Is Turner the true Father of Modern Art? Born in Covent Garden, London in 1775, Joseph Mallard Turner is often hailed as Britain’s greatest artist. His face adorns banknotes, streets are named after him and, indeed, the Turner Prize takes his name. With 2025 being the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth, it’s time to resolve […]
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Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? How Gauguin’s visit to London in 1885 helped clear up an existential crisis 140 years ago, French artist Paul Gauguin set off on a get-away-from-it-all visit to London. This visit marked a watershed moment in his life – he had split from […]
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Toyosi Saliu Makes a Solid Gold Statement With Breathtaking 24-Carat Art From the heart of the African continent but firmly rooted in London, rises an exciting new artist whose work bridges African identity and ancestral royalty with modern elegance. Nigerian artist Toyosi Saliu uses real 24-carat gold to craft dazzling portraits that bring a […]
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A STREET ARTIST on Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End chats to a passer by while trying to pull in customers. His painting of Bob Marley in the foreground a prominent sign of his talent and acting as a portrait sized calling card. Photo (above) by Eddie Saint-Jean, title photo by Pedro Szekely via Flickr […]
Fashion Snap of the Week An attorney from the Cayman Islands, who prefers to keep his identity undisclosed, attends London Ethnic’s Big Fashionista Party and Fashion Showcase at the Roof Gardens, Kensington in a very regal looking outfit including white silk tie and paisley jacket. The gold tipped leather shoes complete the eye-catching outfit. Party-goers […]
Fresh from her successful role as Laureline in recent movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets comes Cara Delevingne’s latest creative venture – her 368-page novel Mirror Mirror, co-written with Rowan Coleman and published by Trapeze. Judging by her performance in Luc Besson’s sci-fi flick, she has undoubted talent but English fiction writing […]
ON THIS DAY in 1743 English bare-knuckle fighter Jack Broughton began staging boxing exhibitions in an ampitheatre on Hanway Rd, near Oxford Street. It eventually became the largest of its kind, making him the foremost name in the sport. He cemented this status by drawing up seven rules, which became universally applied before the Marquis […]
Summer time is always a trigger for London buskers of all backgrounds and degrees of talent trying their hands before the crowds. One-man bands, magicians, jugglers, break dancers, shamrock yodas dressed in green garb on St Patrick’s Day, you name it the London crowds have probably seen it. Covent Garden is the unofficial busking centre […]
Painting Dustman from Mile End Stanislav Geissler has just celebrated having his sculpture/painting Alexander McQueen v David Bowie-The Last Dress Up as the centrepiece at the recent Salon des Refuses exhibition organised by Happenstance Framing at the Candid Arts Trust, Islington. What’s Hot London? readers can take a peek in his studios to see his […]
With 20 year-old Stratford rapper JHUS’ new album plastered all over the largest and most prominent advertising boards at Stratford Westfields, the East End faithful have been informed. The rest of London is about to catch on. He is, arguably, the most exciting and unique talent to emerge in British hip hop in recent years […]
Cafe De Paris, Leicester Square was the place to be for the Raindance Film Festival Independent Filmmakers Ball. It was gathering of film directors, producers, screenwriters actors and the like, suited and booted and in celebratory mood. A 30s style jazz and swing band kept them entertained.
He’s the novelist who created the most widely known literary horror character outside of Frankenstein. Blood-sucking Count Dracula was responsible for many-a-troubled sleep with 1000 Dracula-themed books and 200 movies now available at the last count. Bram Stoker died in London on this date April 20th in 1912 aged 64 and was cremated in Golders […]
The official announcement for the winner of the Saatchi selfie competition was a red-carpeted affair with a champagne reception attended by leading lights from the art world. The judges, (Tracy Emin among them) voted Dawn Wooley from Cambridge the winner for her selfie The Substitute. Dawn told What’s Hot London? the inspiration behind this photo […]
Hillary Clinton Graffiti/Painting Shoreditch By Street Artist Pegasus
