I put it to you, your honour, that  to spend a day with a friend is a thing of beauty. Exhibit number one, the friend,  is Whitney McVeigh and exhibit number two, the thing of beauty is ofcourse, me. Actually it isn’t me,  it’s  Rodin whose exhibition we attended at The Royal Academy of Arts. http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/rodin/   Must go to Rodin  museum  in France: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/welcome.htm

Once you see his work you will also see how it has influenced all corners of todays pop culture – Hells Gate the piece in the courtyard for example had to have been the influence for the moving sculpture behind Al Pacino’s desk in The excellent film The Devils Advocate.  I make this observation at the piece and get a snooty look from two gentlemen peering at the piece through eye glasses.  It is these kind of notations that make me into the esteemed art critic that stands before you. Ahem.  

Whitney an expressionist artist herself has an exhibition on in Charring Cross and I’ve been dying to see it.   It’s breathtaking and speaks from the inner spirit – could make you cry. Makes one want to hold ones self.   She is on the Saatchi website here http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2006/10/this_weeks_emerging_artist_whi_1.php

The journey of Whitney is an incredible one. She is one of the strongest women I know. She is also a damn good laugh, which never does any harm in a friendship. The gallery owner immediately gave me a glass of wine which I perched in my hand but didn’t actually drink. He was looking at some photographs on the floor,   preparing  for the next exhibition to go up. It turns out its Rankin’s work whom I did a photo-shoot just a couple of weeks ago. The man owns Dazed and Confused and is great photographer. Nice man Rankin. http://www.rankin.co.uk/  .

We also went to the USA contemporary Art exhibition which was a sort of US attempt at Brit art and like Brit art it was promoted  by Saatchi, but I didn’t find it inspiring at all – trying too hard. But then, how many artists does it take to make a movement. Of all the artists at the SENSATION show which helped put Britart on the map how many do are we aware of now. Two, three? Maybe Saatchi is aware of this. And maybe those three  are worth more now than, say, Manchester.

 Before I could “sayonara”  the gorgeous lilt of a day was ending. We scooted to the Japan centre on Piccadilly – stuffed ourselves royally with dim sum teriyaki chicken and disappeared thoroughly happy at having surrounded our friendship with art and relished in the art of friendship. It’s here amongst the exhibits – the evidence I need to prove that friendship is all. I rest my case your honour – but not on the sculptor. I’ll rest it in the cloakroom otherwise  security would throw me out, which is never a tidy thing, like friendship really.