We visited the McManus Galleries in Dundee recently, to see the ten Leonardo da Vinci etchings which are on display there. They are part of the Royal Collection and are touring various galleries as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Some of them are tiny and I had to put my reading specs on to see the detail, but they’re beautiful, even in the very dim light which they are displayed in, for fear of them becoming damaged by bright light.
Unfortunately there is only one image available on their website and as you can see it’s of Leda. It’s a shame that they don’t put them all up on their site so that people who can’t get there can have a look too.
Another exhibition which is on there at the moment is Selling Dreams: One Hundred Years of Fashion Photography featuring photos from the 1920s up to the present day. It’s well worth going to see if you’re interested in fashion or photography. To me the black and white photos always seem much more stylish with their careful lighting and shadows. Unfortunately the only image on the website is one of Twiggy on a moped, but there are far better photos in the exhibition.
This is part of a travelling exhibition from the V&A – a bit of a taster I suppose because Dundee has been selected as the location for a new Victoria and Albert Museum, the only one outside London, and as you can imagine, Dundonians are thrilled by the idea of it. It just has to be built now! You can see what it will look like here. It looks very futuristic but I imagine it’ll eventually be loved, even by the people who originally hated the look of it. You certainly won’t be able to miss it.

The da Vinci etchings must be wonderful. Mmm! Not sure what to make of the Dundee V&A design though! I like modern…. but this? and why Japanese style?
Evee,
They are lovely but it doesn’t take long to see them, even although I looked at them all twice, using different specs each time. Who knows how they choose these designs, but I think it will probably become popular, like the armadillo. I saw the Scottish parliament building on the news the other day and it now has stacks of solar panels on the roofs – so much for it looking like upturned fishing boats!
Wouldn’t you love to see what Twiggy looks like now? Wonder if she ‘filled out’ with middle age đŸ˜‰
Peggy Ann,
We see a lot of Twiggy, she appears in adverts for Marks and Spencer. She has filled out but is still quite slim and pretty although she is over 60 I think. Some photos are air brushed – others she’s wrinkled!