Works of genius: Portrait of Dora Maar (1937) - Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas. (SUCCESSION PICASSO, 2011 / licensed by VISCOPY 2011 /PARIS RÈUNION DES MUSÈES NATIONAUX / JEAN GILLES BERIZZI / RENÈ GABRIEL OJEDA / MUSÈE NATIONAL PICASSO PARIS)
Sydney, Picasso, Harry Potter, Jamie Oliver, luxury French-themed hotel just a short walk to The Rocks. If that sentence doesn’t scream “Something for everybody”, I don’t know what does.
We’ve come up north because that’s the only way to see this stunning Picasso show and the charming Harry Potter exhibition. And, because it’s a Sydney-only theme, we’ve decided to check out Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant Jamie’s Italian, which is generating a lot of local heat, not to mention the very long queues to get in.
Piccaso \ Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris
“This is the great Picasso show to which we have often aspired but not yet achieved,” says Edmund Capon, director of the Art Gallery of NSW. “Make the most of it because we will never have such a show again.”
And what a show it is. Drawing from seven decades of what Capon calls Picasso’s “relentless” work, the show is broken up into eras, the earliest of his work in Paris in 1901 right through to large, nude self-portraits from 1970, two years before his death. It showcases 150 important paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings.
The show chronicles Picasso’s relationship with the six principal women in his life, from mistresses Fernande Olivier (the muse of the Rose period), Marie-Therese Walter (Reclining Nude, 1932) to his wife Olga Khokhlova (Portrait of Olga in an Armchair, 1918).
It is an assault on the senses, and, as you move from one room and one era to the next, the visitor flirts with and then abandons any attempt to consider “style”. As Picasso said, “Like God, I haven’t got a style.”
» Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, (02) 9225 1700.
Until March 25, 2012. Adults $25 Family $65
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
©2008 CHRIS HOLLO\HOLLO PHOTOGRAPHICS INC.
Harry Potter \ The Exhibition
So this is what magic looks like up close. After a delightful welcome by a couple of “in-character” actors sounding very British and magical, groups move through Harry’s world to witness hundreds of film props, costumes and creatures displayed in settings inspired by the film sets and locations. There are scenes from the Gryffindor common room and the boy’s dormitory, Hogwarts classes and Hagrid’s hut.
If you’ve come up for a Sydney weekend as a family, maybe take the kids to the Picasso exhibition then swing over to Harry Potter. Everyone’s happy.
» Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, (02) 9217 0111.
www.powerhousemuseum.com
Peter Wilmoth was a guest of Destination NSW.
Eat
Jamie’s Italian
107 Pitt Street, Sydney (02) 8240 9000.
Open: Lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday
Cost: about $90 for two, plus wine
www.jamiesitalian.com.au
Jamie Oliver took a hit in the media for not attending the recent opening of the 26th of his franchise restaurants (the others are in Britain, with one in Dubai) in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Still, like the long queue waiting outside on the Saturday night we visited, we’re going to forgive him because this is a high-spirited, funky night out.
The restaurant, described in The Sydney Morning Herald as a “big rustic/industrial vibe”, is set across two layers and while it’s noisy, it’s a lot of fun. We scored a table on the mezzanine floor, a prime spot to check out the young (mainly 30s) crowd.
Nice touches here are the pasta-making area in the front window and the antipasto bar, where they prepare trays for the hungry crowd in the queue outside (which scored a news story in The Sydney Morning Herald).
It’s a tempting menu, from the antipasti plank with cured meats, cheeses, pickles and crunchy salad ($13 a person) to the prawn linguine with its sweet prawns in a bath of tomato sugo and semolina ($15.50/$25) to a hearty Ligurian fish stew ($27).
If you’re staying at the Sofitel Wentworth Sydney, Jamie’s Italian is a three-minute walk.
Word on the street is that the plan is to open up to 14 Jamie’s Italians in Australia, but until then it’s up to Sydney you need to come.
Stay
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney. (02) 9228 9188
www.sofitelsydney.com.au
The luxury French-themed Sofitel is the official hotel partner for the Picasso show. Brilliantly located in the heart of Sydney’s business and shopping district, it’s the ideal venue to catch Picasso (a 15-20 minute walk through The Domain), Harry Potter (a short cab ride) and Jamie’s Italian, just around the corner.
You can buy a Stay and See Picasso Package from $161.50 person, twin share.