Henri Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris by Night
With over 300 lithographs, posters, paintings, gouaches and drawings the exhibition Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris at Night at the Kunsthal, Rotterdam is not to be missed.
Bettina Rheims at the Kunsthal
The Bettina Rheims retrospective at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam is pretty standard fare in so far as photography exhibitions go. Photographs that were previously published in magazines or books are printed at monumental size as if to emphasize that they deserve to be exhibited in a museum or gallery.
Johan Simons: Platform
The performance was good, the actors were great and I really liked the stage design. And yet, as I type this, I wonder why I wasn't completely struck.
Dada at the Centre Pompidou
This exhibition at the Centre Pompidou is probably one of the most comprehensive surveys of Dada ever.
The Best Albums of 2005
And the song of the year is Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem.
City of Arts and Sciences
The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia designed by Santiago Calatrava is a spectacular architectural complex.
Valencia
I enjoyed walking around the gritty old centre of Valencia. I wish I'd stayed overnight instead of making a day trip from Barcelona.
Universal Experience. Art, Life and the Tourist's Eye
Perhaps one of the most appropriate works in the exhibition "Universal Experience. Art, Life and the Tourist's Eye" is a photo from Thomas Struth's museum photographs. It works as a mirror, because yes, that's you and me.
Self Portrait: Renaissance to Contemporary at the National Portrait Gallery
A rich and fascinating exhibition. As Vincent van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother: "It is difficult to know yourself, but it isn't easy to paint yourself either".
Venice
I visited Venice in 2005 on the occasion of the Venice Biennale. At the time it was still possible to find some empty streets and alleys.