Michelangelo's The Dream: A closer look at melancholy

As my interest is predominantly early modern/Renaissance, I thought a brief excursion into the sixteenth century was in order. I wrote this a few years ago but it's still interesting so thought I'd share it.

London's admittedly wide and varied collections of art cannot compete with the palaces, churches, museums and art galleries of Rome when it comes to treasures from the high renaissance (a 'fluffy' term but usually accepted as around 1500). However at London's National Gallery, British Museum and other places, the works of art freely and publicly available are masterpieces of their type. One of the best small galleries in London, the Courtauld Gallery is in possession of an excellent collection of over 7000 drawings and includes one of these masterpieces.

Michelangelo's drawing Il Sogno (The Dream) (1533-4) formed the centre piece of an exhibition where specialists brought together the artist's poetry, correspondence and drawing by other artists such as Raphael and Durer. As The Dream is rarely on display due to conservation issues, it not only provided an opportunity to see it in the flesh but also to see it in its historical, social, artistic and romantic context. On a quick point of access, it is possible to make an appointment with the prints department and see anything in the collection.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Tristan Bates Theatre and 38 Earlham Street, London, WC2H August 15th - September 4th 2011

The Museum of Broken Relationships is a travelling exhibition which has been all over Europe, as well as Singapore and Cape Town, reaching its permanent resting place in Zagreb, Croatia in late 2010. The artist curators Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic came up with the concept when their relation came to an end six years ago and they were dividing their possessions. A light hearted remark about creating a museum from the ‘items of lost love’ sparked a phenomenon leading to a collection of over 700 items, donated by people from all over Europe and further afield.