London, through art

From September 12 to 17, London becomes the epicenter of fashion during the event of the year: London Fashion Week. During this time, art and design lovers can enjoy a tour of the English capital, home to some of the most iconic works of art in the world. From classical Renaissance artists to the avant-garde, this itinerary explores 10 works that trace one of the many possible routes through museums, art galleries, and open-air spaces.

London was, and remains, the cradle of artistic movements that marked a before and after in the history of art: Romanticism, represented by William Blake and JMW Turner, the figuration of Francis Bacon or Lucian Freud or the landscapes of John Constable or Thomas Gainsborough. In addition to Pop Art in the figures of David Hockney and Peter Blake, who used popular culture and graphic design to create iconic works, or Damien Hirst, one of the most relevant contemporary artists. Likewise, London has a great cultural and heritage heritage from countless countries, from all times, which are exhibited in its spaces and preserved through the ages.

Babel, by Cildo Meireles, at Tate Modern (Media Networks)

Cildo Meireles is a Brazilian conceptual artist and sculptor, best known for his installations, many of which express resistance to political oppression in Brazil. His works, which are often striking and large in proportion, do not go unnoticed, creating a phenomenological experience through the interaction of the viewer. In Babel, a 5-meter-high conical structure, Meireles delves into the complexity of language, using hundreds of switched-on radios that broadcast in different languages and times, symbolizing the confusion and communicative fragmentation in the modern world. The work not only challenges the biblical myth that places the origin of languages in a single "original language", but also raises a reflection on the growing human disconnection in an age saturated with information. Babel invites us to question the limits of global understanding and communication.

Cartoons, by Raphael, Victoria and Albert Museum

A very interesting series of works that cannot be overlooked are the Raphael Cartoons. Shortly after his election in 1513, Pope Leo XIII commissioned the Renaissance artist to make ten large-scale designs for a series of tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, which were to illustrate scenes from the lives of St Peter and St Paul. Each of these monumental cartoons measured five metres wide by 3.5 metres high and were sent to the workshop of the master weaver Pieter van Aelst in Brussels, where they were transformed into the majestic tapestries that adorned the Chapel. Of the ten original designs, seven of these cartoons have survived. They arrived in England in the 17th century, when the then Prince of Wales, Charles I, acquired them for the Royal Collection. In 1865, Queen Victoria gave them to the South Kensington Museum, today known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they have been on public display ever since. These cartoons not only represent Raphael's technical mastery, but also a milestone in the history of Renaissance art, uniting Italian design with Flemish craftsmanship.

The Fountain by Marcel Duchamp at Tate Modern

This is one of the most influential works of art of the 20th century. Created in 1917 by Duchamp and signed under the pseudonym R. Mutt, the work was presented to the Society of Independent Artists and obviously rejected. Without realising it, the artist thus created the first conceptual work of art, marking a paradigm shift in the art world.

Opened in 2000, Tate Modern is one of the world's leading museums of modern and contemporary art. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station, the building was transformed by architects Herzog & de Meuron and its vast collection includes works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Salvador Dalí, among many others. In addition to its permanent collection, it is renowned for its impressive installations in the Turbine Hall, which houses works by major contemporary artists.

Rosetta Stone, in British Museum

The Rosetta Stone, on display at the British Museum, is one of the most important pieces in the history of Egypt and the world, as its discovery changed the perception and understanding of the ancient world. It was discovered in 1799 in the city of Rosetta during the Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. It bears a trilingual inscription in Greek, Demotic and Egyptian hieroglyphics. It dates from 196 BC. It was created to commemorate a royal decree in Egypt and its importance lies in the fact that it allowed linguists to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics, a writing system that had remained unintelligible for centuries. After its discovery, the stone was taken to England in 1801 and has since been in the British Museum, where it remains a key piece in the study and understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphics. of the ancient Egyptian civilization.

The Swing, by Jean Honoré Fragonard, at Wallace Collection

This work by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, on view at the Wallace Collection, is emblematic of French Rococo. Painted around 1767, this work captures a playful and romantic scene in which a woman on a swing is pushed into the air by a man hidden in the shadows, while her lover watches from the garden. The work is notable for its use of colour and its dynamic composition, which conveys a sense of movement and atmosphere typical of the Rococo period. The painting reflects Fragonard’s exuberant and sensual style, and has been hailed as a masterful example of 18th-century French painting.

The Wallace Collection, located in the historic palace in Manchester Square, houses a collection of masterpieces from the period 1600-1800. Founded by Sir Richard Wallace in the 19th century, the collection includes paintings, sculptures and pieces by artists such as Frans Hals, Titian and Rembrandt, among others.

Pool with Two Figures by David Hockney at Tate Britain

David Hockney's Swimming Pool with Two Figures (1972) is one of the British artist's most iconic works, housed in Tate Britain. In this painting, Hockney depicts a man floating in a pool while another man watches from the edge, capturing the bright light and saturated colours that characterise the artist's usual style. It is one of the works in which water is the protagonist, something that particularly interested Hockney in his pictorial production. In addition, to make it, the artist worked 18 hours a day without stopping for two weeks. For its part, Tate Britain has been dedicated to exhibiting British art from the 16th century to the present since 1897, housing works by artists such as Turner, Constable and Bacon, in addition to its vast contemporary collection.

Self-portrait with bandaged ear, by Vincent Van Gogh, at The Courtauld Gallery

This portrait of Vincent van Gogh, painted in 1889, was created a week after the artist left the hospital, having cut off most of his left ear in an act of desperation following an argument with Paul Gauguin. The two artists lived together in Arles until that episode when Gauguin left for Paris and never saw Vincent again. The work is currently on display at The Courtauld Gallery, a gallery that houses one of the most outstanding collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the United Kingdom. , including masterpieces by artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Cézanne.