UK in Austria

What is a Third Room? I occasionally consider on this blog objects I acquired during my first diplomatic posting in Vienna in 1984-87.  One such is the “Third Room” sign below.  I had it made in Vienna in 1985 when working as Second Secretary in the old British embassy in the Reisnerstrasse. According to the […]

I am fortunate to live in Vienna in a historic residence.  In addition to being used constantly for events by our three missions in the city, the house also has several bedrooms which are used for visiting ministers and officials. When I arrived in Vienna, these bedrooms did not have names.  So I ran a […]

Famous British writer and artist Edmund de Waal visited Vienna this week. It was a privilege to meet him and to hold in my hand the Hare with Amber Eyes, about which he wrote in his famous best-seller of that name. In addition to presenting a collection of Japanese netsuke and the Ephrussi family archive […]

It is 1.59 a.m. in Vienna.  The city sleeps.  But at the Kunsthistorisches Museum a crowd waits in eager anticipation. At precisely 2 a.m., the British artist and writer Edmund de Waal steps forward to begin a talk called During the Night with the words “So, it’s two in the morning in the Kunsthistorische Museum.  […]

One year ago at the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Theresa May launched a Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Tackling the scourge of modern slavery is a top priority for the British Government.  We are delighted that dozens of UN Member States have signed up […]

What brings together Portuguese painter Vieira Portuense (1765-1805); Swiss painter Angelika Kauffmann (1741-1807); and English painter Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830)? More than you might think. The connections between the three illustrate the close connections between artists in the Europe of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are also a reminder that such connections continue to […]