With the unveiling of this year’s Fourth Plinth art project – Elmgreen and Dragset’s Powerless Structures, Fig. 101 – in London’s Trafalgar Square, we look at some of the biggest art exhibitions in the capital over the coming months. Call us to discuss ticket availability and arrange fast-track passes.
Lucian Freud Portraits
The first major exhibition to focus predominantly on the late Berlin-born painter’s portraiture
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London WC2H 0HE
Until Sunday 27 May
Widely considered to be one of the greatest artists of the past 60 years, this ambitious showcase will feature more than 100 of Freud’s works, loaned from private collections and galleries around the world. Among the paintings will be his unfinished Portrait of the Hound, a nude depiction of his assistant David Dawson with his dog Eli. Freud had been working on the piece when he died in July last year, aged 88.
Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude
Bringing together the work of JMW Turner and the 17th-century Lorrainese artist, Claude Gellée
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Until Tuesday 5 June
The English romantic painter was heavily enamoured with Claude’s mastery of light and landscape – so much so that on his death, he bequeathed the National Gallery two of his paintings, Dido Building Carthage and Sun Rising Through Vapour (fishermen cleaning and selling fish). This was on the condition that they were hung between two pictures by Claude, which he named as The Seaport (Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba) and The Mill (Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca). Covering oils, watercolours and sketchbooks, this is the most in-depth examination to date of Turner’s experience of Claude’s art.
David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture
New landscapes by one of Britain’s greatest contemporary artists
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, London W1J 0BD
Until Monday 9 April
Spanning a 50-year period, this sizeable showcase includes oil paintings, charcoal sketches, digital video works and even drawings created on an iPad. The large-scale artworks have been created especially for the galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts. The 74-year-old’s recent pieces are inspired by his return to the east Yorkshire countryside after four decades living in California. Charting the changing seasons, the wild and dramatic scenery has been captured in bold hues, with blue trees, blackcurrant roads and pink paths.
Pictured - copyright David Hockney (photo credit: Jonathan Wilkinson)
Picasso and Modern British Art
Exploring the Cubist artist’s extensive legacy and influence on the country’s art
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Until Sunday 15 July
Showcasing more than 60 Picassos from all periods of his career – including Weeping Woman and The Three Dancers – the exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see these seminal artworks alongside offerings from seven prominent UK artists: Duncan Grant, Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Graham Sutherland and David Hockney. This is the first exhibition to examine the Spaniard’s impact as a figure of controversy and celebrity through the ways in which his work was shown and collected during his lifetime.
Yayoi Kusama
Extensive retrospective of the eccentric Japanese artist
Tate Britain, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Until Tuesday 5 June
Making a rare appearance in the UK, this is the octogenarian’s first trip outside her homeland for 12 years. Renowned for her repeating polka dot patterns and large-scale installations, Kusama’s career spans over six decades, and has seen to have influenced artists such as Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst. The exhibition covers all aspects of her work – as a painter, sculptor, film-maker, fashion designer and novelist. Highlights include a new installation created especially for the show, Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life 2011, the artist's biggest mirrored room to date.
Connect with Ten Lifestyle