London Comes Alive

You can't have missed the excitement over the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall. The revival of the whole Southbank arts complex has brought back to life this once dingy and threatening part of London. Cross the modernised Hungerford footbridge from Charing Cross and take in the sparkling City skyline on your way to a concert, performance, recital, opera, exhibition, poetry reading, or just a cracking dinner at one of the new restaurants that have opened there. This is no longer the preserve of the subdued middle classes fresh off the train from Surrey (and eager to get back to the 'burbs). It's one of the most vibrant areas of the capital. Highlights for July include our greatest living opera singer Bryn Terfel as Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street; jazz from the Ornette Coleman quartet; crazy outdoor dance and free running with Stan Won't Dance; Ballet Boyz Gala; and the London Literature Festival (to 12 July). Go there now. Tickets 0871 663 2581 www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Caption:
The Royal Festival Hall. Copyright Hayes Davidson/Nick Wood

 
 
 
 

Keen Collector

David Litchfield's gripping new book about the billionaire Thyssen family is a must for anyone flirting with building an art collection of their own. From a shady past as industrial giants in league with Hitler, the family went to front-page glamour and hobnobbing with royalty while Heini Thyssen-Bornemisza a five-times married playboy and patriarch, built an astonishing art collection. The problem was, he never particularly liked any of it. Litchfield, who took 14 years to complete the book and had unprecedented access to Heini is quite candid. "He openly admitted to me that he had no real interest in the content of a painting, the artist, the history or technical aspect of a work. All he cared about was whether it was a good buy. He said the art business was the dirtiest he had ever come across and he didn't particularly like the people he was dealing with in the art world." For readers more interested in money than aesthetics, there's loads of detail on banking, corporate and personal finance. The book has great gossip, history, impeccable research, good writing and mind-boggling anecdotes. You couldn't make it up. The Thyssen Art Macabre by David R L Litchfield, Quartet Books, £25.

 
 
 
 

Fairyland In The East End

The art world buzz is all about high prices, big names and global reputations. But for vision and raw energy, emerging talent can still take your breath away. Four new conceptual artists will exhibit this summer at the Nunnery Gallery, part of the Bow Arts Trust, in the heart of London's East End. The theme of Fairyland inspires this ambitious collection of new work, and the artists approach the challenge with very different techniques and interpretations. Oliver Vilcans works chiefly with textiles, combining craft and symbolism, perfectly suited to the gothic gallery space. Eleni Anats' work explores the concept of angels whose subtle physical reality eludes the five senses. Sarah Byrne and Helene Sorensen present a thought-provoking and mysterious installation. Large sculptures of semi-human shapes wrapped in brown paper with stilt-like legs are the focus of projected light, creating shadows, abstract patterns, and visions of other worlds. The show runs from 4-12 August. Exhibition: Thursday - Sunday 1pm - 5pm. Fairyland at The Nunnery Gallery, 183 Bow Road, London E3, 020 8980 7774 www.bowarts.com

Caption:
Those who walk on stilts can roam the earth. 13ft high sculpture by Sorensen & Byrne

 
 
 
 

Stars Under The Stars

What's 75 years' old and fresh as a daisy? The Open Air Theatre of course in Regent's Park, still on everyone's hot list of what to do in summer. It attracts all the luvvies (many of whom like Ralph Fiennes and Jim Broadbent learned their skills here), the great and the good, students, romantic teenagers and families. It's also a surprising success for corporate entertainment. This year's programme includes the evergreen A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, light-hearted musicals Lady Be Good and The Boyfriend (for irresistible foot tapping) and Fantastic Mr Fox for children. Take a picnic or tuck into the buffet and barbeque, and there's one of the longest theatre bars in London which stays open after the show. Even better, you can take drinks into the auditorium. Don't forget to buy David Conville's new book, The Park, charting the history of the Open Air Theatre with a foreword by Dame Judy Dench. Oberon Books, £15. For tickets, call 08700 601 811 www.openairtheatre.org

 
 
 
 

Grief Fest

As the 10th anniversary of her death approaches, the Diana machine cranks up to maximum volume and emotional overkill. Remind yourself what's it's all about with the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery featuring public and private faces of Diana as princess, bride, mother, Royal victim, fashion icon, role model, saint and rebel. Pictures by Bailey, Snowdon, John Swannell, Terence Donovan and Mario Testino. The good die young. From 14 July. Diana, Princess of Wales at the National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London WC2, 020 7306 0055 www.npg.org.uk

Caption:
Diana, Princess of Wales by David Bailey, 1988