Thursday 11 March 2010

THE MUSIC OF THE FANS

04 March 2010 - 04 July 2010

If Music be the food of love, play on....From 4th March to 4th July 2010, The Fan Museum’s latest exhibition delves into the many facets of fans which feature musical instruments, musical themes, opera, ‘musicals’ and other music-related subjects.

Did you know that, in 17th and 18th century Dutch paintings, the bagpipes (on account of their shape) had an erotic connotation? Have you ever stopped to wonder why the lyre is used so extensively in almost every form of decorative art? This, and much more, is revealed in this ‘homage to Apollo’, which celebrates all things musical through the intricate and fine artwork from The Fan Museum’s extensive collections.

Subjects touched upon in this unusual and exciting exhibition relate to the great personalities in music, from Rossini and Wagner to Gilbert & Sullivan, with examples of contemporary ‘specials’, such as a small hand-painted autographed fan painted in a (very) limited edition for members of the Fan Circle International on a group matinée booking for ‘Cats’.

Most of the fans on show belong to the museum’s own collections, including a fan painted by Walter Sickert (after one of his own ‘compositions’) for one of his pupils. This features Little Dot Hetherington pointing to the spotlight in a number which she first sang but which Marie Lloyd made popular: ‘The Boy that I love is up in the Gallery’.

Musical instruments featured on the fans are complemented with loans of the actual objects, kindly lent by private individuals.

Another Fan Museum special, not to be missed.

4th March 2010 until 4th July 2010 - Tue to Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm

Address: Fan Museum, 12 Crooms Hill, SE10 8ER

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