Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus by J. M. W. Turner at the National Gallery in London

December 29, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus painted in 1829 by J. M. W. Turner at the National Gallery in London. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. In this painting, Turner draws inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey, portraying Ulysses sailing away from the island where the one-eyed giant Polyphemus had imprisoned him and his crew. Ulysses, adorned in a helmet and scarlet cloak, triumphantly raises

Sami Art & Arctic University Museum of Norway

December 28, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a photographic tour of the The Arctic University Museum of Norway, including the Sami exhibition which is in Tromso, Norway. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Tromso is an incredibly beautiful place and I was lucky to interview the Norwegian Prime Minister there, for my book series on the Norwegian culture of Janteloven called; “The Secret Norwegian”. It’s also got quite a dark side too but

Crouching Venus at the British Museum in London

December 27, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of the Second century AD Aphrodite or ‘Crouching Venus’ at the British Museum in London. We’ve visited many a Venus on my channel but I think that this might be my favourite of all. There is something about the placement of the statue, which is so visible and also it’s height. When I was a child I was also so impressed that this was on loan from Queen Elizabeth – I found that impressive and very kind of her I remember thinking! As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the

Workers on their Way Home by Edvard Munch at the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen

December 26, 2023

In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at Workers on their Way Home by Edvard Munch, 1914, at the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. This oil on canvas has since been sent to the new Munch Museum in Oslo, from Copenhagen where I viewed it. It was originally created between 1913 and 1914 and this piece reflects Munch’s conviction that the working class

KV55 Coffin at The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo

December 25, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video tour of the very special KV55 Coffin at The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo, from 1351 – 1334 BC. A tomb was discovered in 1907 in the Valley of the Kings during excavations paid for by a wealthy American lawyer called Theodore M. Davis. This tomb, which was uninscribed was later numbered KV55 and it’s one of Egyptology’s greatest mysteries. It has long been speculated, as well as much disputed, that the body found in this tomb was that of the famous king, Akhenaten, Egypt’s first and only monotheistic Pharaoh. We’ll take a close look at the lid and the bottom of the gilded coffin. As

Edvard Munch’s ‘Madonna’ and other works at the old The Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway

December 24, 2023

In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at Edvard Munch’s ‘Madonna’ and other works at the old The Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Edvard Munch, the Norwegian painter, created several versions of a painting called Madonna between 1892 and 1895. It shows a topless woman and exists in various collections, including the National Gallery of Norway, the Kunsthalle Hamburg and in private ownership.

Nollendorfplatz at Night by Lesser Ury

December 23, 2023

In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at Nollendorfplatz at Night, the 1925 painting by Lesser Ury at the Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie in Germany. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Leo Lesser Ury, born on November 7, 1861, was a German painter and printmaker associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. He spent much of his artistic life in Berlin and passed away on October 18, 1931. Known for capturing

Ledaal Royal Residence and Breidablikk museum in Stavanger, Norway

December 22, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you to see two special buildings; the Ledaal Royal Residence and Breidablikk museum both very close to each other, in Stavanger, Norway. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Ledaal, the King’s official residence in Stavanger, was built between 1799 and 1803 as a second home for the Kielland family. Gabriel Kielland, a merchant, and chamberlain, and the great-grandfather of writer Alexander Kielland, served as the builder. He was

The Age of Innocence by Alfred Drury at The Victoria and Albert Museum

December 21, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of an 1897 plaster cast bust by Alfred Drury at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London called ‘The Age of Innocence’. As always, I take all the photos and videos myself on location, ensuring you get an up-close and personal view of the fascinating world of art and culture. I’ll be popping in and out with commentary as this video progresses but for now let’s take a close up look. Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury, a prominent figure in the New Sculpture movement, crafted variations of this sculptural bust between 1897 and 1918, modelling it after a friend’s daughter. While most iterations were cast in

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Forster number I at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

December 20, 2023

Welcome to “Art, Culture & Books” with me Anthony King. Today I’ll be taking you on a video and photographic tour of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, Codex Forster number I from 1505 which is at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519), renowned globally for iconic works like the Mona Lisa, is equally celebrated for his notebooks documenting thoughts and inventions. The V&A collection houses five such intriguing notebooks, forming the Codex Forster, gifted to the Museum in 1876 by John Forster. These volumes, dating from approximately 1487 to 1505, offer insights into Leonardo’s deeply curious mind. The V&A’s collection comprises three codices named the Forster Codices, with no discernible logical order. Bequeathed by John Forster, only Codex Forster I