Tincture of Museum

Guinness, Beckett and the circles of time Someone asked me the other day how long I have been writing blogs. It is over 10 years now. I’ve been thinking about those early blogs and how every now and then the personal ones have droppe…

On the blog - fuelled by Guinness and lost in time, tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/g...

Fab to listen to Catherine Opie today talking about her new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which opens tomorrow www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhi...

You can find links to my upcoming A Hard Day's Night @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social book festival events and screenings around the UK here... Hay, Bath, Lake District, Newcastle, Cambridge and more being added .. samiraahmed.blog/upcoming/

Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art A free exhibition that tells the story of London during the Second World War, as seen by artists. Families can enjoy a child-friendly ‘stamper’ trail and activity sheet that encourages children to spo...

As bombs rained down in 1940s London, artists responded. See art that presents a city both familiar and strange in over 45 paintings and drawings alongside photographs, film, objects and oral histories.

IWM London
20 March to 1 November 2026

Guinness, Beckett and the circles of time Someone asked me the other day how long I have been writing blogs. It is over 10 years now. I’ve been thinking about those early blogs and how every now and then the personal ones have droppe…

Sometimes, in the whirl of life, the personal seeps into my blogs. I've been reflecting on Guinness, Beckett and the circles of time this week. Bit of a strange one but then, life is sometimes just that way. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/g...

Sensory Trust dementia friendly activity groups We run a range of outdoor sensory activities for people living with dementia and their carers in Devon and Cornwall.

Embracing the arrival of spring with our Dementia-friendly groups. After a tough winter, it might seem daunting to reconnect with nature, but we've made sure a cosy spot for tea awaits you afterwards! Discover your nearest group here:

In or near Abergavenny (or want an excuse to visit)? Augustus & Gwen John biographer @judithmackrell.bsky.social, curator Lucy Wood and I will be in discussion with @peterwakelin.bsky.social on Thursday 26th March. Talking about Gwen John, of course artshopandgallery.co.uk/events/conve...

Hannah Spencer walking into Westminster, sucking her teeth, tutting, and muttering "tell you what, you've had some cowboys in here."

Loved visiting the Love Letters exhibition in the National Archives in Kew — a free show spanning 500 years of devotion, longing and passion, from monarchs and spies to everyday Britons. Runs until 12 April. Highly recommended. 💌https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/love-letters/

I'm now recruiting for a crucial post in my team - Curator: Parliamentary Art Collection. A rare chance to work with a wonderful collection in a unique setting.

Please do share, and feel free to get in touch with any questions

Guinness, Beckett and the circles of time Someone asked me the other day how long I have been writing blogs. It is over 10 years now. I’ve been thinking about those early blogs and how every now and then the personal ones have droppe…

Sometimes, in the whirl of life, the personal seeps into my blogs. I've been reflecting on Guinness, Beckett and the circles of time this week. Bit of a strange one but then, life is sometimes just that way. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/g...

Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting, National Portrait Gallery, Feb 2026 National Portrait Gallery, 12 February – 4 May 2026 There is a captivating photo at the start of the National Portrait Gallery’s Freud exhibition of the artist’s studio in Notting…

New on the blog - Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery, on till 19 April. It's all about the fungus... tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/l...

Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting, National Portrait Gallery, Feb 2026 National Portrait Gallery, 12 February – 4 May 2026 There is a captivating photo at the start of the National Portrait Gallery’s Freud exhibition of the artist’s studio in Notting…

New on the blog - Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting at the National Portrait Gallery, on till 19 April. It's all about the fungus... tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/l...

New on the blog - Life was better in the 80s, or at least that is what the Blue Nun told me... You have till the end of March to see 'Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s' @designmuseum.bsky.social tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/b...

New on the blog - behind every great man there is a … flawed woman? A look at the new exhibition at the Charles Dickens museum. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/e...

Benjamin Britten: _Notes from the Archive_ video series launched Boosey & Hawkes launches its new video series created in collaboration with the Britten Pears Archive, based in the composer’s home town of Aldeburgh. The web documentary films, presented by the archi...

@booseyandhawkes.bsky.social have mined the archive here to make a series of short films marking the 50th anniversary this year of Benjamin Britten's death:
www.boosey.com/cr/news/Benj...

New on the blog - behind every great man there is a … flawed woman? A look at the new exhibition at the Charles Dickens museum. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/e...

Free! The Weight of Being at Two Temple Place explores mental health and art. Lots to see and some fab inclusions from @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social until 19 April twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/...

You have to check out @markmanders.bsky.social sculpture at the London Mithraeum! Free to visit and on display until 4 July 2026. I love it! www.londonmithraeum.com

Climate Resilience in the Cultural Sector Conference Join us to explore ways to boost climate resilience in the cultural sector and protect our heritage!

Booking now open for 'Climate Resilience in the Cultural Sector' @britishlibrary.bsky.social Friday 6 March 9-5pm. For a day specifically for the culture sector to explore ways to boost climate resilience and protect our heritage! www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-re... #ClimateChange

New on the blog, January is a time for fresh starts and new art. New Contemporaries @southlondongallery.bsky.social is a great place to start tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/01/30/n...

Crossing into Darkness, the new exhibition curated by Tracey Emin at the Carl Freedman Gallery shows how artists can find the shadows in all of us. Until 12 April #Margate carlfreedman.com

Piecing it together: the work of London School of Mosaic Discover artworks, explore venues and meet artists. Art UK is the online home for every public collection in the UK, featuring over 750,000 artworks by over 70,000 artists.

If you missed this over the Christmas period now is the time to catch up with the fascinating story of the London School of Mosaics which closed in 2025. #mosaicmonday artuk.org/discover/sto...

Kindred: The Loneliness of Suffering and the Community of Lived Experience, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Jan 2026 Bethlem Museum of the Mind I can’t believe it was 10 years ago that Bethlem Museum was shortlisted for Art Fund’s Museum of the Year, after a transformation that saw the museum move fro…

New on the blog- it is 10 years since @bethlemmuseum.bsky.social was shortlisted for @artfund.bsky.social Museum of the Year and in my new blog I return to one of the most interesting museums in the UK. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/k...

The seaside isn’t just for the summer you know…. Bridget Riley: Learning to See at Turner Contemporary Margate is on till 4 May 2026. turnercontemporary.org/whats-on/exh...

Inside Italy's secret mosaic school Hidden in a quiet Italian town is one of the world's most unique art schools – and a rewarding destination for curious travellers.

Fascinating article on Italy's mosaic school Inside www.bbc.co.uk/travel/artic... What a crime that London's School of Mosaic closed in 2025. You can read about it in my @artukdotorg.bsky.social piece artuk.org/discover/sto... #Mosaics

Just a few more days left to apply for the Paul McLean graduate trainee programme at the FT. This is an amazing opportunity for any aspiring journalist job-boards.greenhouse.io/financialtim...

Piecing it together: the work of London School of Mosaic Discover artworks, explore venues and meet artists. Art UK is the online home for every public collection in the UK, featuring over 750,000 artworks by over 70,000 artists.

I think this is the most important thing I have written this year. Just published on @artukdotorg.bsky.social It is about the closure of the London School of Mosaic. artuk.org/discover/sto...

Pirates, National Maritime Museum, April 2025 Pirates – National Maritime Museum 29 March 2025 – 4 January 2026. Where has all the rum gone? After a visit to Greenwich this week I have realised that being full of rum cake and coffe…

I am counting down to my most read blog of 2025! In at number 5 from April is Pirates at Royal Museums Greenwich - tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/p... #MuseumBlogger

Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting, National Portrait Gallery, June 2025 Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting, 20 June – 7 September 2025 As i walk around the special exhibitions gallery at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), it is hard to believe that this is …

My most read blog of 2025 was on the fabulous Jenny Saville exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. tinctureofmuseum.wordpress.com/2025/06/21/j...