We're crossing our fingers for sunnier days ahead, but even if the weather doesn't cooperate, let's keep our spirits high and appreciate the abundance of wonderful events around us. From the vibrant Tulip Festival to Howe's enticing sale, and the grand celebration of The National Gallery's 200th birthday, to the captivating exhibition by Dame Magdalene Odundo at Houghton Hall, and Aram's exciting 60th birthday with the inauguration of a new space and the debut of 'Now 4 Then,' an exhibition by Max Radford Gallery.
. With so much going on this May, there's no excuse not to be out and about. Let's explore some art, catch some plays, enjoy plenty of food, and, of course, attend a few antique fairs.
The annual Tulip Festival at Burnby Hall Gardens, Pocklington is always a very popular event and provides a colourful and vibrant beginning to their new season. This year, there is a cascade of colours throughout the Gardens which can be seen formally displayed in tubs and in the main flower beds across the site.
The Cosmic House is in Holland Park, an area long associated with architects and artists. The Cosmic House is currently open Wednesday to Friday, 3:30 pm to 5.00 pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance. A maximum of 15 visitors are allowed in the house at one time.
Hear from garden designer Sean Pritchard as he celebrates the release of his debut book Outside In: A Year of Growing and Displaying. In this special book, Sean Pritchard shows you how to plan a garden so that every month of the year, there's something to bring indoors and display in an engaging way. From the cheery joy of early spring daffodils to the velvety richness of late-summer dahlias, the deep glow of golden autumn leaves to the optimism of late-winter catkins. Sean explains how to grow, harvest, and arrange an abundance of nature's treasures. Join Sean in The Orangery overlooking the hotel's secluded garden filled with mulberry trees and blooming hydrangeas before sitting down for a talk on his new book. Sean will be sharing his tips and tricks, showing you how to plan your garden so that you can display flowers and foliage in your home throughout the year.
Jess will show you how to transform recycled sheet brass & wire into beautiful, delicate everlasting leaves, on twisted wire stems. Jess will teach you the techniques she has developed in cutting and embossing sheet metal to create organic shapes. You will have the opportunity to make stems to be displayed in vases or brass floral napkin rings.
Join Anglian Potters, one of the largest pottery associations in the UK, as they return to RHS Garden Hyde Hall for a wonderful show of handmade ceramics. See pots of all shapes and sizes and sculptures for the garden, patio or home. Chat to makers about their inspiration and working methods, and find something special to buy and take home.
The Aram Gallery, celebrating its 60th birthday, is a beacon of innovative design. Following a rebrand post-Zeev's passing, they're launching a new space with the exhibit 'Now4Then' by Max Radford. Honouring Zeev's legacy, Radford emphasizes contemporary relevance in uncertain times. Featuring talents like Amelia Stevens and Eddie Olin, the exhibit champions sustainability and boundary-pushing creativity. Opening May 3, 2024, it embodies Aram's commitment to contemporary, timely design. As an outsider, I'm intrigued by their dedication to showcasing designs that resonate with our era.
PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS by Duncan Macmillan, 3rd May - 10th August, Trafalgar Theatre, 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY
Duncan Macmillan’s intoxicating hit play PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS, directed by Jeremy Herrin and designed by Tony Award®-winner Bunny Christie, makes a triumphant return to London this May. DENISE GOUGH reprises her Olivier Award-winning role as Emma, a struggling actress whose life is spinning recklessly out of control. Emma was having the time of her life. Now she’s in rehab. Her first step is to admit that she has a problem. But the problem isn’t with Emma, it’s with everything else. She needs to tell the truth. But she’s smart enough to know that there’s no such thing. When intoxication feels like the only way to survive the modern world, how can she ever sober up?
This is their biggest and best Spring Fair yet and they are so pleased with this year's line up of stallholders; everyone attending offers something truly unique, but all are connected by the thread of beauty, functionality, provenance and the influence of history and heritage craftsmanship skills. With so many new stallholders coming to Water Lane, they wanted to take a moment to introduce a few more Meet the Makers, so you have an idea of what to expect and plan any purchases. They look forward to seeing you for what is sure to be a brilliant weekend of food, flowers and friends.
We adore The Decorative Fair—it's always a delightful excursion. Whether you're shopping or simply browsing, we highly recommend a visit. This edition of the fair is particularly thrilling, as it features new dealers like Two Poems and Breton Burt, whom we've long admired.
UP TO 40% OFF Antiques with further discounts UP TO 60% OFF pieces from the Made by Howe, Howe Home as well as the Fabric, Leather and Wallpaper collections. This sale will not be available online. Card payments only.
Celebrating the one year anniversary of the permanent return of Lawrence Alma-Tadema's In My Studio to the Silk Room at Leighton House, join Senior Curator, Daniel Robbins, in this online talk exploring the fascinating history of this delicate artwork and the world of Victorian artists studio-homes. Daniel's talk will place the picture in the context of the two remarkable studio-houses Alma-Tadema created, exploring their importance in staging his depictions of the classical past. Daniel will also discuss recent progress in reassembling Leighton’s lost collections.
Stand Up In Grenson Comedy Night, Grenson Bloomsbury, 9th May, 6:30 pm - 10 pm, 40 Lamb's Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3LB
Way back before the pandemic they decided to start a series of comedy nights in their Bloomsbury Store for their followers. A simple format of three fantastic stand-up comedians, a few drinks and a bite to eat, nothing fancy. Pandemic over and they are back. With the help of their friend Steve Best, they have lined up 3 great Comedians Shappi Khorsandi, Otiz Cannelloni and Alexandra Haddow.
National Gallery celebrates its 200th birthday. They're kicking off their Big Birthday Weekend with a night of paintings, people, music and more, including a special performance by Jools Holland for lucky ballot winners. Inspired by one of the greatest collections of paintings under one roof, enjoy a special Friday Late of live music performances, DJs, talks, bars and creative workshops.
The Shape of Things questions the idea that still life is a lesser genre, showing how important it is to artists and society. Featuring a ‘Who’s Who’ of Modern and Contemporary British artists, the exhibition digs into still life’s rich symbolism and how it’s pushed boundaries and new ideas. The exhibition will shift from 17th-century ‘vanitas’ paintings to post-impressionism to abstraction and from pop to conceptual art. It will invite viewers to think about life’s challenges, such as love and grief, identity and the subconscious, life and death and plenty and waste. Today, these challenges also include biodiversity loss, the legacy of colonialism, and climate change.
This summer, Houghton Hall will present an exhibition by Dame Magdalene Odundo, one of the world’s most revered ceramic artists. The exhibition will showcase existing and new works spanning Odundo’s 30-year career, including a major new commission made while on residency at Wedgwood, Stoke-on-Trent. Playfully responding to the traditional functionality of Houghton’s State Rooms, the exhibition will inhabit the interiors through a series of thoughtful interventions that will both highlight and disrupt the functional and decorative design schemes of Houghton’s historic rooms.
Carefully curated by Aliénor Cros (AestheticCollection), a small group of ten artists from varied disciplines will exhibit at the University Women's Club this May. This is a rare opportunity to meet these artists in person and to purchase original artwork. The fair will be in support of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), a charity that provides funding to emerging and established craftspeople. The event will be held at the beautiful and exclusive University Women's Club in the heart of Mayfair.
Join them at the Goods Shed Farm this summer 12 miles west of Canterbury* out on their arable land: a mix of fruit, pasture and vegetables, with a large dose of wilding. Each event marks a key point in the season. Menus are located and set to the beat of nature’s drum at that moment in time, responding to what’s at hand. Ticket price includes a drink or two, jugs of lemonade for the table, with other beers and wines available on the day or eve.
They welcome Jacopo from Ajola, Trish from Gazzetta and Tim from Manon to Towpath for a special dinner celebrating their wines. Unusually, this was an event organised by the growers themselves. The three share a love of nature, farming and pure, soulful wines and when Tim and Mon mentioned they’d be visiting our shores, they suggested Trish and Jacopo join them and a plan was hatched to host a dinner on the canal at their friend Laura’s restaurant.
Celebrating outstanding British and international creativity, the festival brings together over 750 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world. A curated selection based not on price or fame, but underlying substance. Plus, that essential dash of magic and inspiration that separates great from good.
Discover the Wondering People's Exhibition Takeover at 8 Holland Street's Newest Flagship Gallery in St James's! Join us for a celebration of contemporary art during London Craft Week, where we'll showcase 20 talented artists. From fresh faces to familiar favourites, immerse yourself in a captivating display of artistic expression.
Supper club season is back with another feast and a carefully curated Japanese spread from Head Chef, Dean!
Wylder Fair was made even more special with the generous sponsorship from Savill's for this fantastic charity fundraiser. This year's fair boasts a meticulously curated collection of over 40 independent businesses, each selected for their commitment to sustainability and their impactful mission and purpose. Explore a diverse array of offerings including antiques, interiors, jewellery, art, garden essentials, womenswear, menswear, children's clothes, vintage finds, and delectable food and drink options. Get ready for a day of discovery and support for a great cause!
Merchant & Found Presents The Vintage Supermarket, 15th-18th May, The Vinyl Factory, Entrance through Phonic Records, 51 Poland Street, Soho, London, W1F 7ND
One of Europe’s largest online retailers of original vintage furniture, lighting, and accessories is coming to Soho London for four days only to launch the Vintage Supermarket. The supermarket will feature 6000 sq ft of original vintage and thousands of unique products curated in a Supermarket environment.
Photo London’s ninth edition returns to Somerset House with the very best in past, present and future photography. French photographer Valérie Belin has been named as the Master of Photography 2024, and there are two major exhibitions as part of the Public Programme, together with an exceptional line-up of over 120 new and returning international exhibitors. The 2024 Talks Programme also promises a strong line-up of speakers. Curated by Thames & Hudson, with contributions from Photo London partners Nikon and FT Weekend, all talks this year are free for ticket holders.
Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors, 15th May - 29th September, Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7LB
Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors will centre on four extraordinary women and the green spaces they surrounded themselves with: writer Virginia Woolf and her garden at Monk’s House; her sister artist Vanessa Bell, whose garden and studio was at nearby Charleston; arts patron and photographer Lady Ottoline Morrell, who presided over Garsington Manor; and garden designer and writer Vita Sackville-West and the gardens at Sissinghurst Castle. Photographs, paintings, textiles, garden tools, manuscripts, and correspondence – many of which have never been on public view – will tell the interweaving stories of these women, their creative lives, their friends and their gardens.
Charleston Festival brings together today’s most exciting artists, thinkers and changemakers to engage with art and ideas. For this special 35th edition, they present their most ambitious lineup yet, bringing together an array of influential voices to illuminate the world’s stories and disentangle its complexities.
Discover the artists who forged a path for generations to come. Spanning 400 years, this exhibition follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists. From Tudor times to the First World War, artists such as Mary Beale, Angelica Kauffman, Elizabeth Butler and Laura Knight paved a new artistic path for generations of women. They challenged what it meant to be a working woman of the time by going against society’s expectations – having commercial careers as artists and taking part in public exhibitions.