Hotel near Pop Life: Art in a Material World

Pop Life: Art in a Material World, London
      Nearest Tube: Southwark

Booking a London Hotel this autumn? Want a weatherproof attraction? Try Tate Modern's "Pop Life: Art in a Material World".

Looking for something cultural and highly entertaining no matter the weather? "Pop Life: Art in a Material World" is one of London's must-see attractions this autumn. Showing at Tate Modern, this world-renowned art gallery is in the heart of the city, easily accessible from any number of cheap hotels in London.

"Pop Life: Art in a Material World" at Tate Modern's will feature works from the superstars of modern art such as Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. This show profiles the boom of pop art in a commercial culture and explores Warhol's famous maxim 'good business is the best art'. Tate Modern is on the River Thames' south bank at Bankside - making it easily accessible from even the cheapest hotel in London - being only 10 minutes walk of tube stations, close to buses and even river taxis.

This exhibition is bound to cause debate and some controversy. According to some sources it already has. With the working title of the exhibition "Sold Out" being changed to "Pop Life: Art in a Material World" - the former title being rumoured as too close to the mark for some of the artists. The show starts with Warhol, the grandfather of pop art, and will show how he used media and commerce to build himself a glamorous and successful brand based on his persona as much as his art. There will also be exhibits from other household names in modern art such as Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin.

And these artists are known to create strong pieces that create a certain amount of controversy. For instance, Jeff Koons' work features hyper-real paintings and sculptures of him and his pornstar wife having sex while Takashi Murakami starred in porn magazines (as performance art you understand).

So be warned, some works are of a sexual nature and admission to two of the rooms is for over 18s only. But, beyond any shocks, this will be a fascinating look at how Pop Artists have used self-promotion and clever marketing strategies to create their own brands. At how artists have moved from representing or commenting on our culture of mass media to actively becoming part of, and fully-exploiting, the media.

Exhibition Hours
Running: 1 October 2009 - 17 January 2010
Sunday to Thursday: 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:15)
Friday and Saturday: 10:00-22:00 (last admission 21:15)
Getting to Tate Modern
Tate Modern is on the south bank of the River Thames at Bankside - opposite St Pauls, next to Shakespeare's globe Theatre and near Blackfriars Bridge. Great transport links make it easily accessible from any London Hotel.

Nearby tube stations are St. Pauls (Central Line), Southwark (Jubilee Line) and Mansion House (District and Circle Line) all approximately 10 minutes walk away.

There are many buses nearby including the V1 for the Tower of London and Covent garden, the 45 to King's Cross (known for many of London's cheapest hotels), the 344 that links to Clapham junction and Liverpool Street Station.

The two most popular routes are either to walk across the famous Millennium Bridge from St. Pauls or via the Tate Boat - a catamaran that runs every 40 minutes during opening times along the Thames between the Tate Britain and Tate Modern galleries.