WALDEMAR JANUSZCZAK
@JANUSZCZAK
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I write about art and make films. My favourite artists: 1/Pontormo 2/Manet 3/Njideka Akunyili Crosby 4/Soutine 5/Reading FC
Joined January 2009
Nadine Dorries' shelves compared with my shelves. She's Minister for Culture. I'm poor old Waldy. Where did it go wrong? 😥
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All hail the firemen. They knew what they were doing. There we all were moaning about the absence of helicopters etc, but all the time the firemen were keeping the water off the stained glass. Heroes of Culture.
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I (right) am 10 years older than Nigel Farage (left). I don’t smoke. I didn’t vote for Brexit. I don’t lead a party of right wing nutters. I didn’t cheat the good people of Clacton. I don’t work for Putin. I prefer Harris to Trump. That’s why I look so much younger than him.
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I'm in France. In most shops masks are obligatory. You put it on. You do your shopping. You take it off. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?!!.
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The axing of BBC4 means there is precisely one TV channel left in the entire UK broadcasting spectrum focused on the arts - Sky Arts. ONE CHANNEL! No single sector of TV is as threatened as the arts. So much for the fantasy of 'choice' and 'diversity'. It's a national disgrace.
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Now this is terrifying. Venice. Cruise ship. The two don’t go together. #Venice #CruiseShip
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Fascinating piece in the Sunday Times yesterday about Boris Johnson and the oligarchs. It seems he intervened personally with the secret services to ensure his pal Lebedev got a lordship. The implication was that Johnson is a Russian asset. It would certainly explain Brexit etc.
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I think we can all agree that the world is turning to shit. Britain is broken, social media is ghastly, and all that. Luckily, we still have art. Standing for a few minutes in front of a great Vermeer, or listening to some delicate Chopin, is still a profound joy. Hallelujah.
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Is there a braver man in the world than the BBC’s Russia correspondent Steve Rosenberg? I can’t think of one. Every time I see him on the News I want to say: “Come home. You’ve done enough’.
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They are saying on the news that the three great rose windows at Notre Dame have survived. Damaged but intact. That is truly wonderful news. The soaring stone and the rose windows were the stand out gothic achievements of Notre Dame. A small mercy, but a mercy nevertheless.
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This is what it has come to. A bunch of oafish nationalists waving their flags about like Nazis at a rally. How rude. How embarrassing. #NotInMyName.
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A comparison. JAPAN. Population: 126.3 million. Covid Deaths: 5,298 . UK.Population: 66.6 million.Covid Deaths: 101, 631. Why? Because one nation cares about civility, science, the common good, the elderly, other people. The other nation is overstocked with egotistical pillocks
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I used to give all my extra/used art books to Oxfam. Then came Haiti. Now this. 👇How to ruin a decent charity with wickedness, crassness, arrogance and stupidity.
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The damage done to British society by this demagogue is now incalculable. First he does Putin's bidding with Brexit. Then he fans the flames of racial hatred with his pub talk. Then he films himself behind a desk with flags in the manner of Ferdinand Marcos. #DictatorInWaiting
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In my open letter to the King in the Sunday Times today I suggest turning Buckingham Palace into a big museum like the Louvre and filling it with all the marvellous art in the Royal Collection. It’s such a good idea I fully expect it to be taken up! 😃.
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There’s a certain kind of Englishness that Diana Rigg had. You get in the music of The Kinks as well. And in MG sports cars. It’s delicate, quirky, intelligent, with a bit of a smirk. Where’s it gone?! Why have thugs and Brexiteers stolen the national flavour?!
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My mum. The Russians carted her off to Siberia in a cattle truck when she was 14. As they did with so many Poles. When they opened the labour camps, she walked from Siberia to Palestine. As did so many Poles. She came to England and was welcomed. As were so many Poles. Now. ?
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Queue for stamping a TV carnet at Milan airport. Another fabulous Brexit gift. Thank Johnson. Thank you ReesMogg. Thank you Farage. You half wits.
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Britain used to be a decent, successful, balanced nation before these evil men decided to unleash their destructive egos. Now we're a nation torn apart, wounded for the foreseeable future. How many times does history need to teach the same lesson - beware the egos of spiteful men
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Say what you like about Twitter - and we all do - but it really does bring out some splendid creative cheek in its keyboard warriors! Congrats to the ‘artists’ responsible for these.
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An art critic writes - This is a ghastly painting. It looks like a magazine illustration for a lifestyle supplement. Clearly based on photos. All cliches, no insight. The question is not 'Why did Starmer remove it?' but 'Who left it up for so long?'. #InTheBin
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The lost portrait of Lawrence of Arabia by Augustus John has been found at the Grundy Art Galley, Blackpool. They didn't know they had it.🤣
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Dear Labour Government,.Please rethink the nation’s relationship to the arts. Basically, stop thinking of them as a luxury. They’re not. The arts are a central part of what makes us human: a priority; our song to the heavens. All societies are judged by the art they leave behind.
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So sad. RIP Paula Rego. She was the stand out star of this year’s Venice Biennale. Created one of the most powerful bodies of work of the post war era. Always did it her way. A true great.
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Disgusting Farage. First he promotes Brexit. Then he blames Europe for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He’s a national traitor. Arrest him!
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The most successful politician in the world at the moment has to be - Putin. He wanted Trump. He got him. He wanted Brexit. He got it. He wanted global chaos. It happened. Now he’s happily picking off his critics. Terrifying.
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What an astounding sculpture this is. Bronze. Jockey riding a horse. 150 BC!
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Such a dumb thing to do. Has Twitter actually been renamed 'X'? If not, what's the point of a logo that bears zero relation to its product? And 'X' is such a crass idea: so Sports Direct. I won't be leaving because I love my Twitter friends too much. But 'X' really is. feeble.
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If you want to know why the country is the state it is, feel the low grade violence emanating from this Tory madman. He should be locked up.
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Beep beep. It's the birthday of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656). Raped as a teenager, Artemisia extracted her revenge on men with some of art's most violent executions. But she could also be thoughtful, gentle, saintly, clever and soulful. Plus she was a great painter of nudes.
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Re: Sunak’s plan to make Maths compulsory for under 18s. NO! . What needs to be made compulsory in Britain so it can grow into a less bitter and healthier society is foreign languages: French, Spanish, German etc. Also Art. Also Music.
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What a shit show the BBC has become. Under the worst director general in living memory it has shed good presenters, banned others, lost the arts, lost the love and trust of the nation. To think how good it used to be. Come on David Attenborough. Show your support for Gary Lineker.
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Yup. The BBC has given me the heave ho. Don’t let them lose Janina and Prof Roberts too! 👇.
If you have enjoyed #DiggingForBritain with @theAliceRoberts and #RaidersOfTheLostPast with me @bbctwo tonight please let @bbc know. The budget for factual has been slashed but you can make a difference by asking for more!.
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I’m celebrating Brexit night in the true British fashion. I’m getting in three bottles- a good Spanish cava, a fine Italian prosecco, and a superb French champagne. Then I’m going to drink them while watching continuous episodes of Inspector Montalbano on iPlayer. Ciao baby!
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Extraordinary that Sunak left the D-Day memorial before Zelenskyy arrived. Shows there’s a vacuum at the heart of him. No feel or emotion or true empathy. He’s a shallow box ticker. Why would anyone vote for him?.
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Thank you to all the well-wishers about me in Ukraine. It has all been pretty safe feeling so far. I’m not taking any ‘war correspondent’ risks. What I will say straight away is that Lviv is a beautiful, art-filled city. When all this over I’ll be back. #ImInUkraine #Lviv
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Best news of the day - Venice to ban cruise ships! About time.
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Titian’s portrait of Archbishop Archinto in Philadelphia Museum of Art. No one is sure why the veil is there. Did he die before the portrait was finished? Strange and fascinating.
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This isn't just about a channel. This is about the soul of the nation. Do we really want to be a society that puts its old folk in care homes and forgets about them, with a national broadcaster hellbent on chasing the same kiddy vote as everyone else? Or are we better than that?.
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Happy times at Gatwick. ALL the electronic gates have failed. Two hour delay on the flight. The joys of travel in a banana republic.
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I see the self-appointed abusers of art and achievement - the art vigilantes - are at it again. Their predecessors smashed statues, slashed paintings and lynched people. It’s a cult thing. You believe you have the right to do anything you want - because ‘right’ is on your side.
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As a gesture of solidarity with my TV colleague @wmarybeard in her footwear war with Richard Brooks of The Sunday Times I will be wearing these totally inappropriate boots for my upcoming series on American art! Mutton dressed as lamb? You bet! #AmericanArt #May23
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It’s a disgrace that 7 years on from the Grenfell tragedy no one has been called out or found guilty. It’s Hillsborough, tainted blood and the Post Office all over again. Name them. Arrest them. Bring solace and justice to the victims of this horrific social crime.
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Went to Eastbourne today. Ate fish and chips on the beach. And saw the Turner Prize. Nice day.
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Breaking news art lovers! My new TV series, The Art Mysteries, is now starting on BBC 4 on March 17. First film about Van Gogh. Second film about Seurat. Third film about Gauguin. Fourth film about Cezanne. Which one's the best? Well, I'm pretty sure it's. #WaldyOnTheTelly
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It’s my birthday. Can’t wait to open the cards. I love every one of you a lot!
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Art lovers, thank you all for all the tweets of support over my fate at the BBC. I appreciate all of them! Yes it's true that going to Oxbridge seems to be compulsory for BBC art presenters - and I didn't! But It's been that way since Kenneth Clark. Right university. Right job.
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Thank you to all the cretins who abused art recently at the National Gallery. The gallery has now had to change its security measures and make it substantially more difficult to visit. As for the oil companies, they stay the same - untouched.
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What a hoot! Turns out Rod Stewart has spent 19 years building a model railway in his attic in L.A., based on an imaginary 1940s American city! Ya I think that's sexy! Go Rod!
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In Naples now. Caravaggio’s Seven Acts of Mercy. I think this is perhaps the greatest religious painting I’ve ever seen. And the chapel is completely empty! Everyone’s eating pizza! The lighting has been improved too. Perfect. Just perfect. #ComeToNaples #Caravaggio #Wow
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Me in Lviv with the Polish consul. She had her outfit specially made for the war. The Polish Lara Croft! I'm making a short film about the art of Ukraine. And what's happening to the museums. It should be finished next week. Keep an eye on the Sunday Times website. #ImInUkraine
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Art isn't as natural a vehicle for expressing love as music. I can't think of a painting that does what 'Make you Feel My Love' does, or 'River Deep, Mountain High'. Love in art doesn't get inside you in the same way. But that's not to say it never tries!
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Nice French petrol station today. With loads of petrol. This tweet is dedicated to everyone who voted for Brexit. 😃
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Four years ago at the Venice Biennale I came across the work of Khadija Saye. I liked it so much I singled it out in my Biennale review. The next year she was dead. Another Grenfell victim. She needs to be remembered. They all do. #RememberGrenfell
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@IsabelOakeshott Just think what you could do for the national effort by being less snide, more generous, less narcissistic and kinder.
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@LozzaFox Because less than 1000 people have died from covid in Japan, where they all wear face masks. Meanwhile 46,000 have died in Britain. Where some people are being silly about it. Yes, they're a bit uncomfortable. But if it saves one life, surely it's worth it Laurence?.
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The Arolfini Marriage has been reframed. The new gold frame is authentic and right for the period. You see the picture more clearly. But it also loses some of its sense of mystery. I wonder if all those people would have had all those theories about it if it was in the gold frame
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Beep beep. It's. MY BIRTHDAY. I'm fortunate to share it with two painters who could hardly be more different. Ribera (1591-1652) was the dark Spaniard who spent his career in Naples. Sargent (1856-1925) was the American with the fast hands who flitted between Paris and London.
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Isn’t capitalism disgusting? We’ve created a world where morons working in banks and third rate politicians earn ten times more than the real heroes of our time - nurses, teachers, firemen, bus drivers, care workers and dustmen. Thank god art is there to soothe our souls.
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Pathetic. Take it out on the oil companies you morons, not on innocent art.
Activists with @JustStop_Oil have thrown tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the national Gallery and glued themselves to the wall.
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Diaries! April 6 at 9pm I'm making my return to the airwaves with a HUGE Michelangelo film on Sky Arts. It's 2 hours long! Represents 30 years of work on the Sistine Ceiling! For fans of Love Island - it's got penises! For fans of Songs of Praise - it's got the end of the world!
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Some kind of right wing march going past Tate Britain today. Lots of middle aged white guys drinking beer. I know every country has its share of bigoted thickos, but our bigoted thickos seem particularly sad. Definite lack of sunshine!
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A suspicious man has been spotted inside the National Gallery looking at the Piero della Francescas. Judging by his hair, the man may recently have escaped from prison. Visitors are advised not to tap him on the shoulder while he's looking at the art. Just call the police.
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So yes, it's my birthday. And I happen to share it with John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) - LEFT - and Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) - RIGHT - which is fortunate as between them they sum me up perfectly. Roll on the future! And up with art!
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Apparently, Ursula von der Leyen has seven children. So she was never going to have any difficulty dealing with an eighth.
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Thank you to all the nice Brexiteers who've been tweeting the flag of St George at me in the past couple of days. As I'm sure you know, St George was a Palestinian Greek who fought in the Roman army. So every wave of his flag is a wave for internationalism. See you on the march!
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Apparently some fat guy art critic has been eating too much ramen in 2023! So he has two resolutions for 2024. One is to eat less ramen. The other is to let the power of art flow over him and over all who those follow him. Because art won’t let you down!
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Can't hold out any longer. The first gin&tonic of today is about to be made! In case it leads to too many more, I want to thank all my Twitter buddies and fellow arty types for the stimulation and good vibes in this weirdest of years. I love every one of you. My best memories:
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Some sort of world record being broken here for being a bunch of twats. What is it about England!?!.
People attend a protest against the wearing of masks during the coronavirus outbreak, in Hyde Park, London
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I’ve seen some crappy art shows in my time - but Jimmy Carr Destroys Art really is the dregs. What kind of moronic mind commissioned this? The sheer obviousness of its desire to stir controversy is what’s really offensive here. Pathetic!.
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Breaking News! My series about Mannerism - art's wildest movement - is starting on Sky Arts on January 30. I've been filming it for two years. And - of course - there's lots of Pontormo in it. Lots and lots! I'm excited! #WaldyIsBackOnTheTelly #Mannerism
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As a film maker who does lots of work abroad I cannot stress enough how much admiration and warmth there is out there for the BBC. All round the world it's revered and envied. Except, it seems, by the yobs and vandals of our government. Is there anything they won't destroy?.
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Art lovers, I'll be making loud anti-Brexit noises at the big march in London tomorrow. Hope to see you there. Titian, Rembrandt, Michelengelo, Bosch, Goya, Van Gogh. You can't be an art lover and be pro-Brexit! #SeeYouOnTheMarch.
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Delighted to hear that my Mannerism series had one of the biggest ever audiences on Sky Arts. Thank you everyone who watched! 😃
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Regular readers of my tweets will know that this is my favourite portrayal of Mary Magdalene. By Savoldo! She’s just been to the sepulchre- it’s empty! She comes out. Hears something. Turns around. And there he is. his divine light flashing on her silk shawl. Brilliant concept!
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Thanks to everyone who made it to the end of my Sistine Chapel film last night. And for the fabulous comments! A few viewers found it slow - which it was. Tarkovsky pace! But some things can't be done at a Love Island lick. 'Slow art history' could be the future!😃
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A Happy Christmas to all art lovers. Every one of you rocks! Because there's nothing better than art!
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My big Michelangelo film - the 'director's cut' I always wanted to make! - is going out on Sky Arts in April! Free to air! You think you know the Sistine Ceiling - you don't! It's big, it's shocking, it's the truth. #TheMichelangeloCode
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Beep beep. It's the birthday of the extraordinary Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), the first fully professional female artist. Get this - she had 11 children, and made her husband stay at home and look after them while she painted! Probably the first female artist to paint a nude!
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As a tribute to @theAliceRoberts I have died my hair even pinker. It's the only way to go! Hail @theAliceRoberts !
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OMG! Thank you all my followers on TwiX who have sent me good wishes on my birthday. I can’t reply to all of you manually, but I can send a grateful hug across the ether. Close your eyes. Did you feel it? Warm thanks from the top of a lighthouse! #BirthdayBoy #Waldy
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I think I must be missing an enzyme. I can’t for the life of me imagine why some people in England are so against wearing masks. In France, Italy, Spain, they just do it because it’s OBVIOUSLY safer. How can it not be? Yet here it’s presented as an attack on freedom. Crazy!.
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1/ As everyone with any sense is home schooling, I'm going to start an art thing for kids on here. #HomeSchoooling .I put up some pictures by a famous artist, with a bit of info, and ask kids to draw/paint/sculpt a tribute to them. Best art will get retweeted with my critique!😀.
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Assuming we manage to get out of Pandemic Prison in 2021, here are some hopes:.1/ Less electronic art. It's bad for the environment. 2/ Less video art. It's boring. 3/ Less Sound Art. I want to look, not listen. 4/ Smaller foyers at Tate Modern. 5/ Less theory, more emotion.
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New Artemisia Gentileschi single out this week- ‘Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover’.
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