London’s Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art opens Alberto Burri retrospective

by Sean McLachlan on

The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is one of London’s best small art museums. Housed in an elegant Georgian mansion on a quiet street in the London borough of Islington, it has the best collection of modern Italian art in the city and perhaps the nation.

Its latest exhibition is Alberto Burri: Form and Matter, a retrospective of one of the leading Italian figures in modern art. Burri (1915-1995) started painting while interned in Texas as a prisoner of war during WWII. By the 1950s he was experimenting with common materials such as sacking, plastic, and tar, breaking out of the two-dimensions dictated by traditional painting.

His effect on modern art was huge and spawned many imitators. This exhibition brings together works from a number of museums and rarely seen examples from private collections. Aficionados of modern art won’t want to miss this one.

Alberto Burri: Form and Matter runs until April 7.

Photo courtesy Alex Sarteanesi.

Fake 3D crater designed to slow down London cyclists

by Scott Carmichael on

When the Islington city council tried to think of a way to slow down cyclists on their famous canalway, they came up with a creative and (hopefully) effective solution.

The way I see it, this piece of “art” may have several unintended consequences:

  • Cyclists see this thing and panic – causing them to swerve and hit the fence, shooting them into the river
  • Cyclists see it, know it isn’t real and slow down to stare at it, hitting a pedestrian
  • Cyclists know it is fake, so they speed up to show the council what a waste of money this is

Check out some of these other wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!