Well, we’re nearly halfway through 2020 and frankly the less said about that the better. Who could have predicted six months ago that I’d be slightly in love with a 22 year-old footballer who took on the government and won and that my idea of a big night out would be sitting in my garden with two friends around a group of tables borrowed from my parents.
Anyway, once a culture vulture, always a culture vulture, so here are my highlights of the year in arts so far:
Books
I have read a lot this year and particularly loved Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Long Bright River by Liz Moore, Royals by Emma Forrest, Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Confession by Jessie Burton, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and, most of all, Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. My attention span is shot at the moment and I am struggling to concentrate on The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel but I know once I get my mojo back I’ll be sucked in and devour it.
Films
I cannot WAIT to be able to get back to the cinema to watch something new and there are great releases ahead but so far my favourites of the year have been Uncut Gems, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Too Rabbit, Parasite, True History of the Kelly Gang. All of these are now available on streaming services and I highly recommend them while we wait to get back to the big screen.
Art
There were a few great exhibitions on in London before lockdown started including Picasso on Paper and Lucien Freud’s self-portraits at the Royal Academy, Hedda Sterne at Victoria Miro, Ruth Asawa at David Zwirner, Radical Figures at the Whitechapel, but my heart is broken for all the shows planned (and in some cases already installed) for the spring. I am hoping exhibitions such as Artemesia Gentilleschi and Titian at the National Gallery, and Lynette Yiadom Boakye, Yayoi Kusama and Zanele Muholi at Tate will be extended once they are allowed to reopen.