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Here at Time Out, we’re big fans of the Imperial War Museum. We’re not fans of war, though. Ho no. We like the IWM because: a) It’s a fantastically curated museum of probably one of the world’s most-difficult-to-curate subjects), including an incredible new Holocaust Gallery (the actual most-difficult-thing-in-the-world-to-curate ever); b) It makes brilliant use of a brilliant nineteenth-century London landmark – a former mental asylum that was a progressive phenomenon when it opened; and c) It’s in south London. Yay, south London!
Now, though, this great institution is set to get even better. Billionaire philanthropists the Blavatnik Family Foundation, founded by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, the UK’s richest man, has invested several million pounds in the IWM, meaning it will be able to expand its floorspace and remit, with new galleries devoted to more of the artworks and photographs from its vast collection (it has more than 11 million of ’em). The works in the new gallery will include John Singer Sargent’s 20-foot-long 1919 painting ‘Gassed’ and graphic works by Paul Nash, Laura Knight and Steve McQueen. The photographs will feature images by Cecil Beaton, Olive Edis and the last picture taken by Tim Hetherington, on the day he was killed in 2011 in the civil war in Libya.
The new galleries are set to open in 2023, and we couldn’t be more delighted.
Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd, SE1 6HZ.
There’s a great-looking immersive theatre show at the Churchill War Rooms.