It’s cold outside so what better way to spend a day than in a gallery or museum. Here are our top picks of must-see exhibitions for this winter season.
Museum of London: Fire, Fire! [until 17th April 2017]
This interactive exhibition marks the 350th anniversary of the infamous Great Fire of 1666. Experience the destruction through the eyes of people who were there, explore the evidence and discover the fascinating restoration of the city’s rise from the ashes.
Tate Modern: The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection [until 21st May 2017]
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see one of the world’s greatest private collections of modernist photography. Collected over the past twenty-five years, this collection includes nearly 150 rare vintage prints from the classic modernist period of the 1920s-50s. Seminal figures include Brassai, Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham and Man Ray.
Whitechapel Gallery: Eduardo Paolozzi [16th Feb – 14th May 2017]
Eduardo Paolozzi was one of the most bold and innovative artists of the 20th century and considered the ‘godfather of Pop Art’. This major retrospective spans five decades and features over 250 works including his revolutionary screen-prints and collages and his post-War bronzes. Highlights include material from his groundbreaking performance lecture Bunk! (1952), his large-scale Whitworth Tapestry (1967) and the iconic sculpture Diana as an Engine (1963).
Barbican: The Vulgar [until 5th Feb 2017]
This exhibition is the first of its kind to explore the innately challenging but incredibly compelling territory of taste in fashion, from the Renaissance through to contemporary design. The show examines the ever-evolving and provocative notion of vulgarity in fashion whilst revelling in its excesses. Over 120 key pieces are showcased from major public and private collections worldwide, including works from renowned designers Christian Dior, Philip Treacy, Vikor & Rolf, Louis Vitton and Vivienne Westwood.
The Design Museum: Beazley Designs of the Year [until 19th Feb 2017]
Following relocation from the Shad to a glittering new building on High Street Kensington, the Design Museum has an ambitious programme of events lined up for 2017. Now in its ninth year, Beazley Designs of the Year celebrates design that promotes or delivers change, enables access, extends design practice or captures the spirit of the year. It offers a fascinating insight into areas of the design world, a glimpse into the forefront of design which reflects wider cultural and societal challenges.
Science Museum: Robots [8th Feb – 9th Sept 2017]
This blockbuster exhibition will tell the 500-year story of humanoid robots and what it means to be human. Set in five different periods and places, the show will feature a unique collection of over 100 robots, fifteen of which are working models. Discover how robots and society have been shaped by religious belief, the industrial revolution and our visions of the future. Don’t miss the Robotic Last Supper.
RA: Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932 [11th Feb-17th April 2017] & America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s [25th Feb-4th June 2017]
The RA has an impressive roster of exhibitions lined up for 2017 and February ushers in two heavyweights – two nations in flux via the artists’ perspective. Revolution marks the historic centenary of the Russian Revolution by bringing together names like Kandinsky, Chagall and Rodchenko to explore one of the most momentous periods in modern world history through painting, photography, sculpture, filmmaking and graphic design.
America after the Fall looks at depression-era paintings by Jackson Pollock, Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keefe to name a few. A special addition to the show is Grant Wood’s instantly recognisable American Gothic painting which has never left the USA until now. These forty five truly iconic works capture a response to rapid social change and economic anxiety, resulting in one of the most vital periods in American art.
