Discover the art of mindful observation in London’s magnificent museums on this once-in-a-lifetime journey guided by celebrated educator Rika Burnham, whose decades at The Met and The Frick Collection transformed how thousands connect with art.
Through extended contemplation and engaging discussions of masterpieces at the National Gallery, Courtauld Institute, and Tate Modern, newfound observation skills unlock hidden meanings in every brushstroke. Beyond museum walls, the adventure unfolds at Windsor Castle’s royal galleries and amid the Georgian grandeur of Kenwood House. The elegant Brown’s Hotel—Queen Victoria’s chosen tea spot—serves as home base for seven days of exclusive access, including backstage tours of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and intimate dining at Fortnum & Mason.
Highlights
- Unlock the secrets of London’s masterworks with Rika Burnham, an internationally acclaimed museum educator, who will transform gallery visits into profound artistic encounters through her renowned method of sustained observation and dialogue
- Learn the art of close looking in the Courtauld Institute of Art’s jewel-box rooms, examining one of its medieval panels and Impressionist canvases bathed in perfect natural light
- Take an exclusive close look at a great British painting in Tate Britain’s classical galleries and a groundbreaking contemporary work in Tate Modern’s stark turbine hall
- Join Rika for special access to royal collections at Buckingham Palace and the world’s oldest inhabited castle, Windsor Castle
- Plunge into the mysteries of a spectacular Old Master painting during a private morning visit to Kenwood House, a serene 18th-century Georgian mansion overlooking London
- Meet a curator to explore the Royal Academy’s unprecedented exhibition juxtaposing Vincent van Gogh’s landscapes and Anselm Kiefer’s massive canvases—charting the Post-Impressionist master’s influence on Germany’s leading contemporary artist
- Experience an exclusive afternoon tea in Fortnum & Mason’s private Diamond Jubilee Tea Room, an 18th-century establishment that has served the British royal family since 1707
- Walk in the Bard’s footsteps during an exclusive backstage tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
- Enjoy six nights of luxurious accommodations at London’s oldest hotel, the Brown’s Hotel, opened in 1837, where Queen Victoria took tea
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