Oh no, I hope these girls aren't getting sick again!

I've just been given a tour of Russborough House in Co. Wicklow which is owned by the Beit Foundation. Sir Alfred Beit was enormously wealthy (a fortune - and a major collection of paintings - inherited from his father) and bought Russborough in the early 1950s. He was an enthusiastic photographer and in his twenties and thirties made many 3D photographs - in both colour and black and white - which are amazing. This picture shows one of his early 3D cameras. Well worth visiting Russborough to see these pictures: http://www.russboroughhouse.ie

These girls love Spot!

Very much enjoying David Dawson's book of photographs about Lucian Freud: A Painter's Progress. Dawson worked as assistant and confidante to Freud for almost twenty years and recorded daily life in and around the studio. Freud had an extraordinary collection of art and in this picture we see a Bacon, an Auerbach and a Rodin!

Great night last night at the concert we organised as part of the Temple Bar TradFest to raise money for Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) - the NGO which I chair. The venue was St. Michan's Church and the artists were: Hare Squead, Leonard Barry and guests, The Young Folk, Twin Headed Wolf, Loah, Lisa O'Neill, Glen Hansard and Mundy. The picture is of the last five doing an encore of 'Like a Rolling Stone'.

Just seen this film at the Film Forum. It's good, neatly scripted and beautifully shot but perhaps a little formulaic. 

There are a wide array of pieces on show from as far back as the Jurassic Age, through the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages up until 2007. These include Ammonite from Lyme Regis, Ogham stones from Co. Kerry, Bogbutter, a cash register and a football. I really loved this picture from the Crawford School of Art life drawing class circa 1930. 

Just been to see this exhibition at IMMA curated by Dorothy Cross. The pieces have been selected from the collections of IMMA, the National Gallery, Crawford Art Gallery and the National Museum "to find and bring together objects that attracted, intrigued and excited her". I had been told that on Sundays a man came up on the train from Cork to pose naked in the gallery, but no sign of him. Oh well, I did like this Annie Leibovitz picture of Louise Bourgeois. Beautiful print.

You never know who you might run into at BDI and today it was good to see Anton Corbijn who's preparing for two big shows in The Hague. In this picture Brian seems to be making out that he's giving Anton a cup of tea but he's never made a cup of tea for anyone - I made that cup of tea and a very particular cup of tea it was too! 

Lovely light frost - and a little mist - when I went to put the rubbish out this morning.