Opening of a museum in Glasgow
Kelvingrove Art Gallery, one of the most famous museums in Great Britain, will be open to visitors in the summer of 2006. Thanks to a three-year renovation, for which £28 million was allocated, the museum will become one of the most modern buildings in Britain. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery, officially opened in 1901, presents a remarkable collection of arms and armour, as well as a unique collection of paintings of British and European art. Among the 8,000 exhibits will be several new paintings, including Salvador Dalí's 'Christ of St John of the Cross', a World War II gun provided by a Royal Air Force squadron, and Egyptian treasures brought from the British Museum. All exhibition halls (their number reaches 21) are devoted to various themes – Scottish Art (Scottish Art); Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style (Glasgow Style); features of Scottish art (Scottish Identity in Art); conservation of wildlife (Scotland's Wildlife), the first settlers of Scotland (Scotland's First Peoples); the theme 'Glasgow and the World' (Glasgow and the World). Glasgow, with its most beautiful Victorian-era buildings, one of which is Kelvingrove, was considered the second city of the British Empire. Admission to the gallery will be free. //www.glasgowmuseums.com
Contemporary art in Cardiff
A number of interesting events will grace the cultural life of the Welsh capital in the first half of 2006. The National Museum in Cardiff will host an exhibition featuring works by eight laureates of the Artes Mundi Prize in contemporary art (until May 7). The Artes Mundi Prize is awarded every two years. Artists from all over the world can take part in the competition. Among the prize winners are Leandro Erlich, whose sculptures create a world of illusions, and Wu Chi-Tsung (Taiwan), who presents images through video, photography and technical installations. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free. //www.artesmundi.org
The exhibition Designing Modern Britain is dedicated to how the interior designer changes the everyday life of Britons, from the advent of transport to the plans for the 2012 Olympic Games. The exhibition runs throughout 2006. Open daily. Adult admission – £7. //www.designmuseum.org
Until March 28, an antiques fair will take place in London, organized by the British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA). The fair will feature antiques of various categories: paintings, jewellery, furniture, silver. The fair is held annually. About 100 dealers will gather in London at Duke of York Square, off Sloane Square.
This year, the exhibition of the Marylebone Cricket Club (Marylebone Cricket Club) will feature a collection from the Lord's Cricket Museum. The exhibition is timed to coincide with England's victory over Australia in 2005 in the Ashes cricket series. At the exhibition you can see a model of the famous Ashes trophy and the boots of legendary cricketer W. G. Grace. Admission – £10. //www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk
Quirky gadgets, Chinese culture and modern British design are presented at London exhibitions from the beginning of 2006. Until April 17, the Kew Bridge Steam Museum hosts an exhibition featuring such exhibits as a mobile toilet and a self-pouring teapot. The exhibition Wondrously Wacky Gadgets gives visitors the opportunity to explore M. Collins's collection of original gadgets and try to guess the purpose of cunning inventions. Open daily. Adult admission – £5.75. www.kbsm.org
From late March to June 25, the British Museum will host a unique exhibition of drawings by Michelangelo, Michelangelo Drawings: closer to the master. The exhibition covers 60 years of Michelangelo's work and contains his studies of the crucifixion scenes of Christ, made on the eve of his death. Open daily. Adult admission – £9. //www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
From March 29 to October 1, the Handel House Museum (Mayfair, London) will host a new exhibition, Handel and the Castrati, dedicated to the stories of opera singers who worked with the great composer and whose remarkable voices made them stars. Visitors will also be able to listen to the only surviving recording of the voice of the last castrato opera singer, Alessandro Moreschi. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Adult admission – £5. //www.handelhouse.org
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