Disappointing

Fallen columns at Apamea, Syria

At the weekend I went to see the Georg Gerster exhibition of aerial photographs at the British Museum. The exhibition has been well advertised around London - and it was a picture of Apamea in Syria on one of those ads that caught my eye. The exhibition combines the photographs with related items from the British Museum's collection - and reminds the visitor just how broad the collection is. I suspect many people go along for a different perspective of places they have been to see. Syria, Jordan and Iraq are all well covered.

Unfortunately, though, the photographs are poorly displayed. A couple of weeks ago I went to see another photography exhibition at the Natural History Museum. All the photographs there were displayed as backlit transparencies (much as a photograph looks like on a computer screen) and they looked vivid and superb. By contrast, Gerster's photographs were simply printed onto board. Given the £5 entry - and the exhibition was very busy - it's a cheap option, and it looked it.