A ME DAY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

A few weeks ago in the midst of all the chaos of work, childcare, chores, meetings and life in general, I had a rare moment, one that doesn't come along that often, a me day. F was at my parents house for a sleep over, Paul was abroad on business and I decided to clear the diary and jump on a train to London to just hang out.

Well it just so happened that the lovely people over at Chestertons who are in partnership with the RA, thought I might like to visit the Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts and they were not wrong.

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Now I know to some of you reading this, heading to the busiest city in the UK for some down time doesn't like sound like the best idea, but when I lived in London every now and again I would take a holiday from work and have a me day.

I would stroll along South Bank, see an exhibition, catch a film, eat out and best of all I would clutch a coffee, sit and people watch. With no commitments, no one please and no need to rush, I would revel in these days off from the real world and feel happy to just be.

Excitedly I rushed off the tube at Piccadilly Circus and made my way to the RA. I love this building with all its grandeur and was exited to see the first piece of work, which took centre stage in the courtyard. The work entitled Velimir Khlebnikov: Fates of Nations: The New Theory of War. Time, Dimension of the World, Battles at Sea Occur Every 317 Years or Multiples Thereof, Namely 317 x 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 . . . . . . . . is housed beautifully in an enormous glass case allowing you to walk around and see it from all angles.

Anselm Kiefer, Black Flakes, 2006. Privatbesitz Familie Grothe. Photo Privatbesitz Famille Grothe. © Anselm Kiefer

This exhibition has been eagerly awaited by the art world, which shows the largest collection Kiefer's work in the UK for over 40 years. Not surprisingly the gallery invigilators were very strict on the no photography policy, but I managed to sneak in a quick mirror selfie with The Rhine in the background before I left. The scale and detail in the paintings are amazing and I would definitely recommend going to see if for yourself. 

I bought a beautiful book of postcards from the exhibition and admired this rather lovely faceted tray by Claudia Raimondo for Alessi before heading back outside. Afterwards I took my time to wander round London, pop into one of my favourite stores and enjoyed a cupcake or two before meeting a friend for a glass of bubbly. 

All in all it was a great day spent at some of my favourite haunts and discovering some new ones, and I even got a lie in the next day! I'd love to hear what you would do if you had a day to yourself?

Oh and if you like my Antler necklace you can find it over here with the code Wild10. 

*This post is in collaboration with Chestertons