenth century secular pieces as well as sculptures. My favourite saint, Sebastian, was much in evidence and it was interesting to see how his depiction - particularly his hairstyle - changed through the ages. The sculpture of the Sleeping Shepherd in the Shepherd's Room was incredible. Not since I'd first met Bernini in the Piazza Navona had I been so struck by the detailing created in marble.
www.ascolimusei.it/pinacoteca.html
Piazza San Tommaso, 63100 Ascoli Piceno
+39(0)736 298213
Google map: bit.ly/VcUrNg
The Palazzo dei Priori houses not only the Archaeology Museum on the first floor but the Pinacoteca and the Sala de Mappamondo upstairs (the police station is housed in the ground floor).
The Pinacoteca has an impressive display. The minatures telling the life-story of Saint Lucy are exquisite but when we walked into one of the rooms there was one picture that was head and shoulders above the rest, and we thought that before we realised it was a Rubens; but for me the best was yet to come.
When the attendant unlocked the heavy dark doors I was not ready for the assault on my senses - tears pricked my eyes. The scent of aging manuscripts and books filled my nostrils and I looked around a room that was filled from floor to ceiling with books. To one side stood a large globe made in 1713 by the Abbot Amanzio Moroncelli from strips of paper.
I could quite happily have sat in the middle of the small roped area that we were confined to and inhaled the scent of centuries of writing for the remainder of the day.
Piazza Del Popolo, 63023 Fermo Province of Ascoli Piceno, Italy
+39 0734 217140
Google map: bit.ly/XfnG2u
www.fermoturismo.it
Tourist Office: (+39) 0734 228738
Single Fare just might be the most New York art exhibition of all. For starters, it's an open-call exhibition. And there's only one requirement: All art must be made on a MetroCard, the same plastic card you swipe to ride NYC subways. This year, artists of every discipline from all over the world will be part of the show. I've even submitted my own snarky homage to the inspiring — and often slow — lettered subway lines! The opening reception for Single Fare 3 is Wednesday, February 13, from 6-9 pm at RH Gallery on 137 Duane Street. You can check out the exhibition until February 22.
www.rhgallery.com/
137 Duane Street New York, NY 10013, United States
+1 646 490 6355
Google map: bit.ly/XmkujA
* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen
Prague Castle is equally gorgeous in snow or sunshine. However, as with any popular tourist attraction, the crowds can be a little overwhelming at times. Ducking into one of the small galleries dotted around the site is one way of escaping the throngs of visitors as well as any inclement weather. The Prague Riding School’s current offering – a retrospective of Stanislav Kolibal’s work – is an engaging collection of abstract sculptures and barely touched canvases which both know-nothings and connoisseurs can enjoy. The highlight for me was the exact replica of Kolibal’s 1967 debut exhibition where his talent and range as an artist are already in ample evidence. The minimalism of the massive iron installations dominating the gallery’s main hall are neatly juxtaposed by the familiar imposing gothic outline of St Vitus Cathedral which can clearly be seen through the huge windows. There’s no need to buy a ticket for the whole site: you can just pay for entrance to the gallery without coughing up the required 250kc to do a tour of the cathedral.
On until 6 January 2013
www.kulturanahrade.cz/en/exhibitions/programme/programme/stanislav-kolibal-another-world-324.shtml
Pražský hrad, 119 08 Praha 1 Czech Republic
+420 224 373 531
Google map: bit.ly/ZkE7xO
* Lisette is our Been there local for Prague. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-lisette.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LisettePrague
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