London’s craziest hotspot to be? If you think nightbar or club when it comes to London’s trendiest place this festive season, you haven’t grasped contemporary British pop culture. The new ‘place to go’: The Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery. Completely sold out with only a few tickets every day on a first come – first serve basis, you get ultra-long queues in front of the entrance doors with some people arriving as early as 6am in the morning, when the Gallery opens around 10am. Suddenly, going to the museum is cool. But what is the craze all about?
I went there last Saturday to check out the place. As the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is at its best at Saturday mornings, I didn’t bother to join the queue. Museums are still territories rather alien for me, despite my recent growing fancy for the arts. The National Gallery claims to have formed the most complete collection of Leonardo Da Vince drawings up to this date. However, newspapers report there are only around 7 paintings of the mastermind himself, all others being drawn by his acquaintances and fellow painters. The most popular picture, headlining most of the Sunday newspapers in the week of the exhibition’s opening: ‘The Lady with an Ermine’ – a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani. Whoever that is… I suppose some upper class bird of the 15th century, as the drawing is dated around 1489 /90 (yeah, I did my research).
'Lady with the ermine' and queue in front of the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition
In the tube already I noticed art crazy people, pushing towards the tube barriers to get out and run head first to the National Gallery to join the queue. Being a Londoner now, I feel obliged to join into this art frenzy and immerse myself into various art exhibitions. Well, this particular saturday I once again ended up at the Winter Wonderland at my favourite mulled wine stall.
Yo yo!! You should go – it’s totally worth it! I spent a few hours with my sister in the queue doing shifts for coffee runs and bacon rolls and it flew by. And being there was a pleasure….hope you make it though mulled wine does sound rather goo
Posted by Words That Change | December 19, 2011, 5:46 pmHihi – is it really worth it?
How long did you had to queue to get in? Maybe I should go then – can’t spent every weekend binging on mulled wine 
Posted by theaustriansocialmediaadvocate | December 19, 2011, 7:09 pm