National Museums Liverpool Blog - Laura

The John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize now open to entries.

Any artists considering entering the John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize would do well to get inside the head of a previous judge. Matthew Collings, who hosted What is Beauty? last Saturday evening, was on the panel for John Moores 22 in 2002 when the artist Peter Davies won.

In the programme Collings lists his top 10 favourite “beauty experiences” in art. From an amazing bridge designed by Sir Norman Foster to pre-historic cave art, his perception of beauty is really interesting and varied. Definitely worth a watch on iplayer.

Howard Jacobson discusses Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's painting The Tepidarium at the Lady Lever Art Gallery. 

The press team supervised filming at the Walker and Lady Lever Art Gallery last week. The film crew, from Oxford Film and TV, were making a series on the history of British art for Channel 4.

Our galleries will feature in the episode that looks at Victorian art, in particular at nudes and themes of sensuality. I had no idea quite how many naked people there are in both galleries. In case you are unsure let me tell you there is a lot and it turns out the Victorians were not as reserved as you might have imagined.

The writer Howard Jacobson was the presenter. He is Manchester-born and has known the Walker Art Gallery since a young age but this was his first visit to the Lady Lever, which he was hugely impressed by.

Unfortunately it is a long wait before what looks to be a really fascinating and thorough insight into British art hits our screens in Autumn next year but we'll keep you posted with dates when we have them.

BBC’s See Hear filmed at the International Slavery Museum last month as part of Black History Month. They brought a group of people with hearing impairments from London to see the museum for the first time.

You can watch their very moving response on BBC’s iplayer.

The Liverpool Cityscape by Ben Johnson

Even amidst a giant spider prowling the streets and a herd of superlambananas dotted across the city, Ben Johnson’s The Liverpool Cityscape stood out as a highlight of 2008.

Ben finished the vast painting in front of a live audience at the Walker Art Gallery early in the year. Thousands of visitors observed their city arriving on the canvas layer by layer through the intricate process the artist employed.

Once the painting was finished it took pride of place in the exhibition Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series where it was joined by panoramas of Zürich, Jerusalem and Hong Kong and paintings representing Chicago and Paris.

Many of those who flocked to see the painting under completion and the stunning exhibition that followed have enjoyed taking part in the free events celebrating the astonishing work over the last few weeks. But don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance yet, the season of free events for all the family continues over the next couple of months. See the website for more details.

One of the events, We love Liverpool, is an opportunity for visitors to reminisce and share their memories of the city. If you can’t make it to the gallery but have got something you want share, please feel free to add it on the blog.

The events have been coordinated in partnership with the University of Liverpool.

National Museums Liverpool's handling team carefully slide the painting on to special lifting equipment.

Observant visitors to the Walker Art Gallery may have noticed Echo and Narcissus has been away for some time. Lent to the Royal Academy as part of their J.W. Waterhouse: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, the beautiful painting of unrequited love returned home yesterday.

John Barnes, Howard Gayle and Tony Lloyd at Black History Month event at International Slavery Museum

Last week we were delighted to have both John Barnes and Howard Gayle join a question and answer session with local school children at the International Slavery Museum. 

The event was arranged by Kick It Out as part of Black History Month.

Excited gasps and hurried whispers came from the children when John Barnes entered the room. Despite them all being too young to actually remember John's amazing career with Liverpool FC the children were clearly still aware they were in the presence of a legend and quickly crowded both him and Howard (Liverpool's first black player) for autographs.

The two footballers were also joined by Tony Lloyd from the Anthony Walker Foundation in the discussion.

The children were keen to find out who their early influences had been, what they had wanted to be when the were young and to hear more from the footballers about their fondest memories of playing for Liverpool. They were captivated by the personal and often poignant responses from all three.

To mark the end of a fantastic Black History Month a free Strictly Come Dancing with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers event is being held at the museum tomorrow.

Young mums and their children at the launch of the Nature Boy story trail at World Museum.

For all those who hate creepy crawlies a new trail around World Museum’s Bug House might just give you a new insight and appreciation for smallest members of the animal kingdom.
 
Designed for young children the Nature Boy story trail is inspired by a real life six year old boy named Daniel Walsh, who calls himself Nature Boy because of his love for bugs and insects. The trail follows Nature Boy and his sister Eva, otherwise known as Bug Bully, through the Bug House as Dan explains to Eva why we should be kind to our bugs and insects.

Working with National Museums Liverpool’s Community Partnership team and illustrator Holly Langley, the new trail was created by young mums from the Children’s Services Teenage Pregnancy Support Service group at Ellergreen Children’s Centre.

Even the babies of the young mums had a part to play with the bug characters in the trail named after them.

Fantine by Margaret Hall watches over installation of new exhibition.

The finishing touches are being put in place for The Rise of Women Artists which opens this Friday at the Walker Art Gallery.

The exhibition is a mixture of old friends such as Fantine above, who normally resides over the gallery's staircase, as well as work not on permanent display, like a dark and moving print by Paula Rego.

A combination of paintings, photography, prints, sculpture, textiles and ceramics, all from the gallery's own holdings, form a comprehensive look at womens' art from the 16th century to the present day.

Curator Roberta Bacic (left) and National Museum Liverpool’s Ann-Marie McGaughey with arpilleras.

Links between Ireland and Latin America might not be immediately obvious but a lovely and thought-provoking display of textiles in World Museum's community base will give visitors an opportunity to explore them.

Embroidered quilts from Ireland and a selection of arpilleras (pronounced “ar-pee-air-ahs”); three-dimensional appliqué textiles from Latin America, depict the experiences of ordinary people living their lives in extreme circumstances. Some of the Irish quilts were created by women directly affected during 'the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland and demonstrate both their feelings of loss and their hope for peace within their community.

Most of the Chilean arpilleras were made during the country’s dictatorship (1973 - 1990). Many of these textiles depict the experiences of people living during that difficult time and reflect their determination and courage.

The vibrant and colourful pieces, also cover topics such as community, daily life and family.

For more information about the quilts see here.

The Guinness Liverpool Irish Festival runs from 16 October – 1 November 2009. For more information about events throughout the city visit www.liverpoolirishfestival.com.

Children at the National Conservation Centre's Big Draw event

Before I went on maternity leave and was not a little deluded about life with a newborn, I harbored dreams of spending blissful hours drawing my precious new baby, who would of course sleep peacefully throughout.

Having studied art at university I felt sure this would at last be my chance to dust off the easel and ease my way back into drawing again… afterall what else would I have to do?

Well my little girl is now 16 months old and I am still yet to as much as sharpen a pencil. However my time might have finally come as she has suddenly realised the potential of crayons. They no longer go straight into her mouth but instead she eyes the room looking for a suitable suface to make her mark. She has even started to shout/command/instruct “DRAW!” as soon as she has a suitable implement in her hand.

Her timing couldn’t be more perfect as we are right in the middle of Big Draw, the annual celebration of all aspects of drawing.

The Walker Art Gallery  has some fabulous displays of Big Draw inspired artwork already on show, but there is still space for more. If you want to take part and maybe have your work amongst the Rubens, Rembrandt and Rossettis then head to the gallery any weekend in October.

Events at the National Conservation Centre will definitely appeal to the more scientific-minded. Members of the Merseyside branch of the British Science Association will be on hand on the 17 and 24 October, to help explore the relationship between science and art. Using the centre’s equipment, a range of pictures and patterns from the microscopic to the telescopic, as well as live images, will provide exciting inspiration for all budding artists.

A free downloadable drawing pack is available and details of all Big Draw events at National Museums Liverpool are here .

Billy Nugent, from the Walker Art Gallery, discusses Heritage Open Day events with BBC Radio Merseyside

One of the things I love most about Liverpool is that despite it being a relatively small place or the fact I have lived here all my life I can still find amazing buildings or streets I didn’t know existed. A wise person once told me to always look above ground level to spot the original architectural features of old buildings. Not only are they often real works of craftsmanship but they can reveal so many clues to its history. 

This Saturday and Sunday is Heritage Open Day weekend, when lots of the city’s architectural jems will be open to the public.

I was lucky enough to be at the Oratory yesterday for a media call about the free events this weekend. It’s such an atmospheric place, perched above St James cemetery and in the shadow of Liverpool Cathedral. Hopefully the weather over the weekend will be as good as it was for me and visitors will enjoy the same view across to the city from the Oratory steps.

More details about National Museums Liverpool’s events over Heritage Open Day on our main website.

 Dr. Richard Benjamin and Greg Roberts

We received a VIP visit to the International Slavery Museum yesterday. Greg Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Muhammad Ali Centre in Louisville, Kentucky dropped by and was given a tour of the museum by Dr. Richard Benjamin.

The museum recently reached the finals of the National Lottery Awards. Voting has now closed but we are keeping everything crossed that we will be successful when the winners are announced on 5 September.

I was very interested in an article in the Guardian by Syma Tariq on women artists and institutional collecting. The Walker Art Gallery has been collecting work by women artists since its foundation in the 1870s. These works, which now form perhaps the best collection of historic art by women in a public gallery in England, span from the 16th century to the present day. Artists include Lavinia Fontana and Rosalba Carriera, but what do we call them? Old Masters obviously not, but the alternative Old Mistresses is worse! A clear demonstration of the art historical bias.

Our exhibition, The Rise of Women Artists (opens on 23 October 2009), will examine historical changes affecting women, looking at their status and careers as they moved to assert themselves as artists in their own right. It will also highlight the breadth of the Walker’s collection. In fact such is the strength of the collection of work by women, that some key works can’t be included in the large exhibition space, but will instead feature in a tour of other works by female artists in the rest of the galllery.

The exhibition features work by Vigee-Lebrun and Angelica Kauffman as well as less well known artists of the 19th century such as Annie Swynnerton. Contemporary artists including Louise Bourgeois and Paula Rego will complete the journey to the present day. 

Rankin's studio at World Museum Liverpool

The bold and beautiful people of Liverpool called into World Museum Liverpool last Thursday to have their portrait taken by the acclaimed photographer Rankin.

For those who don’t know the name you will certainly know his work as there doesn’t seem to be a member of the glitterati he has not photographed. However it was “ordinary” scousers under the lens last week, as part of the Shoot Me, Rankin! project to photograph 1,000 people and form a portrait of modern Britain.

The whole process was quite fascinating to watch. A team of people looked after hair and make-up, while another team of photographic assistants worked on lighting, props, wind machines and the final touch ups of the portraits on the computer.

Rankin works amidst this whirl of assistants, producers, models and PR people, to produce stunning portraits that are all as different as each sitter but all maintain a Rankin "look".

The Shoot Me, Rankin! portraits will be on display alongside a major retrospective of Rankin's work at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London from 31 July to 18 September 2009.

If you have missed your chance to be photographed by Rankin you can still be photographed by a professional photographer at the Walker Art Gallery. The Iconic Portraits Competition is inspired by the Cecil Beaton: Portraits exhibition (until 31 August 2009).

Guests at the New Radicals private view

New Radicals From Sickert to Freud opened this weekend at the Walker Art Gallery. The photograph above was taken at the private view where guests had the opportunity to view the fascinating exhibition, drawn entirely from the gallery’s own collection, for the first time.

I have been reading a biography of Walter Sickert in preparation for this exhibition and it has given me a small insight into the art world of the time. I haven’t got very far through the book yet, but I have been struck by what an exciting time it must have been for Sickert as a young and promising artist, particularly one with connections. From early in his career he worked under the close guidance of Whistler whose work and artistic philosophy he greatly admired as well as holidaying in France with Degas, which often included chance meetings with other great names such as Gauguin. Such holidays influenced Bathers, Dieppe, one of my favourite paintings in the Walker's collection, and also included in this show.

These connections of Sickert's had a huge impact on his work and ensured he was a significant figure in the transition from Impressionism to Modernism, one of the themes of the exhibition.

The exhibition runs until 20 September 2009.

Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Etches is on at the Lady Lever Art Gallery until 20 September 2009.

John Lee's Sweetheart and Wives (1860) makes way for paintings returning from Stockholm

Regular visitors to the Walker Art Gallery may have missed some familiar faces from the Pre-Raphaelite room in recent months. Such is the enduring popularity of the Pre-Raphaelites that from time to time our works go travelling around the world on loan to other galleries. This time it was to an exhibition at Nationalmuseum Stockholm, but I’m happy to tell you they are now back where they belong.

You may well be seeing even more of one the returning works, Lorenzo and Isabella, as it is featured in the new BBC drama Desperate Romantics.

The Doorway - etching and drypoint, 1879-1880 by James McNeill Whistler. © The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

Venice divides opinion. It can be far too busy and commercial, but if you are like me you will forgive such a truly beautiful place anything.

It would seem Whistler also appreciated the lure of Venice. There are four etchings of a Venetian doorway in the exhibition Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Etchings at the Lady Lever Art Gallery. They are of the same scene but with small alterations. Hung together they convey a determination by Whistler to perfectly capture the charm of the place.

The artist found much of the inspiration for his etchings in the major European cities of the time including Liverpool. The exhibition features a lovely etching of Speke Hall from 1870.

The exhibition, organised by the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, University of Glasgow, runs until 20 September 2009.

The 15 - 21 June 2009 was Refugee Week, a national event which encourages people to celebrate the positive contributions that refugees and asylum seekers make to the UK. Ann-marie McGoughey, our project worker for engaging refugees and asylum seekers, tells us how it went:

Detail of Simple Acts banner

This year, the Simple Acts campaign was launched to inspire people to use small, everyday actions to help change the perceptions of refugees and asylum seekers. Refugee Week organisers have developed a list of 20 simple actions, that anyone can do, such as 'smile', 'cook a dish from another country' or 'learn to say a few things in another language'. The full list can be seen on the Simple Acts website.

Here at National Museums Liverpool, we supported Refugee Week and the Simple Acts campaign, by delivering a series of events for staff and visitors. Events included a drawing workshop with artist Charlotte Brown, linked to the 20 Simple Acts. Participants chose their favourite act and drew a picture to represent it. Charlotte then joined all of the pictures together to create a Simple Acts banner, which measured over 9 metres in length! Staff also had the opportunity to contribute to this enormous piece of artwork during a lunchtime event at World Museum Liverpool.

We also had a number of events in the museum’s Treasure House Theatre, including African Beats workshops with Chaba. During these workshops, visitors learnt how to drum, sing and also tried African travelling dance. Also in the theatre during the week, we showed two films created by groups of young refugees and asylum seekers: Visitor & Samurai and Make Your Own Liverpool.

The week ended with a celebration event involving groups of primary school children and students from EMTAS (Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service). The pupils had been working with EMTAS in the run-up to Refugee Week and treated us all to a show of performances, films and artwork that they had created. The grand finale included a balloon release outside of World Museum Liverpool, during which the children released their positive messages for refugees and asylum seekers.

All in all, a very enjoyable week, with over 560 simple acts completed by National Museums Liverpool staff and visitors! I can't wait for next year!

Peterson Kamwathi's work on display

I went to see a small but fascinating display of prints by Kenyan artist Peterson Kamwathi at World Museum Liverpool today.

The prints contain symbols and imagery that explore Kenya’s political situation. Each image contains a bull which represents the Kenyan nation in the midst of unrest.

Kamwathi says about his work: "I view myself as a part of my society and as such I’m accountable to the society. Being an artist, this society extends beyond my immediate environment to include the world. In my work I strive to address and document issues that affect and impact my country, my continent and now the planet."

The display officially opens tomorrow (26 June) when there will also be a presentation in the Treasure House Theatre on Peterson’s work and Kenya’s contemporary art scene by artist and collector Ed Cross at 3pm.

Halima Cassell with one of the exhibits

One of the highlights of summer in this city is the annual Liverpool Arabic Arts festival (17-19 July). There is always so much to see from performances to exhibitions, and most excitingly for myself, there is also plenty of delicious food to be had too!

Here at National Museums Liverpool we are hosting a lot of the free events and beginning to prepare for the festival. One of the events to look out for is a small display of Halima Cassell’s work at the Walker Art Gallery. The other day I went to see Halima at our decorative arts store when she dropped off the exhibits. Her work is all hand-carved and as you can see from the photograph quite large in scale. I loved the sharp geometric patterns and earthy colours. They should look great when they go on display. 

Halima’s work is on show from 11 July to 9 August and she will be giving a free gallery talk on 17 July at 1pm.

Here at the press office it can get pretty busy at times, so we are very grateful for the generous help of our volunteers. Matthew Linden has been with us for several months so we felt it was time he had a break from the office and took a trip around the venues. Here is what he discovered:

Henry Moore's The Falling Warrior (bronze)

I’ve been carrying out voluntary work in the Press Office since February 2009.  I have a degree in the History of Art, and was asked to write a piece on a favourite artwork at the Walker Art Gallery.  On visiting I was immediately affected by The Falling Warrior (bronze), originally a public sculpture created by Henry Moore between 1956 and 1957.

The sculpture is seen standing on the first floor, placed centrally, an ornament dominating the interior landscape, and an object designated as the intended focal point of the audiences’ attention.

The sculpture seemingly ‘rests’ on a platform, it possesses a dark, decaying exterior, with a contrasting smooth and rugged organic surface.  As one approaches the enigmatic form, one is drawn in; but on closer inspection, the figure is not ‘resting’ – Moore’s human form is abstract, dynamic, expansive, protecting itself with a shield, struggling for life, close to death, a body with no identity, full of ambiguity.  Who is this stranger, this ‘falling warrior’?

The sculpture suggests the simultaneous act of birth and death, an infant and a corpse, the beginning and the end, echoing Moore’s experience of the pain and trauma of the two World Wars.  ‘I wanted a figure that was still alive…in the act of falling…emphasising the dramatic moment that precedes death’, says Moore.

As the viewer walks away from ‘the falling warrior’, the figure remains on the horizon, evoking history and the past, the memory and experience not forgotten

Press Assistant Alison Cornmell has been looking after the publicity for the exhibition Sound and Vision at the National Conservation Centre. Last week she took a special visitor around the exhibition for the first time:

Jill Furmanovsky visits Francesco Mellina's exhibition

They say that there are no more than six degrees of separation between all people, and I think there is some truth to this. My mum’s sister’s husband’s auntie knows Ben Shephard’s Nan, thus meaning that me and that fine-looking GMTV presenter are practically best mates!

Ok that was a tenuous link but after my meeting with rock photographer Jill Furmanovsky there is now only one degree of separation between me and some of the greatest musicians in the world…of all time...ever!

On Friday 5 June I was lucky enough to be introduced to Jill Furmanovsky by Francesco Mellina. She has captured many of the biggest names in rock music, including Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Blondie, The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, and the night before I met her she had been photographing Oasis at their gig at Heaton Park in Manchester.  

Francesco and Jill know each other from many years ago when Francesco was manager of Dead or Alive and hired Jill to photograph them. Now years on they  have re-established contact and Jill came to visit Francesco’s exhibition Sound and Vision at the National Conservation Centre.

After having a brief chat with her me and Francesco left her to have a look around the exhibition by herself. Twenty minutes later she emerged from the gallery telling us that she thought the exhibition was fantastic, and was filled with quite technical questions, none of which I could answer. So after grabbing a quick picture of them both I let them have some time to catch up and discuss all things photographic.

As I walked out the Conservation Centre on Whitechapel I thought of all the people I am obviously now closely linked with…Debbie Harry, Sting, Chrissie Hynde, Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher. I’m now in very good company..although nothing tops Ben Shephard.

A daring performance by our talented Youth Theatre

After a 12 month break for maternity leave I'm feeling a little rusty, so I've been enjoying the opportunity to reacquaint myself with our venues and exhibitions. Last week, during a trip to the Walker Art Gallery, I was lucky enough to catch an on-gallery performance from our very talented Youth Theatre in the exhibition Fashion V Sport.

The young people explored the four themes of the exhibition; dare, desire, play and display to create a quirky interpretation of each area. The budding thespians interlinked poetry and drama to produce a funny and unique short play that questioned our addiction to fashion and celebrity.

Unfortunately the exhibition closed last weekend but you can find out more about the Youth Theatre Project here. Or contact Helen MacBryde on 0151 478 4818.

Vikky Evans-Hubbard plays the role of Diane Nash

As usual our museums are packed with things to keep you busy this bank holiday weekend, but a new performance at the International Slavery Museum on Monday 5 May is definitely worth a special trip.

Keep your eyes on the prize tells the inspiring story of Diane Nash and her involvement in the civil rights movement in America during the 1960s. There are two performances at 2 and 3pm.

Or if like me you are planning a very lazy long weekend then let BBC's Woman's Hour bring highlights of the performance to you. They are doing a series on the treasures of National Museums Liverpool as picked by female members of staff. Watch this space for the others to follow throughout 2008.

Terry standing next to his painting RS Thomas Triptych.

Standing Stones, a display of work by Liverpool-artist Terry Duffy, opened today at the Walker Art Gallery.

The display consists of two diptychs and a triptych, forms that work really well with the symmetry and the classic architecture of the gallery.

Standing Stones is on show at the Walker Art Gallery until 8 June 2008 and will be followed by further exhibitions of Terry's work in various locations throughout the city during Capital of Culture.

Living Memorial to Ken Sara-Wiwa outside the International Slavery Museum

Today is the last day to catch the Living Memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa outside the International Slavery Museum.

The 12ft high and 18ft long Nigerian steel bus, created by artist Sokari Douglas-Camp CBE, is carved with a direct quotation from Ken Saro-Wiwa. The quotation ‘I ACCUSE THE OIL COMPANIES OF PRACTISING GENOCIDE AGAINST THE OGONI’ is accompanied by the names of Saro-Wiwa and his eight colleagues who were executed on 10 November 1995 following their campaign to stop the environmental devastation of the Ogoni area of the Niger Delta in Nigeria by multinational oil companies.

Dance the Guns to Silence, an evening of poetry, music and activism will be held at the Sara-Wiwa bar in the Liverpool Guild of Students from 8pm tonight.

Gallery attendants Brian and Dave meet Aled Jones at the Walker Art Gallery

BBC’s Songs of Praise filmed at the Walker Art Gallery yesterday. Presenter Aled Jones met up with local artist Cecelia Matson who introduced him to the gallery by showing him work by her favourite artist and source of inspiration JMW Turner. Cecelia told Aled how the Walker was a great place for contemporary artists to learn from old masters.

The feature, which is part of a programme dedicated to Capital of Culture will be aired on Sunday 4 May.

There will be more Turners to feast on over at the Lady Lever Art Gallery this summer when Masterpiece Watercolours and Drawings opens from 28 June- 9 November 2008.  The exhibition features other big names such as Constable, Burne-Jones and Cox and offers a rare opportunity to see a selection of the gallery’s most delicate artworks.

The Lord Mayor shows off his handiwork

We invited press to the Walker Art Gallery yesterday to see the Lord Mayor of Liverpool making his mark to the fabulous Liverpool Cityscape. We all held our breath as he sprayed in the clock hands of the Municipal building to point to the time 12.07. But as the picture above shows he didn't go over the lines and did a perfect job!

The time 12.07 was specially chosen to represents the year 1207 when Liverpool was granted its own status in King John’s Royal Charter, an important part of the city's history covered in Magical History Tour at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Ben Johnson has been working on the painting in front of a live audience for nearly six weeks. The last day for his public residency is 7 March 2008. The finished painting will be revealed in the exhibition Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series.

Black achievers wall, International Slavery Museum © Redman Design/ International Slavery Museum

Judges from The Art Fund Prize visited the International Slavery Museum today. The panel have the tricky job of deciding which of the ten nominated UK museums and galleries demonstrate the most originality, imagination and excellence.

Fingers crossed they have enjoyed their visit today and that we are shortlisted to the final four (to be announced in early April). The winner will be announced on Thursday 22 May at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2008.

If you are one of the thousands of visitors who have visited the International Slavery Museum since it opened in August and think it deserves this prize then add your comment on The Art Fund Prize website.

MP Andy Burnham and family in Walker Art Gallery

Even the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport gets time off to enjoy a family day out. I got this photograph while Andy Burnham visited the Walker Art Gallery with his wife and three children. They had already been to Big Art where the girls had been fitted out with fairy costumes. When I found them the family were absorbed by Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape and trying to spot Everton’s football ground.

Yupin shows photographer the Lady Lever Art Gallery's collection of Chinese snuff bottles

I met Dr Yupin Chung at the Lady Lever Art Gallery today. Yupin has a busy job as both curator and researcher for the gallery’s Chinese collections. Today Yupin was being interviewed by the Daily Post for an article on her work. Hopefully this will help shed some light not just on the fabulous collection at the gallery but also on the work Yupin is doing to interpret it.

Lord Leverhulme began to collecting Chinese art in the 1890s. He orginally bought blue-and-white and enamelled porcelains of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) as furnishings for his various homes but they are now on display for us all to see in the gallery.

Yupin is working towards an electronic catalogue of the collection to be made available to the public as a web-based resource in 2009.

Fierce!

Local press attended a preview this morning of the lovely exhibition Victorian Visions, which opens to the public at the Lady Lever Art Gallery on Saturday.

There are some big names in the world of Victorian photography included in the exhibition such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Francis Frith. But my favourite work is by Lady Hawarden, an artist I had never heard of before this exhibition.

What I love about her photographs is their intensity. Hawarden was a master of composition and used light and shadow to give her images an amazing elegance. I also love the models. She used her own daughters who appear to be experts at striking dark, moody poses. Their gloominess may well have more to do with being forced to pose for hours for a perfectionist mother than artistic expression, but they might have been comforted to know that their intense and unusual photographs could easily be on the pages of modern day fashion spreads. Contestants of America’s Next Top Model should watch and learn!

I had the chance to have a sneak preview of Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape last night. Blocking my view of the painting were several famous faces including the artist Peter Blake whose studio is next door to Ben’s and Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson who came to see the portrait of her home city.

Seeing the work close up really enables you to appreciate the amazing amount of work and effort that goes into each tiny detail. I chatted to Ben’s assistants who help produce the separate computerised drawings of each building in the painting. We discussed the enormous amount of time that goes into each key building, some taking several weeks. One mentioned that a few months ago they had worried about how they would possibly get such an enormous painting finished on time. Thankfully he seemed quite confident it was all on schedule now!

Visitors to the Walker Art Gallery will get the chance to see Ben complete the artwork from 28 January - 7 March 2008.

Ben with his wife Sheila and his assistants