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By providing in the old basement five new galleries for exhibitions, conservation and the reserve collections, together with a studio, lecture theatre, visitors’ library and meeting room for education, capped by the stunning glazed central courtyard at the heart of Hertford House as a restaurant, the Wallace Collection was ready to meet the 21st century head on.

The Collection has been able to achieve more for the visitor, of all ages and interests, than it could possibly have dreamed of in 2000 (not least, when anticipated visitor numbers of 350,000 a year were not projected until 2025, a figure already reached by 2008). The Collection is immensely grateful to all those who through their generous philanthropy have made this possible and now looks to the next ten years to build on these successes. Currently at The Wallace Collection: the Art Treasures of Spain in European Armoury II

In 1937 the Spanish Civil War was rapidly destroying Spain's greatest cities, and along with them, the country's cultural heritage. The Republican government asked for international support. One of the first to come to their aid was James Mann, Keeper of the Wallace Collection. In recognition of the support given during the Civil War, in January 2010 the Wallace Collection was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain. The Order, along with a display about Mann's work in Spain, will be exhibited. Runs to November 2010 Follow this link for further information on the Wallace Collection . . . .]]> Cultural Pursuits http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2700 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2701
The Yorkshire Museum is set to be a must-see destination in a tour around the city of York. The redevelopment is set to create a truly innovative home for the museum’s collections – which include The Vale of York Viking Hoard, the most significant Viking find in more than 150 years, the head of the earliest portrait statue of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, and the famous ‘Cawood Sword’, only the fifth Viking sword of its type ever to be found and by far the best preserved, with a mysterious inscription that has never been solved.

The city’s Roman heritage will be the central theme for the new look museum, with major exhibitions also highlighting its strong medieval and natural history collections. The project, called Letting in the Light, will see much of the relatively modern interior walls removed to create a much more open and welcoming space. The gateway to the new-look museum will be the large, light and airy Central Hall which will recreate some of the original look of the Yorkshire Museum.

The refurbishment work has also restored the museum’s Georgian building, letting in more natural light and opening up spaces that have been divided up over the years. The museum was opened in 1830 by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and was one of the first purpose-built museums in the country.

For more information on Yorkshire Museum please follow this link .... ]]> Cultural Pursuits http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2701 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2699
Since 2003, Jason Bell has lived between London and New York. Whilst shooting an assignment for American Vogue about anglophilia with English models in an English tearoom, he became interested in investigating the English people living in the city.

Through his investigations he has met cops, plumbers, cab drivers, rock stars, actors, editors, deep-sea divers and helicopter pilots who let him photograph them. He says: ‘I went for a walk in Central Park with Sting, and for a cup of tea on Kate Winslet’s roof terrace, sat on Zoë Heller’s stoop and watched Stephen Daldry bicycle down 8th Avenue. I was given a private tour of both the Metropolitan Museum and the Barneys shop windows. I started with a blank canvas and was amazed by the number of Englishmen and women who have made such a large impact on the cultural life of the city. And amidst all the questions about why people had come here and what they had left behind, I learnt a little bit more about what it means to be English, what it means to be a New Yorker, and where the two intersect.’

Born in Camden, London in 1969, Jason Bell was given his first camera at the age of five. He graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University in 1989 but had already decided on a career as a portrait photographer. Bell’s work regularly appears in Vanity Fair and Vogue and he has shot film posters for Billy Elliot, About a Boy and Love Actually amongst others. He has been the Best British Black and White Photographer at the British Picture Editor’s Awards (1998), the Royal Photographic Society’s Terence Donovan Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Photography (2006), and the New York Photo Award’s Best Advertising Image (2008). His work has been published in three books GiveGet, Hats Off and Gold Rush and a fourth book of this new project will be published in 2010 to coincide with the display. Dates: August 24 2010 – April 17, 2011. For more information online follow this link ....

Note: An Englishman in New York is published by Dewi Lewis Publishing (RRP £35.00) 65 plates, large format hardback, with text and interviews by Guy Harrington.]]> ArtScene http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2699 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2698 Use this link for more information . . .

Admission : Tuesdays to Sundays 10am – 6pm, Thursdays 10am – 9pm, closed on Mondays, except on Jeûne Fédéral Monday (September 20) open 10am – 6pm
]]> ArtScene http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2698 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2696
While housing a Trade Store and Office, a General Warehouse and spacious fields and gardens, it is the Officer's Dwelling House that holds special appeal for visitors to the historic site. Once the main residence and administration hub for the fort, it is here that Parks Canada interpreters welcome guests for the night (rooms are outfitted with original bedding and authentic artifacts from the late 1800s). But before it's time to burrow under the covers, guests are welcome to stir up some grub on their own in the kitchen, courtesy of a wood burning stove. On the menu? Steak, salmon and even hearty stew are provided along with homemade biscuits and fruits and veg from the community garden.

Following a cosy night's respite, the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee, coupled with a home-spun breakfast, will entice. All providing a B&B experience big on charm...and a whole lot of history. Use this link for more information .... ]]> Destinations http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2696 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:09:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2708
This year the Festival’s other events have expanded to include workshops for adult amateurs as well as numerous talks, a lunchtime concert series and a Master Course led by Ian Partridge. The successful education programme will again take part in local Oxfordshire schools and culminate in a concert at the Ashmolean Museum. For further information please follow this link ....]]> Cultural Pursuits http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2708 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:00:50 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2695

The “Hollywood Bowl” application, developed by MeemleLabs, starts by offering users detailed concert information, including bios, photos and show times, sorted by date or genre, and the ability to add concerts to a favorites list in order to receive reminders and special announcements concerning their favorite shows. Can’t find your seats? The “Hollywood Bowl” app features a GPS-enabled map, which allows visitors to see their exact location and easily locate seating sections, nearby concessions, points of interest, picnic areas, and restrooms. Can’t find the venue? The “Hollywood Bowl” app features turn-by-turn directions from any location (available on GPS-enabled devices). Not sure where to park? The “Hollywood Bowl” app offers detailed parking and shuttle information. Not sure if you can bring that bottle of wine? The “Hollywood Bowl” app outlines the house rules including what patrons are allowed and not allowed to bring into the venue.

Other features of the “Hollywood Bowl” application include a gallery where fans can watch videos, see fan photos from concerts, and submit their own photos of memorable days and nights at the Bowl. The “Hollywood Bowl” app also makes it easy to buy tickets and offers other ways to support the LA Phil including a new mobile giving option.

The LA Phil is consistently working on ways to improve mobile service for all users. Prior to the 2010 season, the LA Phil worked diligently with AT&T to improve connectivity throughout the 110-acre Hollywood Bowl venue and grounds. Now, AT&T users will experience vastly improved service and can enjoy using the “Hollywood Bowl” app at the Bowl and beyond.]]> Luxe http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2695 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:04:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2707
The night starts with two contemporary big bands: Dave Douglas Big Band and Dave Holland Big Band. Trumpeter-Composer and Grammy-nominee Dave Douglas is known for mixing classic and European folk music into traditional jazz with his big band. Both artists have expanded the boundaries of jazz music bringing modern twists to the renowned music genre of the big band. British bassist Dave Holland’s avant-garde jazz band blends together traditional blues and jazz with funk; Holland prides himself in improvising in music from all sides of the spectrum. Editor's note: Herbie Hancock begins his tenure as the Bill and Carolyn Powers Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the Hollywood Bowl 2010 season. His influence has produced a jazz series that is filled with an eclectic mix of musical contributions from African and pop to soul and big band, typical of Hancock’s diverse tastes. Other concerts to come in this series include B.B. King and Buddy Guy (August 11); the Neville Brothers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Trey McIntyre Dance Project and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (August 18); Gershwin Across America featuring special guests Jason Mraz, Nancy Wilson and others plus an all-star big band (August 25); and Herbie Hancock: Seven Decades – The Birthday Celebration (September 1) featuring Juanes, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi plus other guests. For more information on the Hollywood Bowl, please follow this link ....
]]> Overtures http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2707 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:53:13 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2694 Follow this link for further information on Denmark . . .
This link will take you to Golden Days in Copenhagen . . .]]> Destinations http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2694 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400 http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2693
The recent gift to Mingei International Museum of a personal archive and folk art collection from San Diegan Lucia Ionescu Kanchenian provided the impetus and inspiration for this exhibition. The richness of Romania’s related arts — costumes, textiles, architecture, works in wood, pottery and other objects of daily and ceremonial use — derives energy from the confluence of East and West. Although its present day borders were drawn during the twentieth century, the region has been inhabited by many great civilizations, among them the Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Romanians, Hungarians, Saxon Germans, Armenians, Jews and Roma are all part of the rich cultural heritage of this land, adding variety and dimension to the art found there. In addition to the Lucia Ionescu Kanchenian Collection, several other collections are represented in the exhibition. These lenders have succeeded in bringing back from their travels beautiful works of folk art and craft. There are wooden chests and benches embellished with paint; pottery in fanciful forms for various uses; magnificent hand-embroidered costumes and textiles, each one specific to its own linguistic and geographical zone; New Year’s festival masks intended to frighten and colorful icons painted on glass. The exhibition will also include a number of full costumes representing a variety of regions and a village room furnished in the style of Transylvania’s Maramures County. The Maryhill Museum of Art has loaned several unique, folkloric items that are part of their collection from Queen Marie of Romania.

In addition to the Maryhill Museum of Art, lenders to the exhibition are Peggy Geyer, Dr. Katalin Kádár Lynn, Kathleen McLaughlin, Dr. Kiki Skagen Munshi, Sharon Sharpe, Ferenc Tobak and Dr. Ronald Wixman with photographs by Kathleen McLaughlin, Russell Young and Scott Eastman. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Katalin Kádár Lynn.

Mingei International Museum is located at 1439 El Prado in Balboa Park. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and national holidays. Regular admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students and active military with ID. For information, call 619-239-0003 or visit www.mingei.org]]> Cultural Pursuits http://luxurytraveler.com/blogindex.php?itemid=2693 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:00:00 -0400