Around Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city with crooked houses, houseboats and a network of canals with lots to see.

One house window of interest.

 This museum has been closed for refurbishment since 2003 and is actually going to open again April 2013.

 Lots, lots and lots of bicycles.

 The crooked houses.

 How about a sweetie bath! This is a shop window advertising sweets.

Great picture of a sweet shop window.

Quirky shops with interesting wares.

Interesting markets to browse.

 The Dutch love cheese and there's lots and lots of cheese shops
all containing rounds rounds of cheeses.

 These padlocks are an installation in their right.

Last but not least the red light district which I have to say was very busy
for Sunday after noon.

 I loved my time in Amsterdam there was so much to see and do plenty of restaurants, little cafes, great buildings to look out and canal trips to choose from. I most certainly will be visiting Amsterdam again but next time, I hope it will be warmer as it was bitterly cold and windy.  If you have time and the money, it is most certainly worth a trip to Amsterdam not just see the canals and architecture but also to experience the transport system which must be one of the best in Europe.

Mike Kelly

 Mike Kelly's images of knitted items.

The Mike Kelly's exhibition was situated in the modern art gallery on the basement floor. He is a American installation, performance artist and painter. His work is a bit like Marmite you like it or you hate it, but that is for you to judge, as I know what I think !! Also I had to edit his work are some of it was too obscene for my blog.

Going down......

Made from fabric and stitched.

Another.......

These are made from fabric that have been collaged into and they are huge statements.

Carpet with lumps under.... to  represent children's nightmares.

 Pictures pictures of knitted images. 

 And some more.

Drawings.

 They speak for themselves.

 This is paper that's been folded and then drawn into.

 This is a close-up image of the above photograph.

 More drawings of Mike Kelly's.

 Photographs shown on very large screens lit up that's the best way can explain it.

 More painted images of Mike Kelly's.

This is a snapshot of a video with sounds and you also see my feet !!!

 Must admit Mike Kelly's exhibition was a bit of an eye-opener I've seen other exhibitions which are strange but have to say I think this is one of the strangest exhibitions I've seen. Mike Kelly was only in his 50s when he died so what happened to him I don't know but I feel that he was quite disturbed in some sort of way because his work is so extreme but not in a nice way. So, if you like the strange and obscene this exhibitions is one for you.....

The Modern Art Gallery. Amsterdam.

Alberto Giacometti.

The modern art gallery in Amsterdam is a magnificent modern building and contained some of the most fantastic paintings, furniture, fabrics and jewellery. The Gallery was amazing, it contained so many well-known artists and their work. It's was fabulous to go and see their work in situ. It was a gallery you could have spent all day in and still go back for more !!

A feat of engineering by Richard Serral.
This stands outside of the Modern Art Gallery.

Another view of the sculpture by Richard Serral.

 Outside of the gallery.

Wall of posters inside the gallery.

Another view of the posters.

George Braque.

Karl Blossfeldt.

Piet Mondriaan.

Piet Mondriaan.

Marc Chagall.

Fernand Leger.

Van Gogh.

George Hendrik Breitner

Upstairs to see more.

Chair 1960's

Radiogram 1960's.

1950's typewriter.

Fabrics 1950's 

Tapestry 1954

Furnishing fabrics 1950's

1960's chair.

Hand made jewellery 1960's

Another view of the light and airy gallery.

The above images are just a snapshot of the gallery. There are just too many exhibits to put on my blog so I would recommend that if you are in Amsterdam make the modern art gallery one of your priorities to visit. The gallery is very large high ceilings and light and airy and all the exhibits are easy to see and you are allowed to take photographs which to me is a bonus.