Bulletin

Highlights from this week in London. Read about everything from architecture to food and delve a little deeper into London's culture.

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Issue 28

Things get a little controversial in the world of culture and politics and David Hockney is back with another corker.

Brexit, Homophobia, Hoolaganism & Donald Trump

Reading the news over the past week has been a bleak experience. Humanity continues to divide itself along partisan lines on the basis of our collective imagination. Lines not perceptible from space that have long been carved out divide one nation with another and pit us against them. A deity which supposedly values all human life and teaches love and kindness towards our fellow man is ignored by those whose ideas and values our different to those who believe in it. A declaration of independence which claims that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness applies to all except those whose sexual orientation is different to what is considered normal.

Violence begets violence and hatred begets hate. Our world is becoming increasingly polarised. Political opportunism has been rife in the course of such events with one presidential candidate calling for more guns as a defence mechanism and a ban on immigrants from hostile countries. It is a troubling sign of the times that one of the front-runners to become a leader of the free world seems intent on building walls rather than bridges with its neighbours. Meanwhile in the UK we have been debating whether we wish to remain a part of the European Union and rather than debate key issues affecting an entire generation of people politicians on both sides of the debate have seemed intent on launching ad hominem attacks on each other.

I still believe that what unites us is greater than what divides us and this is no more apparent than here in London, the world’s greatest city and a global symbol of multi-culturalism, liberalism, freedom and tolerance. Last night thousands lined the streets and stood shoulder to shoulder with victims of terror in Orlando resolute in their message that hate cannot win.

Game On

Setting the pace, and just in time for the summer (?) and the Olympics in Brazil, is the current super-trend for sportswear. For men and for women, and from track-star zip-ups to slouchy strides, this represents a welcome and democratic change-up in our style and in our lives.

82 Portraits and 1 Still Life

This summer, David Hockney makes a welcome return to the Royal Academy with a remarkable and masterful new body of work.

Embracing portraiture with a renewed creative vigour, he offers an intimate snapshot of the LA art world and the people who have crossed his path over the last two years.

Returning to Los Angeles in 2014 after the death of his assistant, he slowly began to return to the quiet contemplation of portraiture. Over the months that followed, he became absorbed by the genre and invited sitters from all areas of his life into his studio. His subjects – all friends, family and acquaintances – include office staff, fellow artists, curators and gallerists such as John Baldessari and Larry Gagosian.

Each work is the same size, showing his sitter in the same chair, against the same vivid blue background and all were painted in the same time frame of three days. Yet Hockney’s virtuoso paint handling allows their differing personalities to leap off the canvas with warmth and immediacy.

A must see. From this weekend. Essential to book.

Archived Bulletins

Issue 102
Design, Banksy and Gaia
Issue 101
Pasta, Christmas and Cabaret
Issue 100
2020 & King's Cross Spotlight
Issue 99
LFW, Pancakes and Vintage
Issue 98
Selfies, Art and BRAT
Issue 97
Toys, Bars and Soup
Issue 96
Chrom.Art, Ceramics & Balfron
Issue 95
Awards, Scheme and Charity
Issue 94
Invest, Gallery & Midcentury
Issue 93
LDF, Decorex, Maximalism
Issue 92
Launched Projects & Festivals
Issue 91
Podcasts, Pools and LFA
Issue 90
Velvet, Roundhouse and Art
Issue 89
LN Lifestyle and Chapter House
Issue 88
Mental Health and Mobility
Issue 87
Adjaye, Eine and Gingerbread
Issue 86
Idris, Memories and Charity
Issue 85
LN Interiors and Photography
Issue 83
Fur, Brunch and Somerset House
Issue 82
LDF, Bodyscapes & Digital Art
Issue 81
Mr Fogg's, Japan House and Art
Issue 80
Women, Waterloo & World Cup
Issue 79
Architecture & Artisan Gelato
Issue 78
Postmodern, Shoreditch, Race
Issue 77
Allbright, Smoking & The Tube
Issue 76
Film, Surrealism & Millennials
Issue 75
Bloom, Brexit and Candles
Issue 74
Fur, Sleep and the South East
Issue 73
Pie, Goldilocks and Gander
Issue 72
Tings, Colour and Dalston
Issue 71
Design, Love and Running
Issue 70
Food, Festivals & Skyscrapers
Issue 69
IKEA, Art and Covent Garden
Issue 68
Caravan, Murals and Mazes
Issue 67
Pancakes, Art and Robots
Issue 66
Trends, Dates and a New You
Issue 65
Reminisce Over 2017 and Party
Issue 64
Festive Fun and Facebook
Issue 63
Theatre, Peckham and Décor
Issue 62
Secrets, Tapas and Totems
Issue 61
Art, Smartify and Hackney
Issue 60
Underwater, Music and Cake
Issue 59
The Divide and the Great Dane
Issue 58
Kape Barako, Books and Beauty
Issue 57
Prison, Underwater Homes, Food
Issue 56
Epoh Beech and The Antidote
Issue 55
Football, Cocktails and Coffee
Issue 54
Bed Making and Drinks in Soho
Issue 53
Ben Nevis, Art & Gallery 46
Issue 52
Juice and Scotland Air
Issue 51
Jerk Chicken and Fine Culture
Issue 50
Thought-provoking Art
Issue 49
Burgers, Art and More Art!
Issue 48
Coffee, Pizza and Street Art
Issue 47
Selfies, Ramen and The Beast
Issue 46
Grilling, Facebook and Doodles
Issue 45
Watercolours and Gucci Décor
Issue 44
All About the Rosé
Issue 43
Jousting and Baking Mad
Issue 42
Eating Insects and Tech Talk
Issue 41
Gardening and Picnics
Issue 40
Food Chat and Fashion
Issue 39
We're California Dreaming
Issue 38
Food Photos and Hackney Canal
Issue 37
RIP Sir Roger Moore
Issue 36
Arts Fringe and Roger Mayne
Issue 35
David Adjaye and No More TV
Issue 34
Coffee and Fake News
Issue 33
Day of the Dead
Issue 32
Gallery 46 and Roundhouse
Issue 31
Heavy Thinking and Grumpy Goat
Issue 30
Our Death Row Meal
Issue 29
LN Newspaper is Now Available
Issue 27
The Festival Season Begins!
Issue 26
Spoiled for Choice with Art!
Issue 25
Our Outlook on Beards and Punk
Issue 24
More Football and Scepta-cism
Issue 23
Catlin Art Prize and Beigels
Issue 22
Population Boom and Jazz Hands
Issue 21
LN's in a Football Frenzy
Issue 20
Food for Thought and Arty Fun
Issue 19
Spring and the London Divide
Issue 18
A Whole Lotta Flavour and Art
Issue 17
US Faves and Nomadic Gardens
Issue 16
Monkey Business and Fantom
Issue 15
The Force Awakens...
Issue 14
All Things Christmas!
Issue 13
Our Top Festive Coffee Picks
Issue 12
La Marseillaise and Otto Dog
Issue 11
Global Values and Dishoom
Issue 10
Sushi and Beautiful Balfron
Issue 09
LN Throwback and Stylist Mag
Issue 08
More Graffiti and UFOs
Issue 07
Graffiti and Top Creativity
Issue 06
T Swift and a Fine Heartbeat
Issue 05
Fro Yo, Coffee Hits and Art
Issue 04
Super DJs and Gelato in Soho
Issue 03
Doughnuts and Coffee
Issue 02
Lovebox, Dirty Talk and Space!
Issue 01
Forest Live and Summer Reading