The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

34 | THINGS TO DO | Art galleries
Recent exhibitions include The Empire
Strikes Back: Indian Art Today, Abstract
America: New Painting and Sculpture,
and The Shape of Things to Come:
New Sculpture, each reportedly drawing
around 4,000 visitors a day. Entry to all
shows is free of charge.
The Gallery Mess (see Restaurants) is
worth checking out, and the gift shop is
great for interesting presents for arty
types. Rooms at the gallery can be hired
for events.
Daily 10am-6pm, last entry at 5.30pm.
Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road,
SW3 4RY. T: 020 7811 3080
www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Stephanie Hoppen Gallery
Stephanie Hoppen — mother to famous
gallery owner Michael and interior
designer Kelly — has been working at 17
Walton Street since 1981. She believes
in a practical approach to art, cutting
away jargon and theory, where the one
consideration for buyers should be
whether there is love at first sight . The
gallery displays works from British and
international contemporary artists and
photographers.
Tuesday to Friday 10am-6pm,
Saturday 12pm-5pm, Monday by
appointment.
17 Walton Street, SW3 2HX
T: 020 7589 3678
www.stephaniehoppen.com
Nocturne in Black
and Gold – the
Falling Rocket
American-born artist James Abbott
McNeill Whistler lived at many places
in Chelsea (see Streets and Sights)
and his painting Nocturne
in Black and Gold – the Falling
Rocket, which depicts fireworks at
Cremorne Gardens over Battersea
Bridge, resulted in a costly libel case
against the critic John Ruskin in 1877.
Whistler had exhibited the painting
at the Grosvenor Gallery and Ruskin
had called him a coxcomb for asking
two hundress guineas for flinging a
pot of paint in the public s face .
Whistler sued him
for libel, saying it was an artistic
arrangement rather than a view of the
gardens, and that he didn t ask two
hundred guineas for the time
it took to paint, rather for the knowledge
I have gained in the work of a
lifetime .
Whistler won the case, but was only
awarded a farthing in damages and
had to pay his own costs,
forcing him to sell his new house
in Tite Street, designed for him by
E W Godwin, and bankrupting him.
Time travel
From the Carlyle’s House to Chelsea FC,
these museums will give you an insight
into the past and the present
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is a bit
different to most other museums — it
uses the objects in its collection as a
way to link the past and present, rather
than to examine history as a separate
entity. It aims to tell the story of the
British Army — and the Indian Army, up
until 1947 — as a whole, right up to the
present day. The online exhibition about
the Army in Helmand, Afghanistan, and
its permanent exhibition in the museum,
Conflicts of Interest, 1969-present,
show its dedication to covering current
conflicts as well as historic ones. It
receives grant aid from the Ministry
of Defence and it pays ground rent of
precisely one guinea a year to its landlord,
the Royal Hospital.
The collections look at both the Army s
role in history around the world and the
personal experiences of servicemen
and women. The exhibitions, particularly
on modern or current conflicts, give an
intimate portrayal of what it is like to
serve in the military, and doesn t shy
away from the psychological impact.
It links into popular culture, too — for
example, War Horse: Fact & Fiction
explores Michael Morpurgo s novel.
The new Kids Zone soft-play area is
a great addition, helping young children
to learn in a fun way, with the Early Years
Foundation Stages at its heart. There are
also plenty of family events. The education
department is excellent.
In fact, the museum is so popular that
an expansion is planned, with a glass
atrium, a roof terrace, a restaurant, new
National
Army
Museum
education facilities and an overhaul of
some of the galleries in the pipeline.
An interesting series of celebrity
speakers runs at the museum, from
authors to anthropologists and first-hand
accounts from soldiers, along with
lunchtime lectures. There s sometimes a
ticket fee for talks, but most of the
museum s events are free.
Open daily 10am-5.30pm.
Free admission.
Royal Hospital Road,
SW3 4HT
T: 020 7730 0717
www.nam.ac.uk
Chelsea FC
Chelsea Football
Club s museum at
Stamford Bridge tells
the story of the club from
its beginnings in 1905 to its
global reach today. It features memorabilia,
interactive experiences including the
adidas Shooting Gallery — which teaches
visitors how to shoot the perfect goal —
and a showcase of shirts from some of
the team s greatest players. The museum
works in conjuction with an updated
stadium tour route and shop.