Metamorphosis – Titian 2012
National Gallery
Special works by contemporary artists (painters, composers, poets) in response to three of 13th-century Italian painter Titian’s creations celebrate his considerable influence on British art. Titian’s recently acquired Diana And Callils is displayed until July 1 and Titian’s First Masterpiece: The Flight Into Egypt, examining one of his earliest paintings, runs from Apr 4-Aug 19.
Jul 11-Sept 23
Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
Tube | Charing Cross
nationalgallery.org.uk
The Electric Sky
Pertwee, Anderson and Gold
Artist Paul Fryer investigates ‘the connections between life on Earth and astronomical phenomena’ at this gallery co-owned by actor Sean Pertwee. How does he do it? By recreating lightning in 2- and 3D spaces, in a variety of ways that occupy a gap somewhere between sculpture and image making. There are photos, X-rays, paintings, printed images and regular old sculptures, too – all framed around Fryer’s ongoing fascination with electricity.
Until May 3
15 Bateman Street, Soho, W1D 3AQ
Tube | Tottenham Court Road
pertweeandersongold.com
Bauhaus: Art as Life
Barbican
The biggest Bauhaus exhibition in the UK for almost 40 years celebrates the infamous art school that brought artists and designers such as Marcel Brueur and Ludwig Mies vander Rohe to the attention of the world in the wake of the Second World War. Art, politics and culture fused into something that attempted to lead the world in a new direction. This exhibition features painting, sculpture, design, architecture, film, photos, textiles and installations.
May 3-Aug 12
Silk Street London, EC2Y 8DS
Tube | Barbican
barbican.org.uk
Designing the Extraordinary
V&A
Finished pieces and prototypes that didn’t make it past the idea stage all feature in this design practice’s survey of architecture, engineering and furniture and product development.
May 31-Sept 30
Porter Gallery, SW7 2RL
Tube | South Kensington
vam.ac.uk
Abstraction in Italy
Estorick
This exhibition chronicles Italian abstract art from 1030 to 1980, from the futurist heritage, through various post-war movements when Italian artists earned their place in the wider scene.
Jun 27-Sept 9
39a Canonbury Square, N1 2AN
Tube | Highbury & Islington
estorickcollection.com
Magma Art Event
Apricot Gallery
To unleash creativity in an outburst akin to molten lava erupting, this five-day event brings together 14 artists from China, France, US, Germany, Cyprus, Spain and the UK – with a capella and eastern European musicians – to exhibit expressive and conceptual work.
Apr 18-22
Apricot Gallery, The Ragfactory, 16-18 Heneage Street, E1 5LJ
Tube | Aldgate East
themagmagroup.co.uk
Summer Exhibition
Royal Academy
The 244th annual citywide summer exhibition, co-ordinated by Tess Jay, includes plenty of paintings, prints, sculpture and photography.
June 27-30 & Jul 4-7
Royal Academy W1J 0BD
Tube | Picadilly Circus
royalacademy.org.uk
Sophie Dickens
Sladmore Gallery
In an Olympic year, what could be better than a celebration of athletes’ physical bodies? Nothing, according to Ms Dickens (Charles’s great grandaughter) who’s taken this, with a Greek mythology slant, as the focus for her latest sculptures.
May 7-Jun 9
Sladmore Gallery, SW1Y 6LX
Tube | Piccadilly Circus
sladmore.com
Sweethearts
Pippy Houldsworth
Prize-winning artists and their artist spouses (Anthony Gormley and Vicken Parsons) work in unison to create these unique works about creativity and collaboration.
Until Apr 21
W1B 4BT
Tube | Piccadilly Circus
houdsworth.co.uk
Yoko Ono
Serpentine Gallery
A conceptual artist and byword for breaking up the band, Ono (above) polarises opinion. Her work, though, grabs tattention, and this exhibition features installations, films and performances, as well as SMILE, a project in which people submit photos of their cheesy grins.
Jun 19-Sept 9
Serpentine Gallery, W2 3XA
Tube | South Kensington
serpentinegallery.org
Dream House, House of Dreaming
Eleven Fine Art
Natasha Kissell’s paintings look at how the house was the base for our dreams as a child, and how as an adult we yearn for our dream house. Her creations envisage utopian architecture of the future.
May 11-Jun 16
11 Eccleston Street, SW1W 9LX
Tube | Victoria
elevenfineart.com
Another London
Tate Britain
More than 150 photographs comprise this exhibition, which respresents London life from 1930-50, as seen by some of the world’s most famed photographers.
Jul 27-Sept 16
Millbank, SW1P 4RG
Tube | Pimlico
tate.org.uk
Migrations: Journeys into Brit Art
Tate Britain
This exhibition focuses on British art through the theme of migration, considering how it has been shaped by immigration into the country during the past 500 years, and featuring works by artists such as Mondrian, Kneller and contemporary painters, too.
Until Aug 12
Millbank, SW1P 4RG
Tube | Pimlico
tate.org.uk
Skin Deep
Hay Hill Gallery
Jamie McCartney’s solo exhibition presents the human form in all its shapes and guises and celebrates its beauty. Alexander, who has always had an anti-conventional approach to art, unveils his Physical Photography series, which incorporates images of the human body taken with a digital scanner. It also features his The Great Wall Of Vagina, its moulds of the female anatomy a response to the rise in cosmetic labial surgeries.
May 8-Jun 2
Hay Hill Gallery, W1S 3NY
Tube | Piccadilly Circus
hayhillgallery.com
Out of Focus
Saatchi Gallery
The gallery’s first photography exhibition in more than 10 years features the likes of Kary Grannan, Nicole Wermers and David Noonan.
Apr 25-Jul 22
Duke of York’s, King’s Road, SW3 4SQ
Tube | Sloane Square
saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Gillian Wearing
Whitechapel Gallery
Wearing’s work looks at notions of identity and peels back the layers and misdirection to get to the truth of who we are. This film and photo collection spans her work, which has included looks at teenagers and alcoholics, from early photo series to 2011’s Self Made film.
Until Jun 17
77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX
Tube | Aldgate East
whitechapelgallery.org
Picasso and Modern British Art
Tate Britain
This new exhibition explores not just the defining legacy that Pablo Picasso left behind, but also his influence on British artists and the acceptance of modern art on this little island that resulted from his work and his striking personality. This exhibition comprises more than 150 artworks and considers his controversial life as a celeb, as well as his post-WW2 political convictions and compromises. It’s undoubtedly expansive, frequently illuminating and, in places, a little surprising. It also includes work by Picasso’s admirers, such as Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, David Hockney and Francis Bacon.
Until Jul 15
Millbank, SW1P 4RG
Tube | Pimlico
tate.org.uk
Edvard Munch: The Modern Eye
Bankside
To most, Munch is most well known for painting The Scream – bastardised by the Scream horror movie franchise. This exhibition (above) aims to shed a little more light on the Norwegian painter’s work, particularly the conflict between his paintings and his love for 20th-century technological advancements such as film-making and photography technology.
Jun 28-Oct 14
Bankside, SE1 9TG
Tube | Blackfiars
tate.org.uk
Tate Oil Tanks
Tate Modern
Part of the Tate Modern’s expansion plan is to bring these two 3m-wide oil tanks into performance spaces, and, in time for the Games, launch a programme of films, lectures and live art. At the end of the year, the final stages of the tanks’ transformation will finally be complete.
Apr 2-Dec
30 Bankside, SE1 9TG
Tube | Blackfiars
tate.org.uk
