Art · Observations · Society Pages
Went to the Catalog contemporary art fair. Looked at works by some splendid artists. Had my photograph taken with Francisco Infante. I liked the second season of the fair as much as the first: a most agreeable event, held at a good professional level.
NB! · Faith · Society
Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage
The beautiful Borovitskaya Tower has shown off its freshly restored crown. The progress of the restoration work is plain to see. It is, after all, hard to argue that the Moscow Kremlin is one of the most beautiful fortresses in the world. Every time I drive past, I look at
Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations
Recognise your kitchen? The sprouted onion is touching: it reminded me at once of Grandmother's green onion shoots, which she kept going even in winter. Hardly anyone does that now, I suppose. And we had, and still have, similar plates with a blue rim, Japanese, from the 1950s,
Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations
A gift to the museum from Lydia Delectorskaya, usually called the last muse of the genius, which implies that she was a close companion, assistant, secretary and, for almost two decades, model to Henri Matisse. Delectorskaya gave the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the Hermitage hundreds of works
Architecture · Faith · Monarchies · Rome
The Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. Erected in 193 in honour of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius's victory in the Marcomannic War. The marble column itself stands 29.6 m tall, and its pedestal 10 m; the original height of the monument was almost 42 metres, and for
Art · Moscow · Museums
Woman with a Hand Mirror. Fernando Botero, 1976 Pushkin Museum collection
NB! · Archive · Architecture · Paris · Nature
NB!
Geography · Observations · Society
Visiting Venice to become a paid affair on 29 days this year: certain days in April, May, June and July, when attendance at Venice Biennale events peaks. The charge will be 5 euros a day. It may be raised once the number of visitors to the city reaches a set
NB! · Archive · Art · Pop Culture
NB! · Geography · Maps · Observations · Society
The population of European cities by the first third of the sixteenth century. Note the densely populated north of Italy: this is precisely the age of the High Renaissance.