# Art and Architecture, anyone?



## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

The recent threads on fishing made me wonder how many members out there are interested in art and architecture. I'm not suggesting a forum especially for this but I would love to read posts by others saying what they had seen and suggesting good places to go for galleries etc.

In April this year we visited Nancy, which is great for Art Nouveau architecture. Unfortunately the Musée des beaux-arts de Nancy in Stanislas Square was closed for refurbishments so we returned to Nancy on our late September trip. The Musée was open and we loved it. At the time there was an exhibition on the designer Jean Prouvé. We also went to the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy and visited two botanic gardens. The young woman in tourist information insisted there was only one, but we followed the advice of the Dutch couple pitched next to us and found the smaller, earlier one tucked away behind the aquarium. The aquarium by the way has a wonderful staircase by Jean Prouvé.

I like a wide range of art but particularly paintings, and preferably from late 19th century onwards. the Musée in Nancy had a good representation of Post-Impressionist art, Fauves, and more modern pieces including a Jean Prouvé pre-fabricated building set up outside. There is also a great exhibition of Nancy glassware in the basement.

Later on our trip we made our way to Paris, and spent a whole rainy day in the Pompidou centre at the Musée du National d'Art Moderne. I only later realised there was a Pompidou centre now in Metz. We visited Metz in April but missed this. Someone on here should have told me about it.

Chris


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Architecture:- Portugal has a wealth of Roman material, a fact that had escaped me until we drove around there this summer. 
What I would also be interested to learn are where Galleries and Museums are that are Motorhome friendly.
Alan


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Not long now before the end of the Klimt celebrations in Vienna. We were there at Easter and got totally Klimted-out on it all. Wunderbar !

http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/klimt2012/klimt-in-vienna

We stayed at the ACSI site at Klosterneuburg which was convenient for the city. Previously we've stayed at the ACSI site at Neue-Donau.

If you want Art and Architecture in UK then Oxford is excellent. The Ashmolean is wonderful and has many world-famous paintings and Christ Church picture gallery is a must-see. The CC site at Redbridge is very convenient.

I couldn't agree more about Nancy; one of our favourite cities. Have you seen the bandstand in the park ?

G


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

The ultimate in my mind for fine art is Madrid. Take a bottomless purse in the 17th and early 18th C and imagine sucking in all the paintings from most of Europe as a starting point.

The Prado (In town) and El Escorial a short way out will give you a paintings fix to last a lifetime Christine. For example all the Flemish school are there from the 13th C onwards.

A real treat.

Dick


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I adore churches and their art

but equally I adore the ceilings, The IPad has given me a new lease of life as I can now photograph them easily

wood, painted, gilded, stone they delight me

Aldra


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

aldra said:


> I adore churches and their art
> but equally I adore the ceilings,
> Aldra


Aldra- and Dick- have you seen the simple but stunning ceiling in Madrid Cathedral ? It's inspired me to make a patchwork quilt using that design.

(the photo does not do it justice)

G


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I’m afraid I missed it Grizzly. 2 days in the city, can’t remember why we missed it, did many others. Toledo and Cordoba were both wow!

Dick


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks for those contributions. 

Unfortunately we're unlikely to get to any of them other than Oxford for quite a while, but that's a great suggestion.

I've been trying to work out some of the places we've visited in the last few years. I'm not sure I'd call any of them motorhome friendly as such (apart from Giverny) but we were staying somewhere nearby in the motorhome in all cases and mostly travelled to them on public transport.

Giverny Museum of Impressionism at Giverny of course, is a short walk from Monet's house and garden. The parking, where motorhomes are welcome to stay overnight, is nearby and can be found in the MHF database.

We like churches and cathedrals too and have more than once come across Chagall windows (in Tudeley, Kent and at Metz cathedral). Shrewsbury cathedral too, though only the size of a church, was a nice surprise: architect Pugin and Arts and Crafts stained glass. St Chad's church too in Shrewsbury is a gem. Recently visited Lincoln cathedral and was surprised to find Duncan Grant murals.

We've been twice to the garden festival at Chaumont where many of the gardens designed could be viewed as art installations. Both times we've been in September but the festival goes on for months each year and it would be good to see it early then later in the year to see how the various designs cope with the changing seasons. We stayed at a municipal campsite nearby on the banks of the Loire.

We've visited the gardens of an early Lutyen's house in Normandy. The house itself was not open to the public at the time and it now appears that it is to be sold. Google Bois des Moutiers. In the nearby church there is a window by Braque, who is buried in the churchyard.

Chatsworth is always a good bet, especially during the sculpture exhibition. Theres a CC site just across the parkland.

At the end of a trip to Scotland we stayed a couple of nights at a campsite in Balloch and travelled by train into Glasgow to have a guided tour around the Glasgow School of Art designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Our guide was a current art student and this highlighted that the school continues to be a working building.

When we wanted to revisit the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool we booked Waterside Lodge CS at Southport and travelled into Liverpool on the train.

I loved Hockney's A Bigger Picture exhibition at the Royal Academy earlier this year. Abbey Wood CC site was where we stayed.

For some of the above visits the camping was planned around a gallery or exhibition we wanted to see. Mostly though we are heading for somewhere and then try to check out what we might like to see nearby. Sometimes it's total serendipity. I'm hoping that others' finds might inform our travels.

Chris


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*honfleur*

The only reason to stay at the grotty,overcrowded and overpriced aire at Honfleur is to visit the museum and exhibit at the former home of Erik Satie. the house is packed with an imaginative collection of pics , working mechanical items, self paying pianos, clockwork fruit,. The well curated exhibits bring Satie,s life "to life" and will give a welcome boost to peoples view of his works


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We're great fans of the pre-Raphaelites and both Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery ( from Chapel Lane CC site) and Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery and Port Sunlight Lady Lever Gallery ( hotels each time but perhaps the new "aire at Lytham next time- ?) are rich in these and other wonderful paintings and exhibits. 

If you've not been to the Walker then go; it's a really user-friendly gallery ! 

G


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

Lovers of both art and architecture should visit the Sir John Soane Museum opposite Lincoln's Inn Fields in London:

http://www.soane.org/

Try to visit in the morning when sunlight pours through the various coloured glass windows above. Ask the curators to open the Caneletto screen windows. 8)

Goodness knows what Mrs Soane thought when her husband installed the gigantic Seti I sarcophagus and partied for three days. :roll:

Best of all................The admission is free. :wink:


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Grizzly said:


> We're great fans of the pre-Raphaelites and both Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery ( from Chapel Lane CC site) and Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery and Port Sunlight Lady Lever Gallery ( hotels each time but perhaps the new "aire at Lytham next time- ?) are rich in these and other wonderful paintings and exhibits.
> 
> If you've not been to the Walker then go; it's a really user-friendly gallery !
> 
> G


If and when visiting Manchester have a look around the Town Hall. Interesting Victorian architecture and the great hall with Ford Madox Brown murals is now open to the public. There are also lots of Pre-Raphaelites at Manchester Art Gallery.

Lady Lever Gallery definitely due a revisit, I think. They had a British Impressionist exhibition on when I went in 2005. I was also very impressed with Port Sunlight  itself.

Chris


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

*Re: honfleur*



andyandsue said:


> The only reason to stay at the grotty,overcrowded and overpriced aire at Honfleur is to visit the museum and exhibit at the former home of Erik Satie. the house is packed with an imaginative collection of pics , working mechanical items, self paying pianos, clockwork fruit,. The well curated exhibits bring Satie,s life "to life" and will give a welcome boost to peoples view of his works


Love Satie so I'll put that on my list. I've never been to Honfleur but have kept meaning to, partly because of its art connections.

Chris


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*honfleur tips*

the hornfleur aire is convient but a huge site that gets chocka in the french hols, elec hook up is available but take a long lead. the Satie museum cum exhibit is in an old house he lived in for several years before he escaped to the delights of Paris, you really need to be the first in ....pref in the morning .....dont visit at weekends and avoid any time with a slight chance of french school hols

the sites website is under renovation at the mo so i cant post any links


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*another one*

were both liking this one

sues sat on the bed shouting out sites to me with art galleries etc near by

You will love this one , its an accidental discovery whilst wandering coastal france

Le Havre!!!!! yep it has a great free aire along side the quay with good sea fishing and the recently renovated musee Malraux

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musée_Malraux

the center also has a fantastic cathedral (pic below) and some outstanding modern concrete buildings (pic below )


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks. Just looked at some other websites about Musée Malraux and it's a definite must.



Chris


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