HelpHound

This is my favorite gallery in london, they have some amazing paintings and collections. Every year they have the BP Portrait award exhibition (around june-september) which showcases unknown talent. A great selection of paintings, all very different. It makes a nice day visit to London to go see this exhibition and it is never disappointing, although it can get very busy so it is worth bearing in mind what time you visit.

Yesterday we went to see the 'Brilliant Women' art exhibition at the NPG. It is a small two-room collection of paintings and first edition books of (mostly) women who featured in the group of people at the end of the 18th Century known as 'The Bluestockings' - female (and some male) artists, poets, writers and intellectuals who would meet in each other's houses - most notably at Elizabeth Montagu's mansions in London. The NPG are superb at putting on these little bijou exhibitions. This one is for free. There were no headphones, which we really like to use to get all the info on each painting, but there was a static phone which gave some of the background to the times which was very interesting. [did you know that the term 'bluestocking' actually comes from one of the men of the group who turned up at one of the meetings, slovenly, in blue rather than the more fashionable white stockings?]

The exhibition is on until 15 June.