The best art exhibitions: London, autumn 2020

Tracey Emin/ Edvard Munch exhibition, Royal Academy

'I’ve been in love with this man since I was 18,' Tracey Emin said of Edvard Munch, the Norwegian artist best known for his angst-ridden masterpiece The Scream (1893). The work of these two artists is certainly connected by an interest in the darker regions of the human psyche and Emin's fascination with Munch's work makes perfect sense, when you consider the grief and trauma suffered by both.

This November, the Royal Academy will stage an exhibition that brings these two students of emotion together.

Paradise Lost exhibition, Kew Gardens

Artist Jan Hendrix's immersive exhibition at Kew Gardens will explore the fragile wonders of Kamay Botany Bay on the southern coast of Australia. Specimens collected by the botanist Joseph Banks and naturalist Daniel Solander are going on display as part of the exhibition, which straddles the line between art and architecture, and is Hendrix's first solo UK show.

Artemisia, National Gallery

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1654 or later) is one of the most important painters of the Italian baroque and something of a feminist icon. She was a follower of Caravaggio and the first woman to become a member of the Accademia delle Arte di Disegno, a significant achievement in a violently misogynistic period of history.

This autumn, the National Gallery is mounting an exhibition of Gentileschi’s paintings, the first monograph of her work to be staged in the UK. The show’s centrepiece will be her Self Portrait as the martyred Saint Catherine of Alexandria (about 1615-17), acquired by the gallery in 2018 for £3.6 million.

Bruce Nauman exhibition, Tate Modern

Provocative, raunchy, uplifting, darkly funny… Bruce Nauman’s work is all of these. His art has also been described as unsettling, even obtuse. Visitors to Tate Modern will be able to draw their own conclusions about Nauman's work this October, with an exhibition showcasing the full range of his 50-year career through more than 40 artworks.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night, Tate Britain

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is undoubtedly one of her generation's most intriguing painters. Her style is heavily influenced by the old masters, painters such as Goya and Manet, but there is no doubt that her work is the product of a modern mind. Tate Britain is staging an exhibition of over 80 works by the Turner-nominated artist, the most comprehensive survey of her career to date.

Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace, The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace

Some of the Queen’s hidden masterpieces – which usually hang in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace – will go on public display in a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition this December. Central to the exhibition of 65 paintings are outstanding works by the likes of Titian, Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Dyck and Canaletto. Visitors will be encouraged to look at the exhibited works ‘close up’ so as to engage with the creative processes of artists now celebrated the world over.

Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer, Barbican Gallery

It's impossible to overestimate Michael Clark's impact on British dance. Fresh out of the Royal Ballet School, a ballet graduate of rare elegance with a glorious classical line, he abandoned his first job with Ballet Rambert and chose instead to plunge wholeheartedly into the heady post-punk culture of 80s Britain. This autumn, the Barbican honours the epoch-making career of the dancer and choreographer with a comprehensive exhibition.