David, David, marble man, who's the fairest in the land? I'm declaring joy to the world as I found my darling at the Victoria and Albert Museum! I'm so excited because this means it will be a shorter journey for me to see my love. But then again why avoid a trip to Firenze?

Guess what I found while out and about? Graffiti artist Stik appears to have been hard at work painting the town with his adorable stick figures. If my count is correct, this is the third piece of work that I have found spontaneously scattered around London. I absolutely love it! I'm always as happy and excited when I bump into one of his works. Cute and comic, brightens up my day.

The Broadgate Tower

Spent a very cold afternoon on Liverpool Street, art hunting around the tall office buildings of the Broadgate Estate.


Xavier Corbero, 1988

Most of the art that I found were very architectural, which turned out to go extremely well with the formal office building surroundings. I especially like the rough, raw materials that were used in creating each art piece such as the rocks, marble, steel, and etc.





Love! These adorable bunnies popped up as I was strolling along Bishops Square. What a wonderfully cute surprise I found!



A true story about me and London would certainly have to be that me and the city pigeons do not get along. It's them or me! Who remembers my duck incident? Yep, it's that bad...



Despite the chilly day, I got a lovely view of some epic and exciting architecture!

Self-portrait with Parasol, 1916, Oil on canvas

What to do on a rainy day? Most people resort to staying in or going out only to stay indoors at another location than their home. I opted for heading out and went to the Modern Museum here in Stockholm which is currently showing a collection of artist Siri Derkert's work. I'm not such a huge fan of cubist work but figured it could still be fun to see the work of an artist who's paintings attributed to international modernism.



Works from her youth, cubist paintings, fashion drawings from the 1910s, profoundly psychological portraits of children and adults, drawings and later experiments with materials such as concrete, iron strips and clay are all featured.



It was fun to get out and explore the Modern museum but all in all Siri Derkert's work was simply not my cup of tea. Instead I have a weakness for sensuous rococo paintings by artists such as Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and many more. Reow, they're easy on the eyes and very romantic.

Hiding in the City No. 87, 2009



In his first exhibition in Scandinavia, Chinese artist Liu Bolin presents his exhibition The Invisible Man. His body resembles “camouflage”, thereby making Liu Bolin both present and absent in each photograph. These cleverly orchestrated images have earned him the name, the invisible man.



Liu Bolin is renowned for his series of images entitled Hiding in the City. Liu Bolin maintains that his art is a protest against a state known to censor its artists. You'll find his works of art at Fotografiska in Stockholm as well.

One thing that is for certain is that there is no shortage of art here. Frescos is one of several related mural painting types. It was executed on plaster on walls or ceilings and were especially popular through the Renaissance.



It's amazing how this intricate work has survived so well through the centuries.

What more can I say than reow, reow, double reow! The Italian sculptor, artist and general genius Michelangelo, masterminded this 5.17 meter masterpiece of a standing male nude between 1501 and 1504. Might I say time well spent darling!



With a replica in the same place as David originally stood in the public square Piazza Signoria, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, crowds draw in daily. David might be a marble statue but there's no stopping me.



Beware, you can look but not touch!

Movie Poster, Cleopatra, 1963.

Stopped by the art museum Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek to check out their latest exhibition Cleopatra's World. I am a die hard fan of Cleopatra in general, including all of the films and books so I was really excited to see what was going to be on show.



The Lion Goddess Mehit and the God Onuris-Shu.



The Priest Hori with a Statue of the God Horus.

The exhibition was rather small but large enough to provide a glimpse into the ancient world of Egyptian art. One day I would absolutely love to go to Egypt and explore everything in its authentic setting!



Two Men Catching Birds. Boy Playing with Animals, limestone with inlays, 4th Dynasty, c. 2550 BC.



Yum! The Glyptotek is rather large so I took a break mid through wandering the long halls filled with art. I had a delicious prosciutto and rucola sandwich with pesto. It was so refreshing in the summer heat, the perfect light lunch!



The Glyptotek was covered in fine embellishment and detailing stretching from the marble floor to the stucco ceilings. I especially fell for these panther details on the staircases. Fierce! I have a matching panther ring so why not match it with these dramatic features?



Nerva, Roman Emperor, 96 - 98



The Ancient Rome exhibition may be a permanent fixture at the museum but as powerful as ever. The large marble statues never fail to get me excited! Ancient societies have such a power over me, I get weak to my knees with butterflies.

Returned to Nicolai Bergmann's Copenhagen boutique located inside Royal Copenhagen’s flagship store on Amagertorv, in the heart of Stroget. Exciting! There was plenty of new things on display but I especially love his work with moss. The combination of the delicate orchids and dark mysterious fuss known as moss couldn't be more intoxicating.

While in 798, I stopped by the newly opened Pin Gallery to see what they had in store for me. Their current exhibition was Four People Four Ways, featuring world famous Chinese artists such as titan Fang Lijun, Xiao Yu, Wang Yin, and Yang Maoyuan. Here's a selection of their works. Enjoy!



Fang Lijun, 2011 Ongoing, Oil on canvas, 400 x 875 cm, 2011



Xiao Yu, Definition of Rise, Wooden Frames, 218 x 218 x 130 cm, 2011



Fang Lijun, Everlasting Fortune, Oil on canvas, 250 x 360 cm, 2011

The Resurrection, 2010, Oil on Canvas, 390 x 330 cm.



Stopped by Pace to see the latest work of Chinese mega-artist 岳敏君 (Yue Minjun). The Beijing based artist is best known for his contemporary style in depicting himself with a laughter in a cynical, self-ironic manner.



The Baptism of Christ, 2010, Oil on Canvas, 450 x 300 cm

These are the first pastel and candy colored works I have seen by the artist who usually tends to use more demure colors. I have to say that I'm a big fan of his new use of color! The works are much more interesting with each figure now having their own personality because of their color yet, still depicted wearing that same killer smile. The figures are much more flamboyant! Yue is exploring religion and particularly Jesus and Christianity as a theme.



The Entombment, 2010, Oil on Canvas, 380 x 300 cm.

I just had the rare opportunity to visit one of David Ben Kay's (康如松) residences which is located in the popular 798 Art District neighborhood.



The house which is used both as a mansion and entertaining venue is also used as a gallery displaying art by selected artists. It is a masterpiece, filled with exclusive and quirky art and decor as well as several statement pieces of furniture designed by David Ben Kay (康如松) himself.



The Renaissance sculptor and painter Michelangelo's David appeared to play a vital role in the decor. A plastic chair made in the shape of David's severed nose stood as a center piece and a large sideboard made of marble in admiration of his lips.



Here you can see the ever so lovely David in pink however, with his missing lips, nose, and ear.



As I was exploring the house/gallery there was also a photoshoot/ photo-installation by French visual artist Niko de La Faye that was being documented. Exciting!

Alberto Giacometti, Femmes de Venise, 1956

Who knew that Denmark had a MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art)? I had no idea but found it to be true as I visited Louisiana, located in Humlebæk.



Tal R, Downhill (Gelb), 2001, Oil on canvas

At first sight, the gallery looked extremely small, like any other house but inside art quickly filled up the rooms and gardens. Both underneath the house and the garden outside, lay numerous floors not revealed at first glance. Not only did I see works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein but also Tai R to mention a few.



Pablo Picasso, Déjeuner sur l'herbe, 1961, Oil on canvas



At the gallery's cafe a seagull managed to snag a sandwich off an unsuspecting victim who was enjoying his lunch outside. Much to my surprise, this event proved more interesting to the many visitors than the vast collection of art.



Staying en garde, I took a quick break in order to enjoy a tart aux fraise before returning home. Yum!

At the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm I saw photographer Robert Mapplethorpe's exhibition, which featured amazing portraits, still lifes, and nudes.



His photographs depict the wonders of bare muscular men and their bodies while exploring new perspectives combined with remarkable poses.



The exhibition featured an intense atmosphere combined with tremendous skill by the photographer.

After my recent visit to artist Wang Jianwei's studio, it was fun to see the final product of his finished works exhibited at the Ullens gallery.



Yellow Signal, as the exhibition is titled has been shown in four seperate chapters in order to show an evolving process. Yellow Signal is about the familiar yellow traffic light and how it is both a signal and signifier. Resting in between red and green, the yellow light also shows permission and prohibition. Lately this has been a very hot topic among Chinese artists who continue to push the boundaries themselves, not only on permission and prohibition but also as to what can be considered art. In this exhibition Wang Jianwei shows that he is not afraid to explore different medias as his exhibition was comprised of film, furniture, and other installations. I loved the fun and funky geometric cabinets!

In the "Curated by..." section of the Ullens gallery was the exhibition In Drift by emerging Chinese artist Su Zhiguang. Su uses the unlikely material of dust as both a medium and metaphor, a substance symbolic of the fluidity and chaos of China's modern cities. Every image is a summary of a unique individual perspective. The artwork showed subtle delicately detailed images that were hidden underneath a thin layer of dust.