Photo by RichardsonA

Usually a late night in London means a long night out, a club with a cover charge, and kebabs as the sun comes up. Now, the more cultured among us can step out for something other than a sticky dance floor and over-priced mojitos. Okay, so the new Late Nights at London’s cultural venues don’t last until the sun comes up, but National Gallery, The Tate, and other London favorites now have extended weekday hours. Now we can have our culture after work during the week, freeing up coveted weeken hours, which could easily be spent country hopping on Ryanair.

Check out the Lates website for all information on what’s currently on and what’s upcoming.

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One of our favorite art writers, Jackie Wullschlager, delivers the goods in her column in today’s Financial Times. Today’s subject: “Renoir Landscapes,” an exhibit currently showing at London’s National Gallery.

The highly recognized master Impressionist painter is a household name, of course, and his paintings are widely reproduced. The exhibition of 70-odd works on display at the National Gallery consists of lesser-known, privately-owned landscapes that display settings and color palettes at odds with the best-known of Renoir’s works.

Reflecting on the collection, Wullschlager writes: “To speak of an unknown Renoir is to risk paradox, but this show delivers precisely that.”

It’s phrasings like this one that make us swoon, Jackie.

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