Tate Britain

I set out quite a bit later than I planned to this morning. It’s a good thing that the Tate Museums are open later today. I decided to go to the Britain first as they have a Picasso exhibit right now. Its focus is on his art as an influencer of British artists. It featured quite a bit of his work, some of which I had never recalled seeing even though I studied him quite a bit in college. I also loved the sections on Henry Moore (the sculptor) and David Hockney. Especially the Hockney photographic collages that recall cubist paintings.

My other favorite section at the Britain was the John Singer Sargent paintings. There was a study for his famous portrait of Madame X, and I could stare at that for quite a bit.

But then it was off to lunch at the acclaimed restaurant, where I had the 3 course set menu with wine pairings. Why the hell not?

Two of the courses were spot on - a venison and chorizo terrine for the first course and the blood orange tart for the third course. The second course was a stuffed chicken breast that was a bit overcooked. I knew I should have ordered the hake! But the sherry that was paired with the third course more than made up for all of it. I’m going to have to find it when I get home.

I travelled between the museums by boat. The ride on the River Thames is a wonder, especially with the view of the Parliament Houses, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

I was fairly wiped out by the time I got to the Tate Modern. I did a cursory tour of the permanent exhibitions but skipped the rest. I may go back tomorrow as they are open late. We shall see how my day goes. Just one more day of adventures.