Picasso: The Mediterranean Years

I've been living in London for four years but have only recently realised that there are loads of hidden away private galleries with great shows- besides the major NPG, Tate, Barbican etc.



Seeing this vast free exhibition at the Gagosian (in Kings Cross) and last year's Gilbert and George White Cube shows has really made me realise that its not just about the big public institutions.

Picasso: The Mediterranean Years shows off the artist's versatility with a wide range of statues, paintings, pottery and sketches. You really should see it before it ends on August 28.

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Guernica

I've now seen this installation- which features a 1955 tapestry of Picasso's Guernica- twice at the Whitechapel Gallery.

It's 70 years since the original was in the same spot. It was shipped to East London to raise awareness of the Spanish Civil War by Labour and the trade union movement. The original entrance fee was a pair of boots to be sent to the frontline Republicans.

As the blue curtain backdrop suggests this recreation usually hangs in the United Nations headquarters in New York. Picasso's work was re-contextualised when Colin Powell covered it up before giving a press conference arguing for intervention in Iraq.

And the room it sits in for the next year- created by Polish artist Goshka Macuka- also showcases a statue of Powell, recent and archive press cuttings and related short films. It's a collision of art, history and politics which frame's Picasso's anti-war classic superbly.