First posted on January 8, 2013
After sleeping like a log it was a leisurely start to Saturday when Alison and I headed to the National Gallery to see the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition.
We got our tickets and had breakfast before seeing the paintings and posters. T-L isn’t top of my pops but I do find his work interesting. My memory of it is probably very poor but this exhibition seemed to have more paintings, fewer posters than in the T-L exhibition I saw in Melbourne “a few” years ago. When I checked, those “few” years were more like 18-20!
This is my favourite painting from the collection, which was assembled from across the globe, not from one or two galleries as is often the case. Photo snaffled from the internet as, naturally, no photography allowed in the NGA.
Alison was heading off to the sale at the running shop with James (too energetic by far!) and I planned to look at the Portrait Gallery but when I saw the time it was later than I thought. After a quick dash through the Impressionists at NGA I headed to the National Library where, as mentioned in the previous post, I wrote and uploaded that post.
It was a straightforward drive back ‘home’ to wrap Joseph’s present and change for his 50th birthday party. Getting there, I saw a little bit more of Canberra than I’d intended :-/ When Joseph said it was a family party, he was right. There were only three of us who weren’t family, the other two being a ringer I’d known years ago and his partner, so it was good to catch up with them. Best of all to catch up with Joseph. We first met going on thirty years ago. Hard to believe! His family, a few of whom I’ve met in the past, is lovely and made me most welcome. It was good to see Ted, his dad, again but sadly his mum died a few years ago.
We got our tickets and had breakfast before seeing the paintings and posters. T-L isn’t top of my pops but I do find his work interesting. My memory of it is probably very poor but this exhibition seemed to have more paintings, fewer posters than in the T-L exhibition I saw in Melbourne “a few” years ago. When I checked, those “few” years were more like 18-20!
This is my favourite painting from the collection, which was assembled from across the globe, not from one or two galleries as is often the case. Photo snaffled from the internet as, naturally, no photography allowed in the NGA.
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| Jane Avril - Henri de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, 1899 |
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| National Library of Australia |
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| NLA forecourt |
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| Beautiful windows in the NLA cafe |
I was starving by this stage, having missed lunch. The party food was lots a cold meat and salads with a few warm dishes on the side. It was all set up in the garage which was just as well. As we were about to eat there was a massive downpour with lots of thunder and some spectacular lightning.
The temperature dropped and it became a very pleasant evening to be outdoors … apart from the mozzie bites! The rain stopped and it was time for the birthday cake (or cakes since it was an assembly of cup-cakes …. patty cakes back in my day!!). The “girls” (three of Joseph’s nieces who did that bit of organizing) were just about to set it up outside when the heavens opened again! They know how he loves his grey pussy-cat!
It was fun, all gathered under the carport this time, to sing happy birthday, followed by eating cake and pav and fruit salad. Yum. Going home, again I saw a bit more of Canberra by night than I’d planned. Ho hum! But very pretty
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| Not a great photo but you do get the "lit by lightning" effect |
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| Happy 50th, Joseph! |