OBAMA TO DONATE INAUGURAL BALL GOWN TO SMITHSONIAN

THE ONE-SHOULDERED, WHITE CHIFFON GOWN FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA WORE TO THE INAUGURAL BALLS WILL SOON BE GOING ON DISPLAY IN WASHINGTON DC. OBAMA IS DONATING THE STUNNING GOWN TO THE FIRST LADIES COLLECTION AT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY. DOTTED WITH BEADS AND COVERED IN FABRIC PETALS, THE GOWN, BY DESIGNER JASON WU OF NEW YORK, WAS A STAR ATTRACTION AT 10 INAUGURAL BALLS HELD IN JANUARY 2009 TO CELEBRATE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S SWEARING-IN. THE NEW ADDITION WILL SERVE AS A SHOWCASE FOR FIRST LADIES FROM MAMIE EISENHOWER, WHO SERVED FROM 1953 TO 1961, TO OBAMA, IN ONE OF THE MUSEUM'S MOST POPULAR ATTRACTIONS. ALL THE FIRST LADIES SINCE 1912 HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE VAST AND UNIQUE COLLECTION. THE SMITHSONIAN ASKS EACH ONE TO DONATE SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTS HER. WHILE DONATING THE INAUGURAL BALL GOWN HAS BECOME A LASTING TRADITION, IT IS NOT REQUIRED. THE COLLECTION ALSO HAS WHITE HOUSE CHINA AND OTHER PERSONAL ITEMS FROM PAST PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS. THE EXHIBIT WILL SHOWCASE 24 FIRST LADIES' DRESSES, INCLUDING 12 INAUGURAL GOWNS.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II 'MAY VISIT IRELAND'

QUEEN ELIZABETH II MAY SOON RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL INVITATION TO VISIT IRELAND FOR THE FIRST TIME, ACCORDING TO RENEWED SPECULATION ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL BUT HIGHLY LONG-EXPECTED TRIP. IRISH PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE IS REPORTED TO BE HOPEFUL THE FIRST STATE VISIT WOULD TAKE PLACE DURING HER TERM IN OFFICE, WHICH ENDS NEST YEAR. IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME A BRITISH MONARCH HAS SET FOOT IN THE IRISH REPUBLIC. A VISIT HAS BEEN MOOTED FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS THE ULSTER PEACE PROCESS BRINGS CLOSER TIES BETWEEN LONDON AND DUBLIN, LOWERING THE HURDLES. SUCH AN EVENT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCONCEIVABLE PRIOR TO THE IRA PLEDGING TO HAND OVER ITS VAST CATALOG OF WEAPONS; THE ORGANIZATION WHICH STANDS FOR A FREE IRELAND IS ACCUSED OF MURDERING THE QUEEN'S UNCLE, EARL MOUNTBATTEN, AND 18 BRITISH SOLDIERS IN TWO SEPARATE ATTACKS ON THE SAME DAY IN AUGUST 1979. BUCKINGHAM PALACE SAID IT 'NEVER COMMENTED ON POSSIBLE FUTURE STATE VISITS', AND A SOURCE ADDED THAT THE PALACE WAS NOT AWARE OF PLANS FOR A TRIP TO IRELAND. HOWEVER, A RECENT REPORT IN THE DAILY MAIL QUOTED AUTHOR MARY KENNY,WHO RECENTLY MET MCALEESE AT AN IRISH EMBASSY RECEPTION, SAYING: 'THEY BELIEVE PRIVATELY IT WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR. THE POLITICAL SITUATION HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED AND THE MOOD IS RIGHT.' 2011 WILL MARK THE CENTENARY OF THE VISIT BY THE QUEEN'S GRANDFATHER, KING GEORGE V, TO WHAT WAS THEN SOUTHERN IRELAND. IN DECEMBER, MCALEESE SPOKE OF HER HOPE THE QUEEN WILL FINALLY MAKE HER HISTORIC VISIT TO IRELAND NEXT YEAR, SHE SAID: 'I'D LIKE TO THINK IT COULD HAPPEN. I'VE LONG SINCE BEEN ON THE RECORD AS SAYING I THINK IT COULD BE ONE OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLS OF WHERE WE HAVE MOVED TO AS A COUNTRY IF WE HAD THAT GREAT RECONCILIATION WITH OUR NEIGHBOR'

THE MUSEE DE L'ELYSEE TO PRESENT SALLY MANN EXHIBITION

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SWITZERLAND, A MUSEUM, THE MUSEE DE L'ELYSEE, WILL PRESENT AN EXHIBITION DEVOTED TO THE EXCEPTIONAL OEUVRE OF SALLY MANN. OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS HER BODY OF WORK HAS EARNED HER A DESERVEDLY INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION. SINCE THE 1970s THIS AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER HAS BEN DEALING WITH THE TROUBLING THEMES OF INTIMACY AND THE INEXORABLE PASSAGE OF TIME. SALLY MANN'S WORK IS CENTERED ON PORTRAITS OF HER CHILDREN, AS SHE OBSERVED THEM CLOSELY AND WITH GREAT HONESTY AS THEY GREW INTO YOUNG ADULTS. THE PORTRAITS ARE COMPLEMENTED BY LANDSCAPES, REVEALING STRANGELY TIMELESS PLACES CHARACTERIZED BY AN EXUBERANT NATURE SEEMINGLY CHARGED WITH SYMBOLISM.

MANN'S WORK IS CONCERNED WITH THE EXPLORATION OF THEMES THAT ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND UNIVERSAL: CHILDHOOD, MEMORY, MORTALITY. THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER THREE CHILDREN, GATHERED TOGETHER IN 1992 FOR THE BOOK IMMEDIATE FAMILY, SPARKED IMMEDIATE CONTROVERSY, WHILE PROPELLING THE ARTIST TO THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY SCENE. THE MOST RECENT WORKS, WHICH IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE EXHIBITION, THOSE MADE FROM 2000, DEAL POIGNANTLY WITH VULNERABILITY, OLD AGE, DEATH AND DECAY. FRAGILITY IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE TIGHTLY CROPPED PORTRAITS OF THE CHILDREN, EMMETT, JESSIE AND VIRGINIA, NOW YOUNG ADULTS, AND THE LARGE FORMAT INVITES CONTEMPLATIVE SCRUTINY. THROUGH GLASS NEGATIVES AND WET COLLODION METHODS, MANN ONCE AGAIN QUESTIONS MEMORY AND THE EPHEMERALITY OF LIFE OR AS SHE HERSELF PUTS IT IN A PHRASE THAT COULD BE EITHER A DECLARATION OR A QUESTION: 'WHAT REMAINS'.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.elysee.ch

THAMES TUNNEL REOPENS AFTER 145 YEARS BEFORE IT CLOSES FOREVER

THANKS TO FUNDING FROM RENAISSANCE LONDON, VISITORS TO ROTHERHITHE HAVE A FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE VICTORIAN AGE BEFORE IT CLOSES FOREVER. ONE OF MARC AND ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL'S ENGINEERING TRIUMPHS, CONTEMPORARIES OF THE AGE CALLED IT THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD. THE THAMES TUNNEL HAS BEEN CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC FOR 145 YEARS AND WILL NOW REOPEN AS THE IMPRESSIVE FINALE OF LONDON'S EAST FESTIVAL. TOURS THROUGH THE TUNNEL, FROM ROTHERHITHE TO WAPPING AND THEN BACK AGAIN, WILL GIVE WALKERS THE CHANCE TO MARVEL AT THE ASTONISHING ACHIEVEMENT, INCLUDING THE GRAND ENTRANCE HALL. THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE TUNNEL WAS BUILT ABOVE WATER AND THEN SUBMERGED BELOW GROUND UNDER ITS ON WEIGHT. THE SPACE IS HALF THE SIZE OF THE GLOBE THEATER AND WAS A PLACE FOR ACTORS AND PERFORMERS TO ENTERTAIN THE THRONGING CROWDS. THE 1867 ARCH AT THE ROTHERHITHE ENTRANCE TO THE TUNNEL IS ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THE TOUR. TO MARK THE INCREDIBLE OCCASION AND THE BRUNELS' REMARKABLE FEAT, THE BRUNEL MUSEUM IN ROTHERHITHE WILL HOST A RECREATION OF A FANCY FAIR, ORIGINALLY HELD IN THE BOWELS OF THE TUNNEL DEEP BENEATH THE THAMES IN 1852. AUDIENCES WILL ENCOUNTER STRANGE AND WONDERFUL VICTORIAN CHARACTERS, HEAR STRAINS OF THE 1840 COMMISSIONED THAMES TUNNEL WALTZ, ENJOY HISTORIC FOOD AND DRINK AND SHOP AT STALLS PROMISING 'MULTIFARIOUS TRUMERY, CHEROOT, SPINNING TOPS AND OTHER PARAPHERNALIA'.

OPENED IN 1852, THE TUNNEL GRIPPED THE NATION'S IMAGINATION, NOTHING HAD BEEN SEEN LIKE IT BEFORE AND IT CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE OF EXCITEMENT, WONDER AND JOY, IT WAS THE FIRST OF AN UNDERGROUND NETWORK THAT TRANSFORMED THE LIFE OF LONDON. ILLUMINATED BY A STRING OF LIGHTS RUNNING ITS 1,300 FOOT LENGTH, BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ITS OPENING OVER HALF THE POPULATION OF LONDON HAD PAID TO WALK 'THE SHINING AVENUE OF LIGHT OF WAPPING'. THE TUNNEL SOON TOOK ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN WITH A SHOPPING ARCADE, THEATER AND A REPUTATION FOR THE BAWDY CARNIVALESQUE SIDESHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENTS THE VICTORIANS HAVE BECOME KNOWN FOR. THE TUNNEL WAS EVEN GRACED WITH A VISIT FROM QUEEN VICTORIA AND PRINCE ALBERT WITH LORD BYRON IN TOW. IT IS CLASSIFIED AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANDMARK SITE, ONE OF SIX IN THE UK.

DIANE VON FURSTENBURG TO DESIGN INTERIORS FOR CLARIDGE'S

ICONIC FASHION DESIGNER DIANE VON FURSTENBURG WILL BE UNVEILING HER FIRST INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECT THIS SUMMER FOR THE LUXURY ART DECO HOTEL CLARIDGE'S, LONDON. VON FURSTENBURG, A FREQUENT GUEST AND ADMIRER OF THE HISTORIC HOTEL, WILL BRING HER CLASSIC PRINTS AND BOLD COLOURS AS WELL AS ORIGINAL PIECES OF FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES TO A SERIES OF ROOMS AND SUITES. CLARIDGE'S AND VON FURSTENBURG HAVE ENJOYED AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP SINCE THE 1970s AND SOME OF HER PAST COLLECTIONS HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE RENOWNED HOTEL. 'ONE OF MY FONDEST MEMORIES WAS WHEN I WAS IN LONDON AS A YOUNG, INDEPENDENT BUSINESSWOMAN AND STAYED AT CLARIDGE'S', THE DESIGNER RECALLS. 'I KNEW I HAD MADE IT. TO ME, CLARIDGE'S IS THE MOST GLAMOROUS HOTEL IN THE WORLD; I REGARD IT AS MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME.'

AMERICAN AMBASSADOR RETURNS STOLEN CZAR MEDALLION TO RUSSIA

THE US AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA RETURNED A STOLEN SILVER MEDALLION THAT BELONGED TO THE LAST RUSSIAN CZAR TO MOSCOW THURSDAY AFTER IT WAS RECOVERED FROM AN ONLINE AUCTION BY US INVESTIGATORS. AMBASSADOR JOHN BEYRLE SAID THAT THE RECOVERY OF THE RARE ARTIFACT SIGNALED INCREASING TRUST BETWEEN MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON. 'THIS DETECTIVE STORY IS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION, WHICH ALLOWS US TO IMPROVE RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES', BEYRLE SAID DURING A CEREMONY AT HIS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE. THE MEDALLION, WHICH BEARS A PORTRAIT OF CZAR PETER THE GREAT, ONCE BELONGED TO THE FAMILY OF RUSSIA'S LAST CZAR, NICHOLAS II. IT WAS STOLEN FROM THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM IN ST PETERSBURG. A 2006 CHECK SHOWED THAT SOME 200 EXHIBITS, INCLUDING JEWELRY AND ICONS WORTH OVER $5 MILLION, WERE STOLEN FROM RUSSIA'S LARGEST AND MOST PROMINENT MUSEUM. ONLY 35 PIECES HAVE BEEN RECOVERED.

LAPD APOLOGIZE TO KENNEDY FAMILY FOR CONFERENCE EXHIBIT

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS RECENTLY APOLOGIZED TO THE FAMILY OF ROBERT F KENNEDY FOR EXHIBITING THE TIE, WHITE SHIRT AND BLACK JACKET THE SENATOR WAS WEARING WHEN HE WAS ASSASSINATED IN 1968. AFTER A COMPLAINT FROM THE FAMILY, THE LAPD REMOVED THE ITEMS FROM A DISPLAY AT A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS. 'THIS IS SUPPOSED TO A BE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE', POLICE CHIEF CHARLIE BECK TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. 'IT WASN'T INTENDED TO CAUSE ANYONE GRIEF OR TO BE PRURIENT OR SALACIOUS IN ANY WAY.' KENNEDY WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD BY SIRHAN SIRHAN AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL IN LOS ANGELES. BECK SAID IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE CLOTHING HAD BEEN ON DISPLAY. SANDI GIBBONS, A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, HAS VIEWED THE CLOTHING MANY TIMES AND SAID IT CONTAINS SPOTS THAT ARE LIKELY BLOOD. POLICE SPOKESPERSON MARY GRADY SAID THE KENNEDY FAMILY MADE THE ONLY COMPLAINT SHE WAS AWARE OF. SHE SAID THE EVIDENCE ON DISPLAY HAD ALL BEEN PRESENTED IN COURT AND WAS PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD. PHOTOS OF MANY OF THE ITEMS HAVE BEEN POSTED ON WEB SITES, SHE SAID. OTHER ITEMS IN THE EXHIBIT ENTITLES 'BEHIND THE SCENES' INCLUDED GLOVES AND A KNIT CAP FROM THE OJ SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL AND ROPE THAT WAS TIED AROUND THE NECK OF SHARON TATE AND OTHER WEAPONS USED WHEN SEVEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY THE MANSON FAMILY 40 YEARS AGO. DEBRA TATE, THE SISTER OF SHARON TATE, SAID SHE AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE OTHER VICTIMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IN ADVANCE THAT EVIDENCE WAS GOING TO BE SHOWN. TATE PLANS TO COMPLAIN TO THE LAPD, HOWEVER, SHE SAID SHE UNDERSTANDS THE VALUE OF THE EXHIBIT. 'I UNDERSTAND USING IT AS A TEACHING TOOL AND KEEPING THE PUBLIC AWARE OF HOW HEINOUS THESE MURDERS WERE', SHE SAID. 'FROM THAT ASPECT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.' THE KENNEDY ITEMS WERE REMOVED TUESDAY BEFORE THE EXHIBIT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. THE DISPLAY WAS PREPARED BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE 2010 CALIFORNIA HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS CONFERENCE AT THE PALMS HOTEL AND CASINO RESORT IN LAS VEGAS. IT ALSO INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO FOOTAGE AND VINTAGE VEHICLES FROM LOS ANGELES HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS SPANNING OVER 100 YEARS.

ROBERTO COIN TO DONATE GEM ENCRUSTED PAINTING TO HAITI CHARITY

ITALIAN LUXURY JEWELRY DESIGNER ROBERTO COIN, WHO IS KNOWN FOR HIS PENCHANT FOR TURNING EVERYTHING INTO GOLD INCLUDING A PAIR OF GOLD SNEAKERS AND A GOLDEN HANDBAG, HAS ADDED HIS TALENTED SKILLS AS AN ARTIST AND A JEWELER BY INLAYING AND SETTING COLOURFUL PRECIOUS GEM-STONES TO A STUNNING PAINTING MADE BY ARTIST SILVANO VECCHIATO TO BENEFIT THE ORPHANS OF HAITI. THE PAINTING 'MADONNA AND CHILD AND LANDSCAPE OF VICENZA', IS SET WITH THOUSANDS OF CARATS OF PRECIOUS STONES; SAPPHIRES AND DIAMONDS OF VARIOUS SHADES, RUBIES, EMERALDS AND PEARLS JUST TO NAME A FEW. THE ONE OF A KIND PAINTING WAS RECENTLY UNVEILED AT THE VERONA LUXURY FAIR AND TOOK ROBERTO COIN AND HIS TEAM OF JEWELERS OVER A YEAR TO COMPLETE.

ELI KLEIN FINE ARTS TO PRESENT FIRST US SOLO EXHIBITION OF ZHANG GONG

ELI KLEIN FINE ARTS, NEW YORK, PRESENTS ZHANG GONG'S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES. ZHANG GONG'S WORK PARODIES INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE WESTERN ART, DEMONSTRATING THE EFFECT OF WESTERN POPULAR CULTURE ON CONTEMPORARY CHINESE SOCIETY. IN MOST OF HIS RECENT WORKS, ZHANG GONG INCORPORATES CARTOON CHARACTERS WITH SCENES FROM MODERNIST WESTERN PAINTINGS AND OTHER POPULAR IMAGES. THESE JUXTAPOSITIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY SATIRIZE AND QUESTION IDEAS ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES HIGH ART AND ORIGINALITY. HIS OWN UNIQUE CREATION, MISS PANDA, INTERACTS WITH THE WESTERN CHARACTERS IN CHAOTIC SCENES. MISS PANDA OFTEN FINDS HER WAY INTO FAMOUS WESTERN PAINTINGS, REMINDING THE VIEWER THAT WESTERN ART, ONCE BANNED, HAS NOW BEEN ASSIMILATED INTO THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MODERN SOCIETY. THROUGH HIS WORKS, ZHANG GONG BRINGS HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY ART INTO DIALOGUE WITH ONE ANOTHER. ZHANG GONG RECEIVED HIS MASTER OF FINE ARTS FROM THE CENTRAL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN IN BEIJING AND IS CURRENTLY A PROFESSOR IN THE ANIMATION DEPARTMENT AT QINGHUA UNIVERSITY. ZHONG GONG'S WORKS HAVE BEEN EXHIBITED AT THE KUNSTMUSEUM IN BONN GERMANY, THE SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM, AND THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SHANGHAI. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW AT ELI KLEIN FINE ART FROM 4.MARCH THROUGH 22.APRIL.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.ekfineart.com

SOTHEBY'S TO SELL RARE BLUE DE BEERS DIAMOND

A RARE FLAWLESS BLUE DIAMOND THAT WAS ONCE PART OF TEH DE BEERS MILLENNIUM COLLECTION IS EXPECTED TO FETCH ALMOST £4 MILLION AT AUCTION. THE STUNNING 5.16 CARAT, PEAR-SHAPED INTERNALLY FLAWLESS FANCY BLUE GEM IS THE FIRST DIAMOND OF ITS KIND TO APPEAR AT AN AUCTION FROM TEH COLLECTION THAT DE BEERS, THE WORLD'S LARGEST DIAMOND PRODUCER, PRESENTED IN 2000 TO CELEBRATE THE MILLENNIUM. IT IS BEING PUT UP FOR SALE BY A PRIVATE COLLECTOR AND IS THE STAR LOT AT SOTHEBY'S HONG KONG JEWELS AND JADEITE 2010 SPRING SALE ON 7.APRIL AND BIDDING IS EXPECTED TO REACH IF NOT EXCEED THE £3.8 MILLION ESTIMATE PRICE. THE DE BEERS MILLENNIUM COLLECTION COMPRISED 12 UNIQUELY RARE GEMS AND TOOK DECADES TO ASSEMBLE. 'THE DIAMOND'S HIGH AND EVEN SATURATION OF BRILLIANT SKY-BLUE COLOUR, INTERNALLY FLAWLESS CLARITY AND CLASSIC PEAR SHAPE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY SPUR INTENSE BIDDING AMONGST DISCERNING COLLECTORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD', TEH AUCTION HOUSE SAID IN A STATEMENT. BLUE DIAMONDS ARE AMONG THE RAREST OF ALL GEMS AND OWE THEIR NATURAL BLUE COLOUR TO TEH PRESENCE OF TEH CHEMICAL ELEMENT BORON DURING TEH STONE'S FORMATION. IN MAY 2009, A 7.03 CARAT, CUSHION-SHAPED INTERNALLY FLAWLESS FANCY VIVID BLUE DIAMOND SET TEH WORLD RECORD PRICE PER CARAT FOR ANY GEMSTONE AT A SOTHEBY'S GENEVA AUCTION WHEN IT WAS BOUGHT BY A HONG KONG COLLECTOR FOR £6.4 MILLION.

SOUTHALL ANTIQUES TO SELL LOUIS VUITTON UPHOLSTERED BENCH

A STUNNING AND UNIQUE BENCH UPHOLSTERED IN THE ICONIC LOUIS VUITTON SIGNATURE MONOGRAM CANVAS IS BEING OFFERED FOR SALE BY SOUTHALL ANTIQUES IN SAN FRANSISCO. PRICED AT $6,400 THE CUSTOM UPHOLSTERED RECTANGULAR BENCH IS OF AN EARLY 20th CENTURY LOUIS XV STYLE PARCEL GILT AND ACANTHUS CARVED APRON RAISED ON CLASSICAL STYLIZED CABRIOLE LEGS. ACCORDING TO A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ANTIQUES GALLERY THE LOUIS VUITTON MONOGRAM UPHOLSTERY IS GENUINE AND THE STUNNING PIECE IS A CUSTOM MADE ONE OF A KIND CREATION.

GLASGOW MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT TO CLOSE DOORS IN APRIL

GLASGOW'S MUCH LOVED MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS FOR THE FINAL TIME ON 18.APRIL.2010. BY THE TIME IT SHUTS, IT WILL HAVE WELCOMED WELL OVER 10 MILLION VISITORS SINCE IT MOVED TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION IN 1988. THE CLOSURE WILL ALLOW ITEMS TO BE MOVED TO THE NEW £74 MILLION RIVERSIDE MUSEUM WHICH OPENS TO THE PUBLIC IN 2011. THE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT IS HOE TO SUCH POPULAR ATTRACTIONS AS: TRAMS, TRAINS, CARS, SHIP MODELS IN THE CLYDE ROOM, THE UNDERGROUND STATION AND CARRIAGES AND THE SHOPS AND CINEMA IN KELVIN STREET. IT REGULARLY ATTRACTS MORE THAN 500,000 VISITORS A YER, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ATTRACTIONS IN SCOTLAND. THE CLOSING DATE OF 18.APRIL FALLS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL EASTER HOLIDAYS, WHICH GIVES FAMILIES THE CHANCE TO ENJOY THE FINAL WEEKS. THERE WILL BE AN EXCITING PROGRAM OF FREE EVENTS CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE ICONIC GLASGOW INSTITUTION. BAILIE LIZ CAMERON, CHAIR OF CULTURE AND SPORT GLASGOW SAID: 'THE MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SOURCE OF GREAT PRIDE AND AFFECTION FOR THE PEOPLE OF GLASGOW AND IS ALWAYS AMONG THE MOST VISITED ATTRACTIONS IN THE CITY. FOR MANY, THE OCCASION WILL BE ONE TINGED WITH A LITTLE SADNESS AMONGST THE GREAT HOPE AND EXPECTATIONS THAT IS BUILDING AS THE MAGNIFICENT RIVERSIDE MUSEUM TAKES PLACE NEARBY.' THE INNOVATIVE AND INSPIRING RIVERSIDE MUSEUM HAS BEEN TAKING SHAPE IN RECENT YEARS ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVERS CLYDE AND KELVIN. AND ANTICIPATION IS BUILDING FOR WHAT WILL BE TRULY AN OUTSTANDING ADDITION TO GLASGOW'S ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. THE RIVERSIDE MUSEUM HAS BEEN DESIGNED BY THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ARCHITECT KAHA HADID. SUPPORT FOR THE £74 MILLION PROJECT HAS COME FROM GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, THE HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND AND GLASGOW HABOUR.

HERMES ARCEAU POCKET WATCH DUC ATTELE

CONTINUING ITS TREND OF REVIVING THE NUANCES OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF LUXURY AND STYLE, HERMES HAS RECENTLY UNVEILED YET ANOTHER STUNNING POCKET WATCH CHRISTENED THE HERMES ARCEAU POCKET WATCH DUC ATTELE. FLAUNTING AN 18 CARAT WHITE GOLD CASE AND AR-COATED CRYSTALS THE UNIQUE TIMEPIECE IS TRULY AN AMAZING WORK OF CLASSICISM. THE DIAL OF THE WATCH IS NATURAL WHITE MOTHER OF PEARL, AND FEATURES THE ICONIC HERMES MOTIF DEPICTED FROM A ALFRED DE DREUX DRAWING. BOASTING A SWISS AUTOMATIC CALIBER H1929 VAUCHER MOVEMENT, THE ELEGANT POCKET WATCH HAS A POWER RESERVE OF 55 HOURS. TRULY TO BECOME A COLLECTOR'S ITEM, WITH ITS SLIM LEATHER CORD STRAP AND A UNIQUE HERMES LEATHER POUCH WHICH HOUSES THE TIMEPIECE. THE HERMES ARCEAU POCKET WATCH DUC ATTELE IS AN EXQUISITE AND CLASSIC TIMEPIECE.

MASSIVE RED GRANITE HEAD OF AMENHOTEP III DISCOVERED IN LUXOR

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE UNEARTHED A MASSIVE RED GRANITE HEAD OF ONE OF EGYPT'S MOST FAMOUS PHARAOHS WHO RULED NEARLY 3,400 YEARS AGO, THE EGYPTIAN SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES ANNOUNCED RECENTLY. THE HEAD OF AMENHOTEP III, WHICH ALONE IS ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF A PERSON, WAS DUG OUT OF THE RUINS OF THE PHARAOH'S MORTUARY TEMPLE IN THE SOUTHERN CITY OF LUXOR. THE LEADER OF THE EXHIBITION THAT DISCOVERED THE HEAD DESCRIBED IS AS THE BEST PRESERVED SCULPTURE OF AMENHOTEP III'S FACE FOUND TO DATE. 'OTHER STATUES HAVE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING BROKEN: THE TIP OF THE NOSE, THE FACE IS ERODED', SAID DE SOUROUZIAN, WHO LED THE EGYPTIAN/EUROPEAN EXPEDITION AT THE SITE SINCE 1999. THE HEAD IS PART OF A LARGER STATUE FOUND SEVERAL YEARS AGO, ALONG WITH THE PARTS OF THE BODY, THE BACK SLAB, AND THE CEREMONIAL BEARD WHICH SOUROUZIAN SAYS WILL SOON BE CONNECTED WITH THE HEAD. AMENHOTEP III, WHO WAS THE GRANDFATHER OF THE FAMED BOY-PHARAOH TUTANKHAMEN, RULED FROM 1387-1348 BC AT THE HEIGHT OF EGYPT'S NEW KINGDOM AND PRESIDED OVER A VAST EMPIRE STRETCHING FROM NUBIA IN THE SOUTH TO SYRIA IN THE NORTH. SOUROUZIAN SAID THE PHARAOH WAS FAMOUS FOR LEADING EGYPT AT THE PEAK OF ITS ANCIENT CIVILIZATION, WHEN PEACE AND LUXURY WERE PREVALENT THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM. CRAFTSMEN WERE ALSO HONING THEIR ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES DURING THE PERIOD, WHICH MAY EXPLAIN THE SYMMETRICAL FEATURES OF THE UNEARTHED HEAD. AMENHOTEP III'S MASSIVE MORTUARY TEMPLE WAS LARGELY DESTROYED, POSSIBLY BY FLOODS, AND LITTLE REMAINS OF ITS WALLS. THE EXPEDITION, HOWEVER, HAS UNEARTHED A WEALTH OF ARTIFACTS AND STATUARY IN THE BURIED RUINS, INCLUDING TWO STATUES OF AMENHOTEP MADE OF BLACK GRANITE FOUND LAST MARCH.

NEW CHOPIN MUSEUM OPENS IN WARSAW POLAND

THE LAST PIANO THAT FREDERIC CHOPIN COMPOSED ON, A DEATH MASK MADE AFTER HE SUCCUMBED TO WHAT WAS PROBABLY TUBERCULOSIS AND A LOCK OF HIS BROWN HAIR ARE AMONG THE OBJECTS ON DISPLAY AT A NEW MUSEUM DEDICATED TO THE LIFE OF THE ROMANTIC-ERA COMPOSER THAT OPENED ON HIS 200th BIRTHDAY MONDAY IN HIS NATIVE POLAND. THE INTERACTIVE MULTI-MEDIA MUSEUM IS LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF WARSAW, WHERE CHOPIN MOVED IN INFANCY FROM A NEARBY COUNTRY ESTATE, AND WHERE HE SPENT THE FIRST 20 YEARS OF HIS LIFE BEFORE MOVING TO PARIS. CULTURE MINISTER BOGDAN ZDROJEWSKI HAILED IT AS 'THE MOST MODERN BIOGRAPHICAL MUSEUM IN EUROPE AND EVEN THE WORLD' AT A CEREMONIAL OPENING THAT COMES AMID A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS OF THE MUCH-REVERED MUSICIAN. A CHALLENGE THAT CURATORS FACED WAS THE LOSS OF MANY OBJECTS RELATED TO CHOPIN'S LIFE. SOME, LIKE LETTERS, WERE DESTROYED BY WOMEN HE WAS ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH; OTHERS WERE CONSUMED IN THE DEVASTATION OF WORLD WAR II. POLISH AUTHORITIES BEGAN GATHERING MUSICAL SCORES, SKETCHES AND OTHER OBJECTS TIED TO CHOPIN IN 1899 AND ARE STILL PURSUING THEM AT AUCTIONS AROUND THE WORLD, CURATOR ALICIA KNAST SAID.
THE MUSEUM IS ARRANGED THEMATICALLY WITH SPACES DEVOTED TO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HIS LIFE. A ROOM DEVOTED TO PARIS LIFE FEATURES CHOPIN'S LAST PIANO, BUILT BY THE PROMINENT PIANO MAKER IGNACE PLEYEL. VISITORS LEARN THAT CHOPIN EARNED HIS LIVING IN PARIS BY GIVING LESSONS, HE WAS A MUCH PRIZED TEACHER AND ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST EXPENSIVE. ANOTHER ROOM IS DEVOTED TO THE TIME HE SPENT AT NOHANT, THE FRENCH CHATEAU THAT BELONGED TO HIS COMPANION OF EIGHT YEARS, WRITER AURORE DUPIN, BEST KNOWN BY HER NON DE PLUME GEORGE SAND. THE ROOM IS FILLED WITH THE SOUND OF CHIRPING BIRDS, MEANT TO EVOKE THE NATURAL SETTING OF THE PLACE WHERE CHOPIN COMPOSED SOME OF HIS MASTERPIECES. THE FINAL ROOM IS DEVOTED TO HIS DEATH AT THE AGE OF 39 ON 17.OCTOBER.1849. A DARK SPACE BEREFT OF THE MUSIC FILLING MOST OF THE MUSEUM, IT INCLUDES A PLASTER DEATH MASK TAKEN OF CHOPIN'S FACE. ON DISPLAY ARE ALSO INVITATIONS TO HIS MEMORIAL SERVICE IN PARIS, S WELL AS A LOCK OF HIS BROWN HAIR SAFEGUARDED BY HIS FAMILY. THE MUSEUM IS HOUSED IN THE STATELY OSTROGSKI PALACE, HOME OF THE FRYDERYK CHOPIN INSTITUTE, WHICH UNDERWENT MAJOR RENOVATION AND EXPANSION TO HOUSE THE REVAMPED MUSEUM.

NEW PORTRAIT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II WILL BE DONE BY UNKNOWN GRADUATE

THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT'S FIRST OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN WILL BE TAKEN BY AN UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER INSTEAD OF A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL, IT HAS BEEN RECENTLY ANNOUNCED. HOLYROOD CHIEFS HAVE DECIDED TO LAUNCH A COMPETITION FOR A PHOTOGRAPHY GRADUATE TO TAKE THE PICTURE AT THE PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE IN EDINBURGH THIS SUMMER. ALL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTES ACROSS SCOTLAND WHICH RUN PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES HAVE BEEN INVITED TO NOMINATE TWO GRADUATES FOR THE HONOR. THE WINNER WILL BE JUDGED BY HARRY BENSON, THE WORLD RENOWNED SCOTTISH PHOTOGRAPHER, AND A MEMBER OF HOLYROOD'S ART ADVISORY GROUP. BENSON, WHO HAS PHOTOGRAPHED BARACK OBAMA, THE BEATLES AND WINSTON CHURCHILL DURING HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER, WILL ALSO MENTOR THE WINNING GRADUATE AHEAD OF AND DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT WITH THE QUEEN. 'MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED THE QUEEN, BUT ONLY A SELECT FEW HAVE BEEN ASKED TO TAKE A SPECIAL PRIVATE PORTRAIT OF HER MAJESTY', HE SAID. IT WAS REVEALED LAST YEAR THAT A PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED AFTER MURDO FRASER, DEPUTY SCOTTISH TORY LEADER, COMPLAINED THERE WAS NO PICTURE OF THE MONARCH IN THE PARLIAMENT. THE ABSENCE WAS BLAMED ON AN 'OVERSIGHT' BY PREVIOUS SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT CORPORATE BODIES. A PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT WAS CHOSEN INSTEAD OF A PAINTING TO KEEP DOWN THE COSTS, AND THE CHOICE OF AN UNKNOWN ARTIST WILL ALSO HELP LOWER THE PRICE TAG. THE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN MAY AND WILL START WORKING WITH BENSON, WHO VOLUNTEERED HIS SERVICES FOR FREE. A DECISION HAS YET TO BE TAKEN OVER PRECISELY WHERE THE PICTURE WILL HANG, BUT IT WILL BE DISPLAYED IN A PUBLIC AREA, SUCH AS THE PARLIAMENT'S FOYER.

SPENCER TUNICK PHOTOGRAPHS 5,200 NAKED PEOPLE IN SYDNEY

SOME 5,200 AUSTRALIANS POSED NAKED IN FRONT OF THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ON MONDAY FOR A PHOTO SHOOT BY NEW YORK-BASED ARTIST SPENCER TUNICK FOR ANOTHER SIGNATURE INSTALLATION OF NUDES AGAINST URBAN BACKGROUNDS. ON A CHILLY, OVERCAST, FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN, THE MASS PHOTO SHOOT WAS TITLED 'MARDI GRAS: THE BASE' AND MEANT TO CELEBRATE SYDNEY'S GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS LAST WEEKEND. AS THE SUN ROSE, TUNICK INSTRUCTED PARTICIPANTS TO DO A NUMBER OF POSES, FROM STANDING UP, LYING DOWN, AND EVEN EMBRACING CHEEK TO CHEEK, FOR OVER AN HOUR. 'I WANT ALL COUPLES TO EMBRACE AND KISS, ALL FRIENDS TO KISS AND ALL STRANGERS TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT', TUNICK SAID AS HE DIRECTED THE CROWD. SOME PARTICIPANTS WERE SURPRISED AT HOW ASEXUAL, AND LEVELING, THE EVENT WAS. 'I THOUGHT IT COULD BE A BIT AWKWARD, BUT IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE YOU'RE NAKED AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS NAKED, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE DRESSED, BECAUSE EVERYBODY LOOKS THE SAME', SAID STEVEN ANGLIER, WHO WORE A WIG SO HE COULD STAND OUT IN THE PHOTO. TUNICK HAS PRODUCED ALMOST 100 INSTALLATIONS AROUND THE WORLD, AND SAYS HIS WORK IS NOT ABOUT EXHIBITIONISM OR EROTICISM BUT INSTEAD REVEALS THE VULNERABILITY OF LIFE IN A ROUGH CITY LANDSCAPE. BUT THAT ARGUMENT HAS NOT IMPRESSED AUTHORITIES AT HOME IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE TUNICK HAS BEEN ARRESTED SEVEN TIMES. HIS LARGEST INSTALLATION WAS IN MEXICO ON 6.MAY.2007, WHERE HE PHOTOGRAPHED 18,000 PEOPLE IN MEXICO CITY'S ZOCALO SQUARE.

GREEK POLICE ARREST TWO MEN FOR ART SMUGGLING

Greek Police Arrest Two Men with Valuable Antiquities
GREEK POLICE ARRESTED TWO MEN TRYING TO SELL SEVERAL ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING A BRONZE SCULPTURE OF EMPEROR ALEXANDER THE GREAT FROM THE 4th CENTURY BC, FOR WHICH THE ASKING PRICE WAS $9.5 MILLION, AUTHORITIES SAID SUNDAY. POLICE IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECTS AS A 48 YEAR OLD THESSALONIKI BUSINESSMAN AND A 51 YEAR OLD FARMER, BUT DID NOT PROVIDE THEIR NAMES. THE MEN WERE ARRESTED SATURDAY MORNING NEAR THE TOWN OF KAVALA, EAST OF THESSALONIKI. POLICE SEARCHED THEIR CAR AND FOUND A TREASURE TROVE THAT INCLUDED A 65 CENTIMETER STATUE OF ALEXANDER, TWO BRONZE HEADS OF A BOY AND A YOUNG MAN AND OTHER ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING TWO RARE KORANS. EXPERTS SAY THE ALEXANDER STATUE APPEARED TO COME FROM THE WORKSHOP OF LYSIPPOS, ALEXANDER'S PERSONAL SCULPTOR. CHEMICAL TESTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED AT THE THESSALONIKI ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM TO SEE WHETHER THE SCULPTURE IS AN ORIGINAL OR A CONTEMPORARY COPY, SINCE LYSIPPOS' WORKSHOP, WHICH EMPLOYED SEVERAL ARTISTS, ALSO PRODUCED REPLICAS OF ORIGINAL WORKS. THE YOUNG BOY'S HEAD, APPARENTLY PART OF A LARGER SCULPTURE, IS DATED FROM THE ROMAN ERA, IN THE 1st CENTURY BC. POLICE OFFICIALS SAY IT IS LIKELY THE TWO SMUGGLED THE ANTIQUITIES AND THE KORANS FROM TURKEY, BUT AT THIS POINT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN.

MARMITE INTRODUCES A STRONGER MARMITE XO FLAVOR WITH

AN EXTRA-STRONG VERSION OF MARMITE WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT MONTH, IT WAS REVEALED BY THE COMPANY THIS WEEK. THE UNIQUE SAVORY SPREAD, WHICH PEOPLE ARE SAID TO EITHER LOVE OR HATE, IS MADE WITH YEAST FROM FOUR SPECIALLY SELECTED BREWERIES. MARMITE EXTRA OLD, OR XO, WHICH WILL HIT UK MARKET SHELVES FROM 8.MARCH, IS THE RESULT OF THE SECRET BLEND MATURING FOR 28 DAYS, FOUR TIMES LONGER THAN THE STANDARD PRODUCT. THIS ALLOWS THE FLAVOR AND TEXTURE TO INTENSIFY, CREATING A SPREAD SO STRONG AND FULL-BODIED IT CAN ONLY BE APPRECIATED BY THE MOST DEVOTED FANS, ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE XO RECIPE WAS DEVELOPED WITH THE HELP OF THE 'MARMARARTI', A GROUP OF COMMITTED AND VOCAL MARMITE FANATICS WHO TRIED SAMPLES AND GAVE FEEDBACK ON THE FLAVOR. MARMITE DEVELOPER GRAHAME WALKER SAID: 'XO WAS CREATED PURELY FOR PASSIONATE LOVERS TO INDULGE. WHILST THE OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS ARE THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL RECIPE, THE SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPED FORMULATION AND LONGER MATURATION PERIOD ALLOWS THE FLAVOR AND THICKER TEXTURE TO DEVELOP TO A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL. THE RESULTANT BLEND CREATES AN INTENSE SENSORY EXPERIENCE THAT CAN ONLY BE APPRECIATED BY THE MOST EXTREME MARMITE DEVOTEES.' MARMITE XO HAS A RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE OF £3.99 AND COME IN A SPECIAL BLACK AND GOLD JAR HOUSED IN A BLACK PRESENTATION BOX.

SKYY VODKA ADD GINGER TO THEIR SKYY INFUSION LINE

SKYY VODKA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THEIR LATEST ADDITION TO ITS AL NATURAL SKYY INFUSION LINE, FRESH SWEET GINGER. THE ALL NATURAL SKYY INFUSIONS GINGER IS THE FIRST NATIONALLY AVAILABLE GINGER INFUSED VODKA, JOINING THE ALL NATURAL SKYY INFUSIONS PORTFOLIO OF CITRUS, CHERRY, PASSION FRUIT, RASPBERRY, GRAPE AND PINEAPPLE. SKYY INFUSIONS GINGER IS A PREMIUM VODKA WHICH IS CAREFULLY INFUSED WITH REAL GINGER FOR AN IRRESISTIBLY FRESH, SWEET TASTE. ONE TASTE REVEALS THE DELICIOUS FLAVORS OF SPICED AND JUICED GINGER, ROASTED ORANGES AND MILD NOTES OF CINNAMON. THE FLAVOR PROFILE IS REMINISCENT OF HANDMADE GINGER-ALE, YET WITH A MORE INTRICATE AROMA AND TASTE. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SKYY INFUSIONS GINGER, CONTINUES TO UPHOLD SKYY SPIRITS' HIGH STANDARD OF ULTRA PREMIUM, NATURALLY INFUSED VODKAS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY, INNOVATION AND STYLE.

ABSOLUT COLLABORATES WITH ARTIST PHILIPP PLEIN FOR NEW BOTTLE

SWEDISH DESIGNER PHILIPP PLEIN HAS SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH TE FAMOUS BRAND OF ABSOLUT VODKA. HE HAS DESIGNED A STUNNING NEW PACKAGING DESIGN FOR THE LEGENDARY ICONIC BOTTLE. PLEIN CREATED A LIMITED EDITION OF 100 BOTTLES, EACH WITH HIS UNIQUE PERSONAL TOUCH SET WITH PRECIOUS STONES AND SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS WHICH HIGHLIGHT THE SKULL-SHAPED PATTERN. FOR NOW THE 'ABSOLUT PLEIN' IS AVAILABLE IN HIS BOUTIQUE OR ON-LINE FOR ESTIMATED 100 EUROS. PLEIN BEGAN HIS CAREER AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER BUT SOON CREATED HIS OWN COUTURE CLOTHING LINE, WHICH BECAME GARNERED A SMALL CULT FOLLOWING. 'THE BRAND ABSOLUT HAS LARGE REQUIREMENTS. COMBINED WITH MY WORK, THE BOTTLE WAS INEVITABLY DESTINED TO BE GLAMOROUS', SAID THE DESIGNER

QUEEN ELIZABETH II TO GIVE PRESIDENT ZUMA PRIVATE TOUR OF COLLECTION

PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA WILL BE GIVEN A FASCINATING 'HISTORY LESSON' THIS WEEK WHEN THE QUEEN SHOWS HIM A SPECIAL, PRIVATE EXHIBITION OF MEMORABILIA REVEALING BRITAIN'S TIERS TO SOUTH AFRICA. SCORES OF GIFTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, LETTERS, SPEECHES AND OTHER ARTIFACTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY ON EIGHT TABLES IN THE FIRST FLOOR PICTURE GALLERY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE, WHERE THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA AND ONE OF HIS THREE WIVES ARE STAYING AS GUESTS OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE PHILIP. THE FIRST TABLE WILL HAVE MEMORABILIA, INCLUDING PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPH ALBUMS, FROM THE FIRST VISIT BY THE QUEEN, THEN PRINCESS ELIZABETH, TO SOUTH AFRICA WITH HER PARENTS, GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH, AND HER YOUNGER SISTER, PRINCESS MARGARET, IN 1947. THE FUTURE QUEEN CELEBRATED HER 21st BIRTHDAY IN CAPE TOWN WHEN, IN A SPEECH BROADCAST ON RADIO FROM CAPE TOWN, SHE MOVINGLY DEDICATED HER LIFE TO THE SERVICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH. THE PRESIDENT, WHO STARTS A TWO-DAY STATE VISIT TO BRITAIN ON WEDNESDAY, WILL BE SHOWN A SPRIG OF ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, KEPT AND LABELED BY HER GRANDMOTHER, QUEEN MARY, FROM PRINCESS ELIZABETH'S 21st BIRTHDAY CAKE. ALL THE MATERIALS ON SHOW COMES FROM THE ROYAL COLLECTIONS, THE ROYAL ARCHIVE OR IT BELONGS PERSONALLY TO THE QUEEN OR PRINCE PHILIP. ONE OF THE TABLES IS DEVOTED TO 1994-96, WHICH INCLUDES THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA ATTENDED BY PRINCE PHILIP. THE DISPLAY WILL INCLUDE AN ORNATE AND VALUABLE CHESS SET GIVEN AS A PRESENT TO PRINCE PHILIP BY PRESIDENT MANDELA ON HIS STATE VISIT TO BRITAIN IN 1996. PRESIDENT ZUMA WILL ALSO SEE A SET OF THE 'GREAT MAN BUTTONS' GIVEN TO THE QUEEN IN CAPE TOWN BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN 1995 DURING HER STATE VISIT. THE BUTTONS SHOW THREE PHASES OF PRESIDENT MANDELA'S LIFE: DARK DAYS (HIS TIME IN JAIL), SILVER DAY (FREEDOM) AND GOLD DAYS (HIS TIME AS PRESIDENT).

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART PRESENTS 'THE SACRED MADE REAL'

DEPICTIONS OF CHRIST'S WOUNDS AND SUFFERING ON THE CROSS ARE ON DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON DC, AS THE MUSEUM PRESENTS ITS FIRST COMPARISON OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. ELEVEN PAINTINGS BY DIEGO VELAZQUEZ, FRANCISO DE ZURBARAN AND OTHERS WILL BE DISPLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME ALONGSIDE 11 HYPER-REALISTIC PAINTED WOOD SCULPTURES FROM THE 17th CENTURY IN 'THE SACRED MADE REAL'. 'THIS INTERACTION BETWEEN PAINTING AND SCULPTURE LED TO SOME REALLY SPECTACULAR PICTURES', SAID THE CURATOR OF LONDON'S NATIONAL GALLERY, WHO COORDINATED THE STUNNING EXHIBIT. THE SOFTLY LIT GALLERY IS A WALK THROUGH SEVERAL KEY CHRISTIAN THEMES, FROM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION TO THE PASSION OF CHRIST AND THE DEPICTION OF SAINTS. THE PIECES ARE MOST NOTABLE FOR THEIR EXTREME REALISM. VISITORS CAN WALK BEHIND A LIFE-SIZE FIGURE OF CHRIST TO SEE DEPICTIONS OF THE AWFUL WOUNDS ON HIS BACK AFTER HE HAD BEEN WHIPPED. THE EXHIBIT WILL REMAIN ON VIEW DURING HOLY WEEK (28.MARCH TO 3.APRIL) AND THROUGH THE END OF MAY. THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART WILL BE THE ONLY US VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.nga.gov

CAMPAIGN TO SAVE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD HAS RAISED £1,080,000

AS THE END OF FEBRUARY FAST APPROACHES, THE FUND-RAISING TOTAL FOR THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD CAMPAIGN HAS REACHED £1 MILLION. SO FAR, THE TOTAL RAISED TOWARDS SAVING THE MOST VALUABLE TREASURE FOUND ON BRITISH SOIL IS £1,080,000. OF THIS, ALMOST £500,000 COMES FROM MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE ART FUND IS SPEARHEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD FOR THE WEST MIDLANDS. THE CHARITY IS DELIGHTED TO HAVE REACHED THIS LANDMARK FIGURE, JUST SEVEN WEEKS INTO THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH BEGAN ON 13.JANUARY. THE ART FUND'S DIRECTOR STEPHEN DEUCHAR SAID: 'THIS IA REALLY EXCELLENT NEWS, FURTHERING OUR CONVICTION THAT IF THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO GATHER STEAM, WE STILL CAN MAKE THE £3 MILLION BY 17.APRIL. HOWEVER, THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE AND WE NEED AS MANY PUBLIC DONATIONS AS POSSIBLE, SO IF YOU'VE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE HOARD BUT HAVEN'T YET DONATED, NOW IS THE TIME.' UNTIL SUNDAY 17.MARCH, VISITORS TO THE POTTERIES MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY WILL BE ABLE TO ADMIRE 118 ITEMS OF THE HOARD, INCLUDING 40 ARTIFACTS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. DONATIONS HAVE RANGED FROM £10 FROM A NINE YEAR OLD GIRL TO £50,000 FROM THE CHARLES HENRY FOYLE TRUST. THE POTTERIES MUSEUM ALSO HAD A £50,000 CHECK FROM AN ANONYMOUS DONOR ON THE EVE OF THEIR EXHIBITION WHICH OPENED 12.FEBRUARY. DONATIONS HAVE COME IN FROM AS FAR AS THE US AND JAPAN, BUT ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE DONORS ARE FROM THE WEST MIDLANDS. SO FAR, THE STOKE-ON-TRENT DISPLAYS OF THE HOARD IS EXCEEDING ALL EXPECTATIONS. 20,000 VISITORS TURNED UP IN THE FIRST NINE DAYS, BEATING ALL PREVIOUS RECORD AT THE MUSEUM. WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD PARTNERSHIP, THE ART FUND IS LEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE £3.3 MILLION. ALL THE MONEY MUST BE RAISED BY 17.APRIL IN ORDER TO KEEP THE TREASURE.
THE ART FUND URGES MORE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO STEP FORWARD AND DONATE, BY VISITING www.artfund.org/hoard OR BY RINGING 0844 415 4004.