Rokeby: Poetry and Landscape; Walter Scott & Turner in Teesdale.
Stunning landscapes, inspired by Scott’s epic poem Rokeby, form the basis of this major exhibition. Marking the bicentenary of the publication of Scott’s poem, it explores the relationship between literature and art, examining the poem’s role in attracting artists such as Turner and highlighting the importance of the dale in the development of landscape painting in Britain. Includes paintings from the British Museum, Tate, regional galleries and the Museum’s own collection. At The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham from 26 Jan-28 April. www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk
The first major showing of the internationally acclaimed British artist William Scott in the UK for over 20 years. Scott is renowned for his powerful handling of paint in his exploration of still life, landscape and nude and the unstable boundaries between them. At Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall from 26 Jan to 6 May. www.tate.org.uk
Manet: Portraying Life. The first retrospective devoted to the portraiture of the Edouard Manet. Including more that 50 works, this exhibition reveals Manet’s forward-thinking, modern approach to portraiture. At Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1 from 26th January- 14th April (see preview in Country Life Jan 23 2013). www.royalacademy.org.uk
Peter Fraser. Fraser has been at the forefront of colour photography as a fine art medium since the early 1980s and this exhibition includes works spanning thirty years of his career. At Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall from 26th January- 6th May 2013. www.tate.org.uk
Schwitters in Britain. Kurt Schwitters was an important figure for the development of European Dadaism, and this exhibition focuses on his British period. At Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1 from 30th January- 12th May 2013. www.tate.org.uk
The London Group: Centenary Exhibition. 100 works by over 80 current members in the PM Gallery and sight-specific installations throughout Pitzhanger Manor House. At PM Gallery & House, Ealing, London W5 from 23rd January- 9th March 2013. www.thelondongroup.com
The British Scene. Capturing views from across the country, a selection of artists examine the picture of a visually shifting landscape. A reflection of both the familiar and hidden landscapes of the British Isles shown through paint, pastel and print. At Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 from 24th January- 16th February 2013. www.mallgalleries.org.uk
The Seven Treasures: Japanese Enamels from the V&A. From the Golden Age of the Japanese enamelling industry (1880-1910), this exhibition showcases some of the most beautiful enamels in the V&A’s collection, alongside some produced in Sheffield. At Museums Sheffield: Weston Park, Sheffield from 26th January- 2nd June 2013. www.museums-sheffield.org.uk
Albert Heim: Württembergers on The Somme. Sixty two ink and watercolour paintings commissioned by Lieutenant General Theodor von Wundt recording the General’s life, mostly before the British offensive of July 1st 1916. Although a personal commission, these may have been painted with publication in mind. At Abbott and Holder Ltd, 30 Museum Street, London WC1A from 26th January and hanging throughout February 2013. www.abbottandholder-thelist.co.uk
Tessa Traeger’s The Chemistry of Light. A resurrection and a reworking of a large collection of 19th century photographs left to Traeger in the late 1960s. Chemistry of Light features early Daguerreotypes and waxed paper negatives as well as glass plates from the 1890. The collection (some of which are damaged) becomes a metaphor for the erosions of darkroom photography in a digitally dominated age. At Purdy Hicks, Bankside, London SE1 from 25th January- 21st February 2013. www.purdyhicks.com
Painted Pomp: Art and Fashion in the Age of Shakespeare. An exhibition featuring nine full-length Jacobean portraits by William Larkin from around 1613-18 and lent by English Heritage. The portraits depict members of the extended family of Thomas Howard, the first Earl of Suffolk which may have been painted to mark the Cecil-Howard marriage. The exhibition incorporates rare survivals of Jacobean dress and live interpretation, exploring four hundred year-old art and fashion combined. At The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath from 26th January- 6th May 2013. www.holburne.org
Amongst Heroes: the artist in working Cornwall. This collection presents paintings from the Royal Cornwall Museum as well as many from various public and private collections. Focusing on representations of the figure at work, Amongst Heroes showcases art from pioneering Newlyn and St Ives artists as the second part of the gallery’s annual series of collections from outside London. The works are widely regarded as being an English response to Impressionism, by combining strong narrative with naturalism to encompass a deep admiration for the skill of the working men and women. “Epic in the sweep of their compositions, sincerity of observation and sensitivity to the extraordinary Cornish light”. At Two Temple Place, London WC2R from 26th January- 14th April 2013. www.twotempleplace.org
Potfest: Journeys in Clay. A special exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the annual Penrith festival, where potters from as far as New Zealand, Australia and Japan come to display their work at the ceramic festival held over two weekends. This event celebrates 14 of these potters travelling to Cumbria and highlights their journeys in clay, capturing of the spirit of adventure. At the Gallery at Rheged, Penrith, Cumbria from 22nd January- 24th March 2013. www.potfest.co.uk
Memory & Imagination: Dutch Italianate and Contemporary Landscapes– a selection of some of the finest 17th century Dutch Italianate landscapes, recalling the Dutch fascination with the luminosity of the Italian countryside; “the warm colours, tonal variations and classical features”. The works (executed between 1640 and 1670) will hang alongside some contemporary landscapes in oil paint, photography and video to explore the relationship of this extraordinary genre and how it has affected modern landscape art. At Mall Galleries, London SW1 from 23rd January- 1st March 2013. www.mallgalleries.org.uk
Andrea Byrne. The closing exhibition at the pop-up gallery at One New Change displaying nine beautiful canvases. At Panter & Hall Pop-Up at One New Change, Cheapside, London EC2 from 23rd January- 15th February 2013. www.panterandhall.com
The Art Stable: Modern & Contemporary Paintings & Prints– including work by Peter Daglish, Albert Irvin, Mary Potter and Georges Valmier. At The Art Stable, Kelly Ross Fine Art, Blandford, Dorset from 26th January- 16th February 2013. www.theartstable.co.uk
Alejandro Ospina: Megalopolis– Colombian artist Ospina’s second solo exhibition at IMT displaying his new collection of painting. The collection looks at how the Internet and modern technology has affected the ways in which we relate to images and Ospina explores the issues that surround contemporary image production. At IMT Gallery, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 from 25th January- 3rd March 2013. www.imagemusictext.com/exhibitions
CLOSING SOON
Giving Our Past A Future: the work of the World Monuments Fund Britain is at Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2 from 26 Oct to 26 Jan.
Welsh Landscapes: from Turner to Long – highlights from the rich and varied collections of Welsh landscape painting, sculpture and installation held by the National Museum of Wales. At The Lightbox, Chobham Road, Woking until 27 Jan. www.thelightbox.org.uk
Turner in January: The Vaughan Bequest – annual exhibition of 38 works on paper by J M W Turner, a bequest of Henry Vaughan, who stipulated that this outstanding group of watercolours must not be subjected to permanent display owing to the fading that would result from continual exposure to light. At the Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, Edinburgh until 31 Jan. www.nationalgalleries.org
Babes in the Wood – Roger Andersson. A new series of works on paper, new videos and a mobile sculpture that demonstrate a subservience to process and to materials. At Poppy Sebire, All Hallows Hall, 6 Copperfield Street, London, SE1 from 7 December- 26 January. www.poppysebire.com
John Bellany: A Passion for Life – largest, most comprehensive exhibition of works by one of Scotland’s greatest living artists to mark his 70th birthday, at Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, Edinburgh from 17 Nov to 27 Jan. www.nationalgalleries.org
Gwen John and Celia Paul: Painters in Parallel at Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester from 6 Oct to 27 Jan. www.pallant.org.uk (see review in Country Life Nov 28 2011)
Hollywood Costume – gathering together over 100 of the most iconic costumes designed for unforgettable cinema characters over a century of film-making. For the first time, classics from the Golden Age including Dorothy’s blue and white gingham pinafore dress designed by Adrian for The Wizard of Oz, Scarlett O’Hara’s green ‘curtain’ dress designed by Walter Plunkett for Gone with the Wind, and the ‘little black dress’ designed by Hubert de Givenchy for Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s will be united with the latest Hollywood releases including Consolata Boyle’s costumes for Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. At Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7. Until 27 January 2013. www.vam.ac.uk
In Front of Nature: The European Landscapes of Thomas Fearnley – the first ever UK exhibition devoted entirely to the paintings and career of one of Scandinavia’s most important painters. It tracks his grand European tours – from the northern skies of Scandinavia, through the picturesque scenery of the Alps and English Lake District, to the southern sun of the Mediterranean. At Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Until 27 January 2013. www.barber.org.uk
Bresson: A Question of Colour – an array of images by the esteemed French photographer including ten photographs never before seen in the U.K, as well as 75 works by 15 contemporary international photographers. At Somerset House, Strand, London until 27th Jan www.somersethouse.org.uk
Hanneke Beaumont – works by the Dutch sculptor who is renowned for her large scale pieces in terracotta, cast iron and bronze. At Robert Bowman Modern & Contemporary Sculpture, 34 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1 until 31 Jan. www.robertbowman.com
B P Portrait Award – 55 portraits selected for the competition, including the winners, first prize being won by American Aleah Chapin for her large-scale nude portrait ‘Auntie’. The show, which was at the National Portrait Gallery in London has now moved to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh until 27 Jan. www.nationalgalleries.org
William and Evelyn de Morgan – exhibition of works by this pioneering couple of the Arts & Crafts Movement – glistening ceramics in vibrant Persian colours and metallic lustres by William and symbolic paintings by Evelyn de Morgan. At Watts Gallery, Compton, Surrey until 27 Jan. www.wattsgallery.org.uk
Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan – the first exhibition devoted to the art of Meiji textiles ever to be held outside Japan – at Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford until 27 Jan. www.ashmolean.org
Kate MccGwire LURE – a major solo exhibition from sculptor Kate MccGwire, the title a dual reference to the ring of feathers used by a falconer to call and command their birds, and to the siren-like call of the work itself. At All Visual Arts, 2 Omega Place, London N1 until 26th Jan. www.allvisualarts.org
Francesco Clemente – Mandala for Crusoe – a recent series of works developing Clemente’s singular pictorial language, gathering together myriad cultural references; inspired by Eastern spiritual traditions. At Blain Southern, 4 Hanover Square, London W1 from 30 Nov to 26 Jan. www.blainsouthern.com
White Light/White Heat: Contemporary Artists & Glass – a collaboration between the Berengo Glass Studio in Venice, the London College of Fashion and the Wallace Collection featuring the work of major contemporary artists and designers, many using glass as a medium for the first time. At The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1 until 26 Jan. www.wallacecollection.org
Small paintings and Small ceramics: Annual exhibition of small paintings and small ceramics within Bohun’s Gallery. Opportunity to purchase and view art by Britain’s most distinguished contemporary artists. At 15 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1AB. December 11 – January 26 2013. www.bohungallery.co.uk
Great St Helen’s: Sculpture Space – public sculpture to transform the square mile – an installation of up to seven works by internationally renowned artists including Michael Craig-Martin, Julian Opie, Thomas Houseago, Yayoi Kusama and Dan Graham. At Great St Helen’s, St Helen’s Square, City of London EC3. Until 30 January 2013. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/publicart
Lisa Hammond. Lisa Hammond has been making functional and decorative ceramics since the 1980s, and is considered a master in soda glaze. She is internationally renowned for her ceramics; her careful choice of clay and use of soda or Shino glazes create perfectly balanced pieces. At The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh 5 Jan to 30 Jan. www.scottish-gallery.co.uk
William Gillies. William Gillies creates both oil and watercolour landscape paintings that are individual and original. At The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh 5 Jan to 30 Jan. www.scottish-gallery.co.uk.
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