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Visual Arts

The best London exhibitions, 2017

By CW Contributor on 18/12/2017

A self-taught NYC phenomenon, a blockbuster David Hockney retrospective and a host of Modigliani's long faces: these were the exhibitions we loved the most this year

Click here for more best of 2017

Paul Cézanne, Uncle Dominique in Smock and Blue Cap, 1866-7, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1951 acquired from The Museum of Modern Art, Lillie P. Bliss Collection (53.140.1)

Cézanne Portraits exhibition review ★★★★★

The beauty of this monumental exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery lies in its simplicity and its thematic focus on a lesser known facet of Cézanne's oeuvre. Happily for Londoners, the exhibtion runs until mid February, so book a ticket while you still can.

Read more ...
WHEN
26 Oct 2017 – 11 Feb 2018, 10am–6pm Friday 10am–9pm
WHERE
National Portrait Gallery
St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Hockney’s 9 Canvas Study of the Grand Canyon, 1998. Photograph: Richard Schmidt/Tate

David Hockney review, Tate Britain ★★★★★

Joyful, triumphant and tender, this show provided a much-needed ray of light. Tate Britain's 2017 Hockney retrospective was truly magnificent – if only we could see this one all over again.

Read more ...
WHEN
09 Feb 2017 – 29 May 2017, Open daily from 10am to 6pm
WHERE
Tate Britain
Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jennifer Stein, Anti-Baseball Card Product, 1979. Courtesy Jennifer Von Holstein.©Jennifer Von Holstein and The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York

Basquiat exhibition review, Barbican ★★★★★

The late New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat finally gets the recognition he deserves – the result is mind-blowing. The blockbuster exhibition, which has reignited debate around Basquiat's life and work, runs until the end of Jan. Book a ticket now while you still can.

Read more ...
WHEN
21 Sep 2017 – 28 Jan 2018, Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday and Monday 10am - 6pm (except Tuesday 9 January). Advance booking essential
WHERE
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Review: Pink Floyd, V&A [STAR:5]

Review: Pink Floyd, V&A ★★★★★

Pink Floyd returned to the stage at the V&A’s latest pop icon retrospective, 50 years after they recorded their debut single Arnold Layne. Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains was an eclectic mix of nostalgia, memorabilia and mind-blowing stage effects – what a triumph it was!


Read more ...
WHEN
13 May 2017 – 15 Oct 2017, Monday 10am–5:45pm, Tuesday 10am–5:45pm, Wednesday, 10am–5:45pm Thursday, 10am–5:45pm, Friday 10am –10pm, Saturday 10am–5:45pm, Sunday 10am–5:45pm
WHERE
V&A
South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
Detail: Alberto Giacometti, Man Pointing 1947, Tate. © The Estate of Alberto Giacometti (Fondation Giacometti, Paris and ADAGP, Paris), licensed in the UK by ACS and DACS, London 2016

Review: Alberto Giacometti, Tate Modern ★★★★★

Long, eerie and existential – the world of Giacometti. Tate Modern's Giacometti retrospective explored the life and majestic work of a modern master. It was, hands-down, one of the most impressive shows of the year.

Read more ...
WHEN
10 May 2017 – 10 Sep 2017, 10.00–18.00 Sunday – Thursday, 10.00–22.00 Friday – Saturday
WHERE
Tate Modern
Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
Maria Lassnig, Self-portrait with Hare, 2003, © Maria Lassnig Foundation

Review: Renate Bertlmann and Maria Lassnig at Sotheby's S2 ★★★★★

Feminist artists Renate Bertlmann and Maria Lassnig were re-examined in a refreshing new light at Sotheby's S2. The private sale and gallery arm of Sotheby's contemporary department has exhibited a wide array of innovative artists this year from Louise Bourgeois to Tess Jaray, but Bertlmann’s multi-disciplinary oeuvre won us over.

Read more ...
WHEN
27 Apr 2017 – 01 Jun 2017, Open: Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm
WHERE
S2 gallery
31 St George Street, London, W1S 2FJ
Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930, Royal Academy

America After the Fall; Painting in the 1930s, Royal Academy review ★★★★★

This 1930s American Art exhibition displayed America in flux, and provided a powerful visual expression of a nation in crisis.

Read more ...
WHEN
25 Feb 2017 – 04 Jun 2017, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
Royal Academy
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
Henri Matisse, Safrano Roses at the Window, 1925

Review: Matisse in the Studio, Royal Academy ★★★★★

Henri Matisse’s creative process was laid bare for the first time in the Royal Academy's Matisse in the Studio. It may not have been a blockbuster exhibition, but it was an exquisite insight into the mind of a Modern Master.

Read more ...
WHEN
05 Aug 2017 – 12 Nov 2017, Saturday – Thursday 10am – 6pm, Friday 10am – 10pm
WHERE
Royal Academy
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
Modigliani, Reclining Nude, c.1919 © Tate Modern, Tate Modigliani Show 2017 Modigliani London

Modigliani Exhibition 2017, review ★★★★★, Tate Modern

Associated with nudes, Picasso, sex and alcoholism, Modigliani was the epitome of fin-de-siecle decadence. But Tate Modern's Modigliani proves that his talent far surpasses his desolate story. This beautifully curated exhibition runs until the beginning of April, so book a ticket while you still can.

Read more ...
WHEN
22 Nov 2017 – 02 Apr 2018, 10.00–18.00, Sunday – Thursday, 10.00–22.00, Friday – Saturday
WHERE
Tate Modern
Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
Bellboy, c.1925, ChaimSoutine, ©CourtauldGallery, Centre Georges Pompidou.

Soutine’s Portraits review ★★★★★

The Courtauld Gallery's intimate exhibition of Soutine’s expressive portraits is utterly captivating. This charming small-scale show is on display until mid January, so book a ticket while you still can, and before The Courtauld Gallery closes for a two year refurbishment plan.

Read more ...
WHEN
19 Oct 2017 – 21 Jan 2018, 10am to 6pm, last admission at 5.30 pm
WHERE
Courtauld Gallery
Strand, London, WC2R 0RN
Salvador Dalí with the collaboration of Edward James, Lobster Telephone, 1938

Dalí/Duchamp exhibition review, Royal Academy ★★★★★

London's Royal Academy of Arts stages a joyous exhibition exploring the friendship and links between Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dalí. For those around in London over the festive season, seize the opportunity to catch it before the exhibition closes on 3 January 2018.

Read more ...
WHEN
07 Oct 2017 – 03 Jan 2018, Fridays until 10pm
WHERE
Royal Academy
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
A gold plaque depicting a Scythian rider with a spear in his right hand; Gold; Second half of the fourth century BC; Kul’ Oba. © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017

Scythians, Warriors of ancient Siberia ★★★★★

In this long overdue retrospective, the monumental power of the Scythian warriors comes to life once more. As one of our favourites this year, we really recommend taking the whole family.

Read more ...
WHEN
14 Sep 2017 – 14 Jan 2018, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
British Museum
Great Russell St, London, WC1B 3DG
The lady with the umbrella, 1911, watercolour and pencil on paper, 65 x 54 cm, Museu de Montserrat. Donated by J. Sala Ardiz. Image © Dani Rovira

Review: John Singer Sargent Watercolours, Dulwich Picture Gallery ★★★★★

We discovered another side to celebrity portraitist John Singer Sargent in the Dulwich Picture Gallery's summer exhibition showcasing his magical watercolours. It was without a doubt one of the best exhibitions we saw all year.

Read more ...
WHEN
21 Jun 2017 – 08 Oct 2017, Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm (Last Entry 4:30pm) Monday: closed (except Bank Holiday Mondays, when we open 10am – 5pm)
WHERE
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD
Balenciaga Shaping Fashion 'Embellishment' case (2) (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, V&A ★★★★★

This V&A fashion exhibition will have you cooing over cocoon coats, baby doll dresses and magnificent hats. This exhibition runs until mid Feb so book a ticket while you still can.

Read more ...
WHEN
27 May 2017 – 18 Feb 2018, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
V&A
South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
© 2017 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artsts Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Marc Domage

Picasso: Minotaurs and Matadors review, Gagosian Gallery ★★★★★

Corrida de toros, mythology and an ancient Iberian bloodlust – this London show placed Picasso in the context of the land of his birth. It was the most compelling gallery exhibition to open this year, and a rip-roaring success.

Read more ...
WHEN
28 Apr 2017 – 25 Aug 2017, Hours: Tue–Sat 10-6
WHERE
Gagosian Grosvenor Hill
20 Grosvenor Hill, London, W1K 3DL
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Best of 2017

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