A list of the top 10 exhibitions that we are most excited about seeing this bleak January.
1. FRANCIS BACON: MAN AND BEAST
The Royal Academy, London
29th January - 17th April
Spanning the artist's 50-year career, highlights include some of Bacon's earliest works and his last-ever painting. This long-awaited exhibition will focus on his unerring fascination with animals and how it both shaped his approach to the human body and distorted it.
Find more information here.
The Royal Academy, London
29th January - 17th April
Spanning the artist's 50-year career, highlights include some of Bacon's earliest works and his last-ever painting. This long-awaited exhibition will focus on his unerring fascination with animals and how it both shaped his approach to the human body and distorted it.
Find more information here.
2. TESTAMENT
Goldsmith CCA, London
21st January - 3rd April
Testament is a large-scale group exhibition consisting of proposals by 46 artists for monuments for the UK for 2022, addressing questions brought up by recent tumultuous history and focuses on ideas on history, power, narrative and memory. Artists such as Phyllida Barlow, Alvaro Barrington and Laure Prouvost respond to events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, environmental crises and Brexit.
Find more information here.
Goldsmith CCA, London
21st January - 3rd April
Testament is a large-scale group exhibition consisting of proposals by 46 artists for monuments for the UK for 2022, addressing questions brought up by recent tumultuous history and focuses on ideas on history, power, narrative and memory. Artists such as Phyllida Barlow, Alvaro Barrington and Laure Prouvost respond to events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, environmental crises and Brexit.
Find more information here.
3. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: MOHAMMAD BARRANGI
Edinburgh Printmakers, Online
21st January - 27th March
A selection of prints from Iranian artist and Paralympian, Mohammad Barrangi. Using one hand and leg, the artist creates fantastical worlds, populated by magical creatures and inspired by ancient Persian storytelling.Using a unique creative process, with handmade traditional calligraphy pens and a blend of mark-marking styles, he creates small pieces which are often expanded into large scale murals.
Find more information here.
Edinburgh Printmakers, Online
21st January - 27th March
A selection of prints from Iranian artist and Paralympian, Mohammad Barrangi. Using one hand and leg, the artist creates fantastical worlds, populated by magical creatures and inspired by ancient Persian storytelling.Using a unique creative process, with handmade traditional calligraphy pens and a blend of mark-marking styles, he creates small pieces which are often expanded into large scale murals.
Find more information here.
4. DEREK JARMAN: PROTEST!
Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester
Until 10th April
PROTEST! is a major retrospective of the work of one of the most influential figures in 20th century British culture, Derek Jarman. This exhibition focuses on the diverse strands of Jarman’s practice as a painter, film maker, writer, set-designer, gardener and political activist. This is the first time that all of these strands of his practice have been brought together in over 20 years. PROTEST! captures Jarman’s engagement with both art and society, as well as his contemporary concerns with political protest and personal freedoms arising from the AIDS crisis.
Find more information here.
Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester
Until 10th April
PROTEST! is a major retrospective of the work of one of the most influential figures in 20th century British culture, Derek Jarman. This exhibition focuses on the diverse strands of Jarman’s practice as a painter, film maker, writer, set-designer, gardener and political activist. This is the first time that all of these strands of his practice have been brought together in over 20 years. PROTEST! captures Jarman’s engagement with both art and society, as well as his contemporary concerns with political protest and personal freedoms arising from the AIDS crisis.
Find more information here.
5. HOCKNEY TO HIMID: 60 YEARS OF BRITISH PRINTMAKING
Pallant House, Chichester
Until 24th April
From wood engravings and etchings to lithographs and screenprints, this large scale exhibition includes works by Peter Blake, Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Chris Ofili, Grayson Perry and Rachel Whiteread, amongst others to celebrate six decades of British art through one versatile medium.
Find more information here.
Pallant House, Chichester
Until 24th April
From wood engravings and etchings to lithographs and screenprints, this large scale exhibition includes works by Peter Blake, Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Chris Ofili, Grayson Perry and Rachel Whiteread, amongst others to celebrate six decades of British art through one versatile medium.
Find more information here.
6. THE COURTAULD GALLERY, LONDON
Until 8th May
After a major three-year redevelopment, London’s secret gem is back. The Courtauld’s much-loved permanent collection ranges from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and has been completely redisplayed and reinterpreted. These enhanced spaces have allowed The Courtauld to give visitors greater insight into this world-leading collection than ever before and includes masterpieces such as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (pictured above), Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and the most significant collection of works by Cézanne in the UK .
Find more information here.
Until 8th May
After a major three-year redevelopment, London’s secret gem is back. The Courtauld’s much-loved permanent collection ranges from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and has been completely redisplayed and reinterpreted. These enhanced spaces have allowed The Courtauld to give visitors greater insight into this world-leading collection than ever before and includes masterpieces such as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (pictured above), Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and the most significant collection of works by Cézanne in the UK .
Find more information here.
7. LIVING WITH ART: PICASSO TO CELMINS
The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford
21st January - 24th April
Spanning almost one hundred years of Modern art, this exhibition will showcase highlights from the wide-ranging collection of Alexander Walker (1930–2003), longstanding film critic for London’s Evening Standard newspaper, bequeathed to the British Museum in 2004. Covering the period from 1908 until 2002, Living with Art will include 30 prints and drawings by prominent artists ranging from Henri Matisse to Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley and David Hockney. This is the first exhibition in over ten years to focus on Walker’s collection, and many of the works of art included will be going on public display for the first time.
Find more information here.
The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford
21st January - 24th April
Spanning almost one hundred years of Modern art, this exhibition will showcase highlights from the wide-ranging collection of Alexander Walker (1930–2003), longstanding film critic for London’s Evening Standard newspaper, bequeathed to the British Museum in 2004. Covering the period from 1908 until 2002, Living with Art will include 30 prints and drawings by prominent artists ranging from Henri Matisse to Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley and David Hockney. This is the first exhibition in over ten years to focus on Walker’s collection, and many of the works of art included will be going on public display for the first time.
Find more information here.
8. HELEN FRANKENTHALER: RADICAL BEAUTY
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
Until 18th April
Helen Frankenthaler is recognized among the most important American abstract artists of the 20th century, widely credited for her pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. She experimented tirelessly throughout her six-decade long career, producing a large body of work across multiple mediums. Opening ten years after her death, this exhibition shines a light on the artist’s groundbreaking woodcuts, which appear painterly and spontaneous with expanses of colour and fluid forms. It will reveal Frankenthaler as a trailblazer of the printmaking movement, who endlessly pushed possibilities through her experimentation.
Find more information here.
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
Until 18th April
Helen Frankenthaler is recognized among the most important American abstract artists of the 20th century, widely credited for her pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. She experimented tirelessly throughout her six-decade long career, producing a large body of work across multiple mediums. Opening ten years after her death, this exhibition shines a light on the artist’s groundbreaking woodcuts, which appear painterly and spontaneous with expanses of colour and fluid forms. It will reveal Frankenthaler as a trailblazer of the printmaking movement, who endlessly pushed possibilities through her experimentation.
Find more information here.
9. THE TURNER CONTEMPORARY OPEN
Turner Contemporary, Margate
Until 20th February
To mark The Turner Contemporary's 10th anniversary and 10 years of the first Open, this open submission exhibition celebrates and showcases the wealth of artistic talent living, working and training in Kent. Artworks span sculpture, painting, ceramics, film and photography, including work by internationally renowned artists such as Tracey Emin, Rose Wylie and Margo Selby, alongside up-and-coming artists such as Matilda Sutton, Joshua Atkins and Lisa Wright.
Find more information here.
If you are interested in seeing more work by emerging artist it would also be worth checking out London Grads Now. 21 at The Saatchi Art Gallery, London until 16th January. Showcasing over 250 artists from 7 schools. More details here.
Turner Contemporary, Margate
Until 20th February
To mark The Turner Contemporary's 10th anniversary and 10 years of the first Open, this open submission exhibition celebrates and showcases the wealth of artistic talent living, working and training in Kent. Artworks span sculpture, painting, ceramics, film and photography, including work by internationally renowned artists such as Tracey Emin, Rose Wylie and Margo Selby, alongside up-and-coming artists such as Matilda Sutton, Joshua Atkins and Lisa Wright.
Find more information here.
If you are interested in seeing more work by emerging artist it would also be worth checking out London Grads Now. 21 at The Saatchi Art Gallery, London until 16th January. Showcasing over 250 artists from 7 schools. More details here.
10. LUBAINA HIMID
Tate Modern, London
Until 3rd July
This large-scale exhibition will debut recent work and include selected highlights from Turner Prize winning artist and cultural activist, Lubaina Himid. Initially trained in theatre design, Himid is known for her innovative approaches to painting and to social engagement. She has been pivotal in the UK since the 1980s for her contributions to the British Black arts movement, making space for the expression and recognition of Black experience and women’s creativity. The exhibition unfolds in a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage.
Find more information here.
Tate Modern, London
Until 3rd July
This large-scale exhibition will debut recent work and include selected highlights from Turner Prize winning artist and cultural activist, Lubaina Himid. Initially trained in theatre design, Himid is known for her innovative approaches to painting and to social engagement. She has been pivotal in the UK since the 1980s for her contributions to the British Black arts movement, making space for the expression and recognition of Black experience and women’s creativity. The exhibition unfolds in a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage.
Find more information here.
