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Art in London 2018. Exhibitions you don't want to miss this Summer

Art in London 2018. Exhibitions you don't want to miss this Summer

31st May 2018

By Jessie Thompson 

London’s best museums and galleries have an exciting array of offerings to keep you topped up with creative inspiration and brain food throughout the year.

From classic painters at Tate to contemporary icons at the National Portrait Gallery, there’s a ton of great stuff that’s not to be missed by art lovers and the constantly curious.

Big names like Lucian Freud and Picasso will get major exhibitions alongside lesser known artists from the left field Joan Jonas to the neglected Edward Bawden.

Here’s our guide on what to see in 2018.


Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up

The V&A has nabbed something pretty special: they will show legendary artist Frida Kahlo’s personal collection for the first time ever in the UK. It’s been locked away for the last five years and only ever exhibited in Mexico, so don’t miss this chance to get up close to the personal artefacts and clothing of a modern icon. It’s one of many exciting upcoming shows at the V&A: look out also for an exploration of video games, an exhibition about the future, and a study of the relationship between fashion and nature.

From June 16, The V&A; vam.ac.uk

All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a Century of Painting Life



(Francis Bacon (1909-1992) Study for Portrait of Lucian Freud 1964. The Lewis Collection © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All right)

Tate Britain offers a reminder of some of the best painters of human life, from big names like Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon to rarer works from Frank Auerbach and Paula Rego. Marvel at the intimate ways that they captured people and their surroundings with nothing but a humble paintbrush.

28 February - 27 August, Tate Britain; tate.org.uk

Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-2018


(Corbyn swoosh, image credit: Bristol Street War)

We’re living through turbulent political times. From the financial crash of 2008 to the political upheaval brought about by Brexit and Trump, there’s been a lot to keep up with. The rise of social media and internet memes and the continued use of protest placards have given fresh new ways to disseminate political messages, and the Design Museum will explore how graphic design has reshaped a new political voice in a major exhibition.

March 28 - August 12, Design Museum; designmuseum.org

Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy and the Avante-garde



(Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst with his sculpture, Capricorn, 1947 © John Kasnetsis)

The Barbican have come up with an a-muse-ing idea (sorry) for an exhibition: an exploration of art couples. From Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West to Lee Miller and Man Ray, it will look at how creative individuals have challenged traditional ways of living and ideas about gender, all whilst creating brilliant work.

10 October - 27 January, Barbican Centre; barbican.org.uk

RA Summer Exhibition



(John Bodkin)

This annual tradition at the Royal Academy gives a great overview of what’s going on in contemporary art, but it can be hit or miss. This year’s edition will be worth a look for one big reason: it will be curated by art world A-lister Grayson Perry.

12 June - 19 August, Royal Academy of Arts; royalacademy.org.uk

Picasso 1932 - Love, Fame, Tragedy



Picasso may be one of the heavyweights, but Tate Modern’s intriguing exhibition title suggests art aficiandoes might get to see a new side of one of the 20th century’s most influential artists. It will document the most intensely creative year of his life, with over 100 paintings, sculptures and drawings as well as family photographs. And there’s a major coup: three paintings of his lover Marie-Therese Walter will be shown together for the first time since they were painted in a period of 5 days.

8 March - 9 September, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk

Aftermath: Art in the Wake of World War One


(Winifred Knights, The Deluge 1920. Tate. © The estate of Winifred Knights)

Tate Britain marks the centenary of the end of the First World War with a major exploration of how artists responded to the impact of the conflict. The horrors of war became a catalyst for a great amount of social change, but it was also a time of creativity and artistic reflection. Works by big names like Picasso will be shown alongside lesser known artists such as Winifred Knights, C.R.W. Nevison and Otto Dix.

5 June - 16 September, Tate Britain; tate.org.uk

Michael Jackson: On the Wall



(An illuminating Path, 1998 by David LaChapelle. Courtesy of the artist. © David LaChapelle)

Some might say this new exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery sounds like a bit of a thriller. Nicholas Cullinan curates a landmark show looking at how Michael Jackson influenced the leading lights of contemporary art, on what would have been the King of Pop’s 60th birthday. He is the most depicted cultural figure in visual art, and the exhibition will feature work from over 40 different artists.

28 June - October 21, National Portrait Gallery; npg.org.uk

Andreas Gursky


(Andreas Gursky, Les Mées, 2016 © Andreas Gursky/DACS, 2017 Courtesy: Sprüth Magers)

Hurrah! The Hayward Gallery is back open after two years of refurbishments. The repair works have changed things up a bit - the upper galleries will now be flooded with daylight, we’re told. And things are off to an epic start with the major retrospective of innovative German photographer Andreas Gursky, who creates large-scale photos that show scenes of contemporary life.

25 January - 22 April, Hayward Gallery; southbankcentre.co.uk

Monet & Architecture

(© President and Fellows of Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Not a water lily in sight at this major exhibition at the National Gallery exploring the French impressionist’s relationship with architecture. Over seventy paintings will show the ways in which he captured everything from village life to modern cities.

9 April - July 29, National Gallery; nationalgallery.org.uk

Charles I: King and Collector



(© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017)

The regicide of Charles I plunged the country into chaos; it also sent his legendary art collection into various hands all over the world as it was sold off around Europe after his death. The Royal Academy and the Royal Collection have worked in collaboration to reunite some of these great masterpieces once owned by a king. It includes works by Van Dyck, Rubens and Holbein, and helped change the tastes of the nation.

27 January - April 15, Royal Academy of Arts; royalacademy.org.uk

Edward Bawden


( © Estate of Edward Bawden)

You might recognise Edward Bawden’s work from his association with Twinings and Fortnum & Mason, but this relatively unknown artist was versatile at depicting leisure, nature and architecture. Dulwich Picture Gallery will reintroduce his work to a wider audience in a major new exhibition of over 170 works, including a moving series of war portraits.

23 May - 9 September, Dulwich Picture Gallery; dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Joan Jonas


( Joan Jonas Stream or River Flight or Pattern 2016-2017 © Joan Jonas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London)

Pioneering performance and video artist Joan Jonas inspired a generation of young artists - now Tate Modern is bringing her work to a whole new audience. This will be the largest exhibition of her work ever to be held in the UK, and it will take over the gallery, spreading across the exhibition galleries, Tanks and the cinema.

14 March - 5 August, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk

Artists at Work


The Courtauld Gallery offers a love letter to the artists’ studio and all that goes on within it for a new exhibition that spans hundreds of years. Created from a specialist private collection, it will feature depictions of artists at work, their studios, their models and heir assistants.

3 May - 15 July, Courtauld Gallery; courtauld.ac.uk/gallery

Somewhere in Between

Science or art? The two disciplines combine in an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. Four immersive installations will showcase collaborations by artists and scientists trying to visually formulate ideas about food, bodies, sexual health and our senses.

March 8 - August 26, Wellcome Collection; wellcomecollection.org

For the full article as it appeared on ES magazine click here