Art-ed out

In the past couple of weeks I've seen more fabulous art than is good for me. This is rather a worry, given that I'm about to start work at one of the country's finest small museums, the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House. So how come I'm so be-dazzled? Firstly, a visit to Sotheby's Evill/Frost Collection pre-sale exhibition, to see the most amazing display of works by Stanley Spencer, Edward Burra, Henry Moore, Lucian Freud and more. Shortly followed by Christie's £multi-million pre-auction show of masterpieces including Michelangelo, Picasso, Gainsborough and Mueck, amongst others. All truly amazing works of art, most of which have never been seen in public before and most of which, transferring into other private collectors' hands, will never been seen in public again. In between these treats, I was in Venice for the Institute of Travel and Tourism Conference and managed to escape for an afternoon to discover just some of the pavilions at the Venice Biennale. So not only was I in Venice, an art installation in its own right, but I also experienced over just a few hours, some of the most extraordinary, 'in your face', gruesome, challenging, dreamy and wonderful contemporary art installations and even performances that I've ever seen. I'm thrilled that this year's Biennale is considered by critics to be amongst the best ever so I was particularly fortunate to have been there at the right time.
And if all this isn't already enough, the Courtauld has recently completed a re-hang of its permanent collection of masterpieces which, together with its new temporary exhibition, 'Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avrill', make for one of the most breathtaking gallery displays ever. So wish me well as I swoon my way through the coming weeks. How lucky am I !