While normally not a fan of modern art, I nonetheless visited the Tate Modern today, and had a pretty good time. Converted from the former Bankside Power Station in the late 1990’s, at the same time several other attractions opened on the South Bank (including the new Globe Theatre and the Millennium Bridge), the museum features international modern art from such artists as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali. It’s the inclusion of one of Dali’s works, Lobster Telephone, in the museum’s collection that particularly interested me, because of its, um… unique… style. For those not familiar with Dali’s work, he was a very well-known surrealist, and this work, in which he placed a lobster on top of an old style telephone and took a picture of it, does not disappoint.
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=2988&tabview=image
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate the work in the museum, though it was featured in the museum’s movie on the fifth floor, and is definitely in the museum’s collection. I’m really not sure what draws me to this work, but it might be its combination of simplicity and randomness. The first time I saw it, I almost laughed because it was so unexpected. I was disappointed that I couldn’t find it, but it didn’t ruin my two hours at the museum, which I would recommend to anyone traveling to London.
1 response so far ↓
hatzopod // Sep 5th 2010 at 09:53
I visited the Tate Modern yesterday and I could not stay very long. Modern art, with no boundaries, is too wacky for me. I sat for a while watching a movie, in a dark room, called “Meat Joy.” It was a bunch of half naked people rolling around with each other while meat was placed on them. I have a hard time interpreting things like that.
You must log in to post a comment.