The unmissable art exhibitions coming to London this summer
After a four-month hiatus, London’s museums and galleries have finally been allowed to dust the cobwebs off their canvases and fling open their doors to those seeking a cultural fix. From Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms to Tracey Emin’s artistic duet with Edvard Munch and David Hockney’s iPad drawings of unfolding Spring, here are some of the upcoming must-see exhibitions in London:
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms
Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London
When: 18th May – 12th June 2021
Head to the Tate Modern to see one of the most highly anticipated art exhibitions of 2021; Yayoi Kusama’s immersive mirror room exhibition. The exhibition features two dazzling installations. The first is ‘Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life’ and is one of Kusama’s largest works to date. The second is ‘Chandelier of Grief’, a room that contains crystal chandeliers and gives the illusion of a boundless universe and endless reflections. In addition to the mirrored rooms, visitors will also be able to see Kusama’s brand new sculpture titled ‘The Universe as Seen from the Stairway to Heaven’, featuring the artist’s famous polka dots.
Tracey Emin/ Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
Where: Royal Academy of Art
When: 18th May – 1st August 2021
Tracey Emin has selected masterpieces by Edvard Munch to show alongside some of her most recent paintings in this landmark exhibition. Emin has long had a fascination with the Norwegian expressionist and painter of ‘The Scream’, Edvard Munch, and by her admission, “I’ve been in love with this man since I was eighteen.” The exhibition features more than 25 of Emin’s works, including paintings and her neon installations and sculptures. These works, which explore the “loneliness of the soul”, sit alongside a carefully considered selection of 18 oils and watercolours drawn from Munch’s collection and archives in Oslo, Norway. Together, both artists tackle a raw exploration of grief, loss and longing.
Phantoms of Surrealism / Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy
Where: Whitechapel Gallery
When: 19th May – 12th December 2021
Kill two birds with one stone and head for Whitechapel Gallery to see ‘Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy’ – the largest exhibition dedicated to the artist – as well as ‘Phantoms of Surrealism’. The gallery has curated an archival exhibition that looks at the pivotal role of women as artists, organisers and animators of the Surrealist movement in Britain through artwork, photographic scrapbooks and correspondence from the 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition. The exhibition features ten other artists too, including: Ruth Adams, Sheila Legge, Claude Cahun and Elizabeth Raikes.
The EY Exhibition: The Making of Rodin
Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London
When: 18th May – 21st November 2021
The French artist Auguste Rodin is best known for his bronze and marble sculptures – like ‘The Thinker’ – but it transpires that he was also a highly skilled modeller. In collaboration with Musée Rodin in Paris, this major exhibition offers a unique insight into Rodin’s artistic processes, spotlighting the crucial role of plaster in his practice. The exhibition also invokes the informal atmosphere of his studio, where you can discover lesser-known pieces as well as new aspects of his most celebrated works.
David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020
Where: Royal Academy, Piccadilly
When: 23rd May 2021 – 1st August 2021
In the past decade, Hockney has swapped the physical paintbrush for the digital one and has produced a range of drawings and sketches, all drawn on his iPad. His latest exhibition presents a new body of work that he made during the first lockdown at his home in Normandy. The 116 works – which were painted on the iPad and then printed onto paper – document the unfolding of springtime, from luminous greens to blue-soaked skies.
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser
Where: Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington
When: 22nd May to 31st December 2021
Head down the rabbit hole to the V&A for the highly anticipated show all about Alice in Wonderland. The exhibition will chart the story of Lewis Carroll’s Alice, from manuscript to marvel. The immersive show tackles the 157-year fascination with the story. It will include over 300 objects, from the original drawings by John Tenniel, costumes from the Royal Ballet production to Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter outfit. It will also chart the story’s impact on 20th and 21st-century pop culture, from Japanese Lolita fashion to the art of Salvador Dalí.
Where: 50 Earlham Street
When: 20th May 2021 – onwards
After touring Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and Toronto, the world’s largest touring exhibition of privately owned Banksy artworks has finally made its way to London. The exhibition will feature a vast array of prints, canvasses and sculptures from the elusive artist-activist. Expect to see iconic works like ‘Girl and Balloon’, ‘Flower Thrower’ and ‘Rude Copper’.
James Barnor: Accra/London – A Retrospective
Where: Serpentine Gallery
When: 19th May – 22nd October 2021
This is the first major survey of British-Ghanian photographer James Barnor. Born in Ghana and based in London since the 1990s, Barnor’s career spans six decades, two continents and numerous photographic genres through his work with studio portraiture, photojournalism, editorial commissions and broader socio-political commentary on the significant changes in Accra, where he was born, and in London.
Where: Kensington Gardens
When: 4th June – 26th September 2021
Presented in over 65 cities, ‘Van Gogh Alive’ is the most visited multi-sensory experience globally. Special technology will display the works of Vincent van Gogh in a kaleidoscope of colour, synchronised to a classical score of music delivered via a high-fidelity 3D sound system. The show will be complete with the sights, sounds and smells of Provence, France. It will be a must-see experience for visitors who want to fully immerse themselves into the life and art of Vincent van Gogh.
Reflections: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa
Where: British Museum
When: 17th May – 15th August 2021
Collected over the last decade, the display weaves together a rich tapestry of artistic expression from artists born or connected to countries from Iran to Morocco. The exhibition features over 100 works on paper – drawings, prints, etchings and photographs – by artists everywhere from Paris to Jerusalem and on subject matters ranging from the Syrian uprisings to the refugee crisis. It seeks to offer a new view of societies whose challenges are well-known in the press but are little known through the prism of contemporary art.
Where: Kew Gardens
When: 1st May – 19th September 2021
Explore the hidden secrets of the plant world with unique art installations across Kew Gardens. Expect to see large-scale installations by the acclaimed artist Vaughn Bell and architectural designer Paul Cocksedge and listen out for ‘Tree Sounds’ by Alex Metcalf and ‘Extinction Songs’ from the sound artist, beatboxer and composer Jason Singh. These newly commissioned interactive installations use music, sound and colour to celebrate British biodiversity and warn of its decline.