The Culture List

An avenue in an antique fair viewed from the ground

Christmas 2020 was an unusually quiet affair for most of us, so chances are you’re feeling well-rested going into January and keen to make the most of the new year.

To keep you entertained and engaged, we’ve got a selection of the best online and mail-order activities out there, from cheese tasting at home to a virtual fine art fair and more.

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Many of us are spending much more time indoors than ever before, so after 2020 it will be understandable if you feel your home needs a refresh, and The Virtual Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair is here to help. Launched in 2013, the annual Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair is one of the many events that is pivoting to a virtual version. It will instead be running from the fair’s website and social media feeds, giving you virtual access to 43 stands from a broad mix of dealers offering furniture and artworks to add a new dimension to the rooms in your house.

Brighten up your January with one of the UK’s most celebrated comedians (and occasional Hollywood star), Omid Djalili. He is reviving his sold-out 2016 tour Schmuck For A Night as a live-streaming event, combining his legendary energy and charm with incisive and occasionally edgy humour. And having claimed that the events of 2020 “actually made [him] a better comedian”, we should be in for a real treat indeed.

The winter months are usually our most sedentary time, and after Christmas you might be in particular need of some proper exercise – and some inspiration to give you the motivation to persevere. Membership of Third Space’s health club comes with access to virtual classes that you can join in with from your home, as well as a growing library of workout accessible through the Third Space app that offer a range of different exercises and training to fulfil your fitness needs.

Cheese is one of life’s great luxuries, so why not take the opportunity to learn how to appreciate it even more with a guided online tasting session? Cheese expert and owner of The Courtyard Dairy Andy Swinscoe leads participants through six traditional British cheeses revealing how best to enjoy them as well as some of the history behind each. There is also the option to go one step further with two half-bottles of red and white wine chosen as the ideal accompaniment for your feast.

The National Gallery’s annual Linbury Lecture invites renowned museum professionals, art experts and academics from around the world to share their knowledge and insights. This year, Salvatore Settis, former director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, will be delivering ‘Deeper thoughts: Beyond the allegory of Bellini, Giorgione and Titian', uncovering fascinating stories of the leading figures in 16th-century Venice’s flourishing art world.

Any lover of perfume will tell you that selecting the right scent is a very personal choice. So how better to find the scent that is perfect for you than by creating your own? The Alchemist Atelier allows you to do this in your own home through its app and Scent Creator technology. And through its Online Discovery Workshop, you can have an online session with a perfumier to guide you through 34 scents to mix the perfume that’s just right for you.

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