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Visual Arts

Best art exhibitions, London, 2019

By Emily Spicer on 2/12/2019

As 2019 draws to a close and the promise of fresh discoveries beckons us into 2020, we take a moment to look back at the exhibitions that dazzled us this year. Here is our selection of the shows that we're still talking about, and the one that you can still catch – if you're quick.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21, 1978, Gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches, 20.3 x 25.4 cm; Image Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York

Cindy Sherman, National Portrait Gallery ★★★★★

Witty, insightful and sometimes dark, Cindy Sherman's exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery was arguably the biggest hit of the summer. And we absolutely loved it.

Read more ...
WHEN
27 Jun 2019, 15 Sep 2019, 10:00 AM, 6:00 PM
WHERE
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Boy stepping off the curb, NYC 1957–58, by Diane Arbus. Photograph: The Estate of Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus: in the beginning, Hayward Gallery ★★★★★

Diane Arbus captured the lives of those living on the fringes, the sideshow and circus acts, the drag queens and contortionists, and treated them no differently than the well-to-do couples strolling through Central Park. We were captivated by this exhibition.

Read more ...
WHEN
13 Feb 2019, 06 May 2019, 11:00 AM, 7:00 PM
WHERE
Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
Bhangra dancers, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2017. Commissioned by BBC One. Image: Martin Parr / Magnum Photos / Rocket Gallery

Review: Only Human: Photographs by Martin Parr, National Portrait Gallery ★★★★★

What does it mean to be British? What does it mean to be human, for that matter? Documentary photographer Martin Parr has dedicated his career to finding out and we couldn't get enough of the results.

Read more ...
WHEN
07 Mar 2019 – 27 May 2019, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters, National Portrait Gallery

Pre-Raphaelite Sisters, National Portrait Gallery ★★★★★

This exhibition tells the story of 12 women who were instrumental in the success of the Pre-Raphaelites. Hitherto unseen paintings, manuscripts and photographs from collections across the world bring to light the overlooked role these women played in the development of one of Britain's most famous artistic movements.

Read more ...
WHEN
17 Oct 2019 – 26 Jan 2020, Daily 10am – 6pm
WHERE
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Nam June Paik exhibition, Tate Modern

Nam June Paik exhibition, Tate Modern ★★★★★

Born in Korea, Nam June Paik (1932 –2006) became one of the leading international lights of electronic art in the 20th century. This exhibition celebrates his extraordinary achievements.

Read more ...
WHEN
17 Oct 2019 – 09 Feb 2020
WHERE
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
Tutankhamun Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. Images: IMG

Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, Saatchi Gallery ★★★★★

Everyone has heard of Tutankhamun, the boy king, whose tomb was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. Now you can get to know him better in this show-stopping exhibition.

Read more ...
WHEN
02 Nov 2019, 03 May 2020, 10am – 6pm, 7 days a week
WHERE
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4RY
Filippo Albacini (1777-1858), The Wounded Achilles, 1825, marble, Chatsworth House Photograph © The Devonshire Collections, Chatsworth. Reproduced by permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees.

Troy: Myth and Reality, British Museum ★★★★★

This is an epic exhibition, befitting an epic tale. The story of Troy is one of love, tragedy and heroism and it has influenced art for millennia. This show delves into Homer's most influential work and how it has impacted art through the ages.

Read more ...
WHEN
21 Nov 2019 – 08 Mar 2020, Saturday – Thursday 10.00–17.30, Friday 10.00–20.30
WHERE
British Museum, Great Russell St, London, WC1B 3DG
Untitled (Hand-Shell) 1934 © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / image Centre Pompidou, MNAM- CCI © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, Lo

Dora Maar exhibition, Tate Modern ★★★★★

Dora Maar (1907–1997) was a French-born photographer and painter with an eye for the unusual. Tate Modern's retrospective delves into her visionary art and her extraordinary life.

Read more ...
WHEN
20 Nov 2019 –15 Mar 2020, Open daily 10.00 – 18.00 and until 22.00 on Friday and Saturday
WHERE
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
William Blake, Newton 1795–c.1805. Tate

William Blake: The Artist, Tate Britain ★★★★★

As one of Britain's most famous cultural figures, William Blake is known as a prolific poet, a radical political thinker and a technically innovative visual artist. This momentous exhibition spans his entire career and is one for Blake experts and casual fans alike.

Read more ...
WHEN
11 Sep 2019 – 02 Feb 2020, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
Tate Britain, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
The Shining hasn't finished haunting: Kubrick's best comes to London in 2019

Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition, Design Museum ★★★★★

The Design Museum's packed exhibition exploring one of cinema's most iconic auteurs saw film fans flock to see this show. Stanley Kubrick's dark and surreal worlds were brought to life through film posters, memorabilia and design. And the critics loved it.

Read more ...
WHEN
26 Apr 2019 – 17 Sep 2019, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, W8 6AG
Leonardo da Vinci, attributed to Francesco Melzi ©

Leonardo Da Vinci art exhibition: A Life in Drawing, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace ★★★★★

They don't come any bigger than Leonardo da Vinci. Packed with drawings from the entirety of the master's career, this stunning exhibition was a real crowd-pleaser.

Read more ...
WHEN
24 May 2019 – 13 Oct 2019, Times Vary
WHERE
The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1A 1AA
Riverbed, by Olafur Eliasson, 2014, installation views at Louisiana Museum of Modern, Art, Humlebæk, Denmark, 2014. Photography: Anders Sune Berg

Olafur Eliasson, Tate Modern ★★★★★

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is one of the most prominent contemporary artists working today. This immersive exhibition continues to draw in the crowds until 5 January.

Read more ...
WHEN
11 Jul 2019 – 05 Jan 2020, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
WHERE
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
Tim Walker

Tim Walker exhibition: V&A ★★★★★

This magical exhibition of Tim Walker's designs was so popular, that the V&A extended the run to 8 March. We loved this exhibition for its theatricality and imagination.

Read more ...
WHEN
02 Sep 2019 – 06 Dec 2019, 12:00 AM
WHERE
V&A, South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
Bridget Riley: Recent Paintings 2014-2017 Installation view, David Zwirner Gallery

Bridget Riley exhibition, Hayward Gallery ★★★★★

Bridget Riley's op-art paintings move in front of your very eyes. This exhibition has been hailed for its boldness and scale. On until 26, it is one not to be missed.

Read more ...
WHEN
23 Oct 2019 – 26 Jan 2020, Closed on Tuesdays
WHERE
Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
Share:

Best of 2019

Contemporary art

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