Final day in Madrid - My Birthday.

Up about seven after about a further eleven hours sleep and time to think about hitting some of the galleries in the West Midlands when I get back after having had the experience that I have in the galleries in Madrid over the last few days. It has helped keep me a composed state of mind and to retain what I class as normality - which if I have to develop more than a passing interest in fine art in order to maintain this then so be it.

Art galleries in the west midlands include - the contemporary Ikon Gallery, the award winning
'New Art Gallery', Walsall though how many galleries which cost as much as that one aren't award winning in some way or other I can't say, Wolverhamptons' Art Gallery, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts on the campus of the University of Birmingham, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists which I know next to nothing about and should investigate upon return and finally the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery the last of the orthodox style state funded galleries of the West Midlands. I don't think any of them have any strong interest in photography and there are probably dedicated museums in London that do and of course the National Museuem of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford is there, but is just a little bit too far away.

The Temple Gallery is more of a framing shop as far as I can see, number nine: the gallery appears to be a shop on Brindley Place rather than a gallery I guess, the art lounge another shop in the Mailbox as is Claire Galleries another shop with a Birmingham address.

Further East to Coventry there is the Herbert Art Gallery, the University of Nottinghams' Arts Centre and Leicesters' Art Gallery. I guess then there are the galleries around Manchester Liverpool and further afield. That's also without going near those in London which would include The British Museum, The National Gallery, The Photographers' Gallery, County Hall Gallery, The Barbican Centre, Whitechapel and Colomb Art Gallery which appear to be the City's main art galleries.

Plenty of exploring to do upon return to the UK.....will it feel the same there as it does in Madrid though? The image above is another of Steichens' whose work I saw yesterday in the Reina Sophia. As for this being my birthday, it does feel quite nice to plan out a few visits to the art galleries around the Midlands while you're waiting for the breakfast bar to open in the hostel. Hopefully I'll get a lot out of it - why do galleries leave me feeling so restful - was it that experience in the Pushkin Gallery in Moscow all those years ago?