Pablo Picasso was no slouch—in his 92 years, scholars estimate he created over 50,000 works (1,885 paintings, 4,100 sculptures and ceramics, and some 12,000 drawings.) As many of his pieces appear in museums, thousands more are in the hands of wealthy and not-so-wealthy collectors. Still, the sale of his “Tête de Femme (Jacqueline)” (detail, above), a 1963 portrait of ... Read More »
Education vacations are nothing new. Universities from Padua to Princeton offer short-form courses for youths looking to experience learning abroad as well as lifelong students just looking for a little didactic fun. But a new, tuneful twist comes courtesy of the “Oxford Experience”—a continuing education service at the ancient English university that offers crumpet-sized samplings of their lecture-and-tutorial based ... Read More »
Almost as much as his work, the myths and legends surrounding Vincent Van Gogh keep him alive and present. We all know the tales: He cut off his ear and mailed it to a prostitute, he fled Paris in mental anguish, and, finally, e shot himself in the chest, standing in a field, an unfinished painting propped on an easel ... Read More »
Hot enough for you? We’ve heard of room service that offers in-room shabu-shabu cooking, hotels that offer rental dogs to guests, and concierges who can find almost literally anything for patrons (regardless of legality) in quick order. But human bed warmers, currently in use at London Kensington Holiday Inn, bring a whole new level of delightful, bizarre intimacy to ... Read More »
Just as cities have their scenes, sometimes there is a single record label that can define a genre or a place. In the ’80s and ’90s the place was England and the record label was Creation. Founded by Alan McGee in 1983 the label went on to promote iconic British acts including Primal Scream, Oasis, The Jesus and Mary Chain ... Read More »
You know we love music and you know we love movies, so it should come as no surprise that ‘Quadrophenia‘ is one of our all-time favorites. The 1979 film is based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera album of the same name. It’s the story of Jimmy, a young Londoner with a dead-end job who finds release in the sharp ... Read More »
When location scouts for 2007 Oscar winner ‘Atonement‘ were searching for a place to play Tallis House, the film’s grand country home, production designer Sarah Greenwood knew just where to look — Country Life, a magazine dedicated to England’s “premium properties.” There she found Stokesay Court, a stately Victorian manor near the village of Onibury, five miles northwest of Ludlow in ... Read More »
Earlier this week we talked about ‘Mad Max’ and its four-wheeled star, The Interceptor. Well, car fanatics can get up close and personal with the real-life car, and many others, at the Cars of the Stars motor museum. Just rev your engine and head to Keswick, England. The museum boasts about 50 cars in its collection, running from Chitty Chitty ... Read More »
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