D'log :: blogging since 2000

The BM&AG 2008 exhibitions schedule is out. Some highlights…

Opening on 18th Feb 08 is Lely to Turner: British Drawings and Watercolours 1640 – 1860.

In an odd coincidence, the British photographer I featured on 26th Jan, Felice Beato, gets a show. From Canton to Guangzhou opens 3rd May 08. It shows the photographs Beato made when he accompanied the British Expeditionary forces into China as a war photographer (pictures such as the city walls of Peking, below) during the Second Opium War — and pairs them with contemporary documentation of Chinese architecture in the Nansha area of Guangzhou, by Xu PeiWu.

Myths & Monsters looks fun, with animatronic life-sized monsters. Opening 24th May 08, it’s the touring version of the 1998 Natural History Museum show, and will no doubt pull in the all-important June and July school visits trade. It…

“explores the scientific and literary origins of mythical beasts … [ and will also ] include displays drawn from BM&AG’s collection, tracing the history of mythical monsters in fine art, applied art and social history objects.”

Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite opens 23rd August 08, showing the work of the creator of the famous “The Last of England”, a painting many will have seen on visits to BM&AG. Hopefully they’ll be able to borrow the enigmatic painting “Work” from Manchester.

The Art of Birmingham 1890-1939 (on until 24th Feb 08) looks at the art school system in Birmingham, and it gets a sequel at Christmas; The Art of Birmingham 1940-2000. Let’s hope there’s then a catalogue that covers both exhibitions, since there wasn’t even a photocopied hand-list for the first. We can, though, expect to (perhaps) see a version of the BM&AG Pre-Raphaelite collection online by the end of 2008.