Highlights ofthe Matisse Cruise: D ay 1: M álaga –the Picasso Museum,a magnificent collection ofthe artist’s works. D ay 2: S pent at sea,talks on-board bythe art historians. D ay 3: P alma de Mallorca –the studios

ofJoan Miró and a collection ofhis worksin a striking new museum. D ays 4 & 5: B arcelona – theremarkable Museu Picasso. T hen to Sitges and Caldes d’Estrac. D ay 6: M arseille and Aix-en-Provence – Cézanne’s

ks. V isittothe Musée Picassoin Antibes. D ay 8: T o

studio andthe Musée Granet. T ripto Mont Ste-Victoire. D ay 7: S t-Tropez –the Musée del’Annonciade,an outstanding collection ofPostImpressionist wor

Biot,andthe Musée Fernand Léger. V ence,andthejoyous Chapelle du Rosaire decorated by Matisse. S t-Paulde-Vence,andthe sculptures by Miró, G iacomettiand Calder. V allauris,and Picasso’s worksin clay

Jules Chéret with

inthe Musée dela Céramique. D ay 9: N ice,andthe Musée Matisse. C agnes-sur -M er,and Renoir’s house,containing many ofhis paintings. R eturnto Nice,andthe Musée des Beaux-Arts

ks by Raoul D ufy. P lus the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain. D ay 10: N ice, V illefranche, B eaulieu, a nd Cap Ferrat. T he Musée National M essage Biblique Marc Chagall. F ly back to London.

numerous wor

VIEW MODERN ART IN A NEW LIGHT. (THE ONE IT WAS CREATED IN.)

PAUL Signac was first seduced by the Côte d’Azur when he moored his yacht in St Tropez during May 1892.

His enthusiastic reports attracted other painters, among them Matisse, Bonnard and Dufy, and before long the area was home to one of the most important artistic colonies of the modern period.

The intensity of the light, the brightness of the colours and the raw beauty of the countryside purified palettes, dissolved form and changed the course of Western Art.

A hundred years on, the vivid sites and scenes that inspired these artists have become the inspiration behind our new Matisse Cruise.

The journey begins in Málaga, where Picasso was born, and ends in Nice, where Matisse died. Apart from a short detour to Palma de Mallorca, it hugs the Mediterranean coasts of mainland Spain and France. At all ports of call, whether in the towns

A harbour on th e Mediterranean coast (adapted),Paul Signac 1863 1 935 (C ) RM N / © Hervé Lewandowski

themselves or in the hills of the hinterland, there are visits to a sequence of art collections which constitute the richest seam of art of the period to be found anywhere in the world.

Three museums are devoted to Picasso, two to Miró and one each to Matisse, Chagall, Léger and Vasarely. There are also the studios of Renoir and Cézanne and the chapels decorated by Matisse and Picasso. Other museums range from major municipal galleries to small private collections – some of them in the collectors’ homes.

We’re fortunate, too, to have several world-renowned speakers accompany us on the cruise. (They include Hilary Spurling, whose recent biography of Matisse has been so widely acclaimed.)

The cruise takes place from 15–24 April 2009, at a time of the year when the sparkling Mediterranean hues can be seen to their best advantage, and before

the sun has acquired the ferocity that can make summer voyaging wearisome.

The French ship we sail on, Le Diamant, is small but extremely wellappointed. Pleasingly, you’ll find no casino, no disco, no cabaret and definitely no piped music. Bars remain open till the early hours, but the main source of evening entertainment is conversation with your lecturers and like-minded travellers.

If this is the kind of travel that appeals to you, then please call us on 020 8742 3355 or visit www.martinrandall.com (We should perhaps point out that numbers for this cruise are limited to 180, so we recommend you apply swiftly if you wish to secure a berth for next year.)

As Matisse himself said, “in the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of Nature.” We hope this cruise will help you appreciate how Nature helped nurture some of the most extraordinary art of the 20th century.

y

MARTIN RANDALL TRAvel MAGAZINE

PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

(THIS PAGE) JE AN POSTLE, P AUL LITTLE, A NDREW McROBB

Cover Red maple,Acer rubrum, in autumn byDennis Fast. For more on the arrival of North American autumn colour in Britain, see p38 PHOTOGRAPHS:(COVER) DENNIS FAST/VW PICS/VISUAL&WRITTEN SL;

Autumn 2008 16 PROFILE Hot shot Gail Vines brings the work ofKew staff photographer Andrew McRobb into focus 18EXPEDITIONS Every picture tells a story Andrew McRobb’s amazing photos highlight Kew’s vital work around the world, as Gail Vines discovers 24NEW DEVELOPMENTS Reaching for the treetops Kew’s Tony Kirkham reveals the trials and tribulations of turning his dream ofa permanent treetop walkway into reality

Page 18

Page 38

29ART AND SCIENCE Fruits ofthe earth Gain a fresh perspective on fruit through the work ofWolfgang Stuppy and Rob Kesseler 32KEW’S COLLECTIONS Plant holders Richard Wilford looks at Kew’s nine National Plant Collections and why they’re so important 38PLANTS AND PEOPLE The seeds ofchange How did an 18th-century American farmer transform Britain’s autumn treescape? Andrea Wulf explains 44FIELD WORK Viva España It’s no holiday when Kew’s Diploma students go to Spain – Rowan Blaik reports on the annual field trip

3In this issue The editor’s letter

4Kew news The latest from all Kew’s gardens

9Direction Assessing feedback on the Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway

10Cuttings Around-up of plant science news

48Kew tips Tony Kirkham explains how to plant a tree

49Kew plants Two rowans with Kew connections

Page 32

50Wild Kew Keeping track of Kew’s flora and fauna

57Events Lots to do this autumn at Kew and Wakehurst Place

72Young Kew Discovering toadstools