knittingtastic: The Lure of the East

Last year I joined a fantastic charity called The Art Fund who are an independent source of funding for UK galleries, museums, and historic houses. In return for funding to buy pieces for their collections the 'establishment' then offers Art Fund members something in return, usually in the form of discounted or free entry to their exhibitions or collections. Brilliant! So I get to contribute towards a little piece of heritage for the UK's galleries, museums or historic houses and I get discounted entry to most of the major exhibitions within London and the 'establishments' get their much needed funding.

Being an Art Fund member has meant that I have been to see a lot more exhibitions than I would have gone to had I just been a member at one gallery as I am not tied to one gallery. This morning I headed off to see The Lure of the East at Tate Britain. I was not sure what to expect so it was a very pleasant surprise!

The exhibition covers work by British artists from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries who were responding to the sights of the Near East, including Turkey, Egypt and Palestine. It is a very opulent exhibition, full of rich colour and texture making it perfect for anyone interested in textiles and colour combination.

These are my three favourite paintings:

An Arab Interior by Arthur Melville