2006 Roundup

Well that's it for the year. In the spirit of rounding up, here are my pretentious lists for the year (they tend to be what sprang to mind, and in no particular order):

Art exhibitions (post 1900ish)
1. Modernism, V&A, London
2. Giacometti, AGNSW, Sydney
3. Dan Flavin, Hayward, London
4. Albers and Moholy-Nagy, Tate Modern, London
5. Derain: London Paintings, Courtald, London

Art exhibitions (pre 1900ish)
1. Gothic Nightmares, Tate Britain, London
2. Rodin, Royal Academy, London
3. Velazquez, National Gallery, London
4. Constable, Tate Britain, London
5. Goya Etchings, Museo des Bellas Artes, Vittoria

Art exhibitions (contemporary):
1. Venice Biennale
2. David Hockney, Nat Portrait Gallery, London
3. Summer Exhib, Royal Academy, London
4. Architecture at Night, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart
5. Salon de Refuses, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney

Photography/film exhibitions
1. The Past from Above, British Museum, London
2. Lee Friedlander, Haus der Kunst, Munchen
3. Sam Taylor-Wood, MCA, Sydney
4. Piero Paolo Pasolini, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munchen
5. Photographic Portrait Prize, AGNSW, Sydney

Art exhibitions (overall/misc.)
1. Russia!, Guggenheim, Bilbao
2. Modernism, V&A, London
3. Self Portrait, AGNSW, Sydney
4. Kunst Lebt!, Kunsthalle, Stuttgart
5. Venice Biennale

Art museums visited (pre-1900 collections):
1. Villa Borghese, Roma
2. Uffizi, Firenze
3. Alte Pinakothek, Munchen
4. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
5. Lady Lever Gallery, Port Sunlight

Art museums visited (post-1900 collections):
1. Museum Ludwig, Koln
2. Guggenheim, Venezia
3. Neue Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart
4. Fondation Beyeler, Basel
5. Pinakothek der Moderne, Munchen

Museums visited (overall experience):
1. Guggenheim, Bilbao
2. Neue Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart
3. Burrell Collection, Glasgow
4. Tinguely Museum, Basel
5. Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munchen

Churches visited:
1. Hagia Sofia
2. Canterbury Cathedral
3. Cologne Cathedral
4. Blue Mosque, Istanbul
5. Durham Cathedral

Castles/stately homes visited:
1. Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire
2. Audley End, Essex
3. Kishiwada Castle, Japan
4. Leeds Castle, Kent
5. Castle Rising, Norfolk

Books read (non-fiction):
1. Felipe Fernandez Armesto: Millennium
2. Edmund White: The Farewell Symphony
3. Pin Yathay: Stay Alive, My Son
4. Niall Ferguson: The Cash Nexus
5. Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs and Steel

Books read (fiction):
1. Alan Hollinghurst: The Line of Beauty
2. Lionel Shriver: We need to talk about Kevin
3.
4. I need to read more novels.

Topics I've learnt the most about:
1. Project finance
2. Climate change
3. English history
4. Dynamic deformation of lattice structures
5. Hedge funds

It's been an interesting year, fair share of ups and downs; I'm looking forward to a bit more strategic/coherent direction in 2007.