On Sunday, June 22, Jay went to a birthday party, so Diane and I headed off to the Courtauld gallery just off the Strand and just east of Waterloo Bridge.
The Courtauld is a small gem of a museum that offers a cross-section of Western European art from Medieval times to the present, and is best known for its Impressionists. You'll find Monet, Manet, and Seurat, to name a few. But there are good works by earlier artists, such as Van Dyck.
The museum is just one of the attractions of Somerset House, a massive building overlooking the Thames with a wonderful, big courtyard. In a previous life, Somerset House was part of the Royal Navy -- another part of the building has paintings of Trafalgar hero Admiral Nelson and other naval notables, and there is a Nelson Staircase.
In addition to the Courtauld, Somerset House has the Hermitage Rooms, a scaled-down replica of part of the famous Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, and a nice cafe that offers outdoor seating with views of the Thames and the South Bank. The courtyard has fountains that children in bathing suits (or nothing) love to scamper around in in the summer. And, during the winter holidays, they put in an ice rink.
The courtyard is not obvious from the Strand as you walk by, and is easy to miss if you're not paying attention. But, if you go in, you'll be glad you did.
The Courtauld is a small gem of a museum that offers a cross-section of Western European art from Medieval times to the present, and is best known for its Impressionists. You'll find Monet, Manet, and Seurat, to name a few. But there are good works by earlier artists, such as Van Dyck.
The museum is just one of the attractions of Somerset House, a massive building overlooking the Thames with a wonderful, big courtyard. In a previous life, Somerset House was part of the Royal Navy -- another part of the building has paintings of Trafalgar hero Admiral Nelson and other naval notables, and there is a Nelson Staircase.
In addition to the Courtauld, Somerset House has the Hermitage Rooms, a scaled-down replica of part of the famous Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, and a nice cafe that offers outdoor seating with views of the Thames and the South Bank. The courtyard has fountains that children in bathing suits (or nothing) love to scamper around in in the summer. And, during the winter holidays, they put in an ice rink.
The courtyard is not obvious from the Strand as you walk by, and is easy to miss if you're not paying attention. But, if you go in, you'll be glad you did.
posted by Jonathan at 7:35 AM
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