Travel Adventures for Grown-Ups
London, England - Saatchi Gallery
Info:
Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York's HQ
King's Road
London, England SW3 4SQ
Web:
www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Phone:
(+44) 0207-811-3085
Hours:
10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; last entry 5:30 p.m.
Admission:
Free
Duke of York Square Food Market
Duke of York Square
80 Duke of York Square
Chelsea, Londo, SW3 4LU
When:
Every Saturday
Web:
Market
Phone:
(+44) 020-7823-5577
London - The Saatchi Gallery & Saturday Market
by Mitch Kaplan
photos by Mitch Kaplan
video by Penny Kaplan
"Let's go to the Saatchi Gallery," Penny declared.
I nodded ascent. It didn't mean anything to me.
The museum, I learned, was created by Charles Saatchi in 1985. It has occupied several spaces, but has now settled into the Duke of York Headquarters in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Such a British sounding name for a neighborhood.
The headquarters themselves once served as a military school, and later as a "barracks," which appears to mean something of a prison.
Anyway, in 2008, after extensive renovation, the place re-opened as the Saatchi Museum's permanent home.
And, a beautiful renovation it is.
But, Is It Art?
One passes through the classical columned entrance and enters a series of huge,
high-ceilinged, white-walled gallery spaces with polished hardwood floors. Within these spaces are displayed the kinds of large-format modern art that can fit, well, only in such expansive rooms.
The institution's stated goal is to show contemporary work that would otherwise not be seen in big London institutions. The gallery's head of development, Rebecca Wilson, told The Canadian Press, "The gallery's guiding principle is to show what is being made now, the most interesting artists of today."
It does that, alright.
The show we saw was entitled Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture (to run until Jan. 17, 2010), and it displayed the gamut of modern art from the visually fascinating to the head-shaking puzzling.
Three elements stood out for me:
Street Market
No such question arose when we stumbled unexpectedly upon the Saturday Food Market outside the Saatchi in Duke of York Square.
What a surprise. And, what a gem.
We spent at least half an hour ogling the offerings, which ranged from meat pies and Caribbean wraps to French cheeses and super bakery goods. The problem? What to choose for an alfresco lunch. Or, was it possible to eat one of everything?
Well, life is short. I ate desert first—a fantastic orange cake from one of the bakery stalls. Penny opted for quiche. I returned t
o buy a hand-sized meat pie (lamb and mint). Then, making the most of life being short, gobbled down a delectable custard tart.
This feast required an hour to walk off. Ah, but it was worth it.
My conclusion: the Saatchi is well worth the visit. Especially if you go on a Saturday and chow down at the Food Market.
by Mitch Kaplan
photos by Mitch Kaplan
video by Penny Kaplan
"Let's go to the Saatchi Gallery," Penny declared.
I nodded ascent. It didn't mean anything to me.
The museum, I learned, was created by Charles Saatchi in 1985. It has occupied several spaces, but has now settled into the Duke of York Headquarters in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Such a British sounding name for a neighborhood.
The headquarters themselves once served as a military school, and later as a "barracks," which appears to mean something of a prison.
Anyway, in 2008, after extensive renovation, the place re-opened as the Saatchi Museum's permanent home.
And, a beautiful renovation it is.
But, Is It Art?
One passes through the classical columned entrance and enters a series of huge,
high-ceilinged, white-walled gallery spaces with polished hardwood floors. Within these spaces are displayed the kinds of large-format modern art that can fit, well, only in such expansive rooms.The institution's stated goal is to show contemporary work that would otherwise not be seen in big London institutions. The gallery's head of development, Rebecca Wilson, told The Canadian Press, "The gallery's guiding principle is to show what is being made now, the most interesting artists of today."
It does that, alright.
The show we saw was entitled Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture (to run until Jan. 17, 2010), and it displayed the gamut of modern art from the visually fascinating to the head-shaking puzzling.Three elements stood out for me:
- Kirsten Baker—a roomful of large abstract paintings uniquely done with acrylics on PVC sheets
- "Nine", a Guerra de la Paz (Neraldo de la Paz and Alain Guerra) sculpture comprised of a giant mound of clothing enveloping nine sets of human legs
- "Old Persons Home" by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu—a roomful of elderly figures moving randomly among gallery-goers on electric wheelchairs.
We didn't need to tarry long at the Saatchi. It's approachable enough to require but an hour or two. But, worth the time—even though, like all contemporary art institutions, it often, an inevitably, bugs you with the eternal question: is it art?
Street Market
No such question arose when we stumbled unexpectedly upon the Saturday Food Market outside the Saatchi in Duke of York Square.
What a surprise. And, what a gem.
We spent at least half an hour ogling the offerings, which ranged from meat pies and Caribbean wraps to French cheeses and super bakery goods. The problem? What to choose for an alfresco lunch. Or, was it possible to eat one of everything?
Well, life is short. I ate desert first—a fantastic orange cake from one of the bakery stalls. Penny opted for quiche. I returned t
o buy a hand-sized meat pie (lamb and mint). Then, making the most of life being short, gobbled down a delectable custard tart.This feast required an hour to walk off. Ah, but it was worth it.
My conclusion: the Saatchi is well worth the visit. Especially if you go on a Saturday and chow down at the Food Market.
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