Royal Academy of Arts, London

Leather Forever by Hermes FREE 6 Burlington Gardens, until the 27th May, off Piccadilly, walk thru the Burlington Arcade and turn right. First floor past the white leather Rhino. This would be a 5 star exhibition if only one could see the exhibits. Hermes has let loose some Arty-Farty designer who is a vampire. It is so dark you can’t see the handbags, some have flickering lights running over them, and some shine brightly, seductively in glass cases, and as you walk towards them, the light fades. What idiot designed this? The Luggage room, the Saddle room and the Special Orders room are light ... more

Until a very recent trip to London, I didn’t even know the Royal Academy of Arts existed. The only reason why I went is because I was meeting my boyfriend’s dad for the first time and this is where he works as the head of security. Not wanting to do anything too formal, his dad met us at the Academy and gave us a private (and free) personal tour. The Royal Academy of Arts is one of the few galleries or museums in London that do not have free entrance. Fees vary depending on what exhibition is on but as I said, I was lucky enough to not have to pay anything. At the minute, the exhibition on at ... more

As to be expected from such an esteemed and historic art institution, the RA exhibits are both informative and enlightening and holds inspired temporary exhibitions, which range from old masters right through to more modern contemporary artists. Recently acclaimed exhibitions at the RA have been "Turks" (22 January - 12 April 2005) and "China: The Three Emperors" (which runs until 17 April 2006). Both these exhibitions have dealt with huge topics: in essence, both survey the historical art of a nation, but the success of the RA is that they have been wide-ranging, engaging and elightening ... more