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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Britain’s greatest naval officer was born today September 29th in 1758 and no doubt the National Maritime Museum’s Nelson, Navy, Nation gallery on its 2nd floor will be paying tribute to his achievements in a fitting way. The humble son of a village rector became a Navy midshipman at an age when you were probably just into […]
With London Fashion Week fast approaching on Sept 16th let’s sneak in some timely birthday greetings to British fashion designer Stella McCartney, who is 45 today. Although her parentage is pretty illustrious – daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife American photographer/musician Linda – she made her name in this notoriously competitive industry where brand […]
Flamboyant Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) has been honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque on the walls of his childhood home in Feltham, West London. Band member Brian May and Mercury’s sister Kashmira Cooke addressed the media outside at 22 Gladstone Avenue sharing memories of his early years and beyond, when […]
Born on this date in 1797 in Somers Town, London, Mary Shelley stepped from the shadows of her more renowned husband, father and mother to make her mark in literature with the tale of the gothic man-monster Frankenstein. She certainly drew from an inspiring literary circle. Her father was radical political philosopher William Godwin and […]
Most film-lovers know Honor Blackman‘s familiar face as a Bond girl in Goldfinger, few are aware she was born in the working class heart of the East End, in Plaistow then a ward of West Ham in the London borough of Newham. And that was on this very day – August 22nd. Her career ascent […]
British military officer and diplomat Thomas Edward Lawrence was the real life dashing Lawrence of Arabia immortalised by David Lean’s 1962 movie, with the steely blue eyes of Peter O’Toole in his likeness. The film won nine Oscars and catapulted O’Toole into global fame as an actor with an epic resume but there are still […]
Londoners are blessed to be living in one of the fastest moving communication centres in the world which sometimes makes them take their transport links for granted. The rush hour grumbles on many a cramped carriage this summer have inevitably been about late, delayed or slow-moving trains in the stifling heat. Even the prospect of […]
So what does the average 15 year old girl get up to? It’s the age at which they have their first kiss with 77% saying they remember it as clear as the day it happened. Also according to a Daily Mail survey parents claim they are more concerned with boyfriends and make-up than school work. […]
Over the weekend, the ‘Fabulous Fashionistas’ held a suitably fab Summer Cocktail Party at Roof Top Gardens, Kensington for its fashion, film and TV networking soiree. This included a model catwalk casting right there in the club. It’s the place to be seen and make industry contacts so keep a look out for their glamorous […]
Born in Horsham, Sussex and educated at Eton, poet Percy Shelley’s links with London inevitably involved his tangled love life. And if you ever go boating on The Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park you’ll notice no heritage signs warning you of a tragic death in those watery depths. It happened two hundred years ago and is […]
Hillary Clinton Graffiti/Painting Shoreditch By Street Artist Pegasus
