Top 10 art exhibitions in London
Our critics' pick of the must-see exhibitions this season
1
'Palindrome' 1974 © The estate of Richard Hamilton
Richard Hamilton at Tate Modern
- Rated as: 4/5
Smarter than Francis Bacon and more daring than Henry Moore, Richard Hamilton was the most important British artist of the twentieth century.
2
'Flucht (Flight)' 1931, Hannah Höch © Collection of IFA, Stuttgart
Hannah Höch
- Rated as: 4/5
An early champion of feminist art and a celebrated member of the Berlin Dada movement, Hannah Höch’s collages commented on the social change and economic upheaval of Weimar Germany and Europe during the First and Second World Wars. Her contemporaries including George Grosz and Kurt Schwitters admired Höch’s unique satirical language that combined fashion images with symbols of industry. Over 100 works made between 1910-1970 display the depth and radical practice of this truly great collagist. See our preview of the exhibition here.
- Whitechapel Gallery 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX
- Wed Mar 12 - Sun Mar 23
3
Martin Creed at Hayward Gallery, London. Photo by Linda Nylind. 26/1/2014. Linda Nylind
Martin Creed: What's the point of it?
- Rated as: 4/5
He won the Turner Prize by turning the lights one and off in the gallery, Olympic runners have sprinted through the Tate Britain for him and he’s scripted musical accompaniments for the lifts in the Royal Festival Hall. Now the cacophonous works of the British artist from his earliest pieces to large-scale installation can be experienced under one roof, oh and the outdoor terrace. What's on Martin Creed's mind? Find out here.
- Hayward Gallery Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
- Wed Mar 12 - Sun Apr 27
4
Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined
- Rated as: 4/5
Architecture shows, with all their blueprints and models, are rarely the most exciting of prospects. But this show promises something different, inviting major contemporary architectural firms from across the globe to create installations to showcase their work. Grafton Architects, Diébédo Francis Kéré, Kengo Kuma, Li Xiaodong, Pezo von Ellrichshausen, Eduardo Souto de Mouro and Alvara Siza are the participants. Check out our guide to Sensing Spaces here
- Royal Academy of Arts Piccadilly, W1J OBD
- Wed Mar 12 - Sun Apr 6
5
'Mick Jagger', 1964 © David Bailey
David Bailey at the National Portrait Gallery
- Rated as: 4/5
With more than 350 Vogue covers under his belt and many thousands of iconic photographs to choose from, David Bailey can be forgiven for taking his time honing the selection for his new exhibition. Even after the cull, 250 images form part of the National Portrait Gallery's sparkling 'Bailey's Stardust' show - making this one of its largest photography surveys ever.
6
The Great War in Portraits
- Rated as: 4/5
- Free
Wars are remembered in numbers. Soldiers and civilians become figures and statistics. One hundred years after the Great War, it’s easy to lose sight of the reasons for conflict, to forget what started it all and how we justified sacrificing so many lives. The works in the National Portrait Gallery’s show of paintings from WWI put faces to the figures, but also let you make a connection to those tragedies – they help you grasp humanity a bit better.
- National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place, WC2H 0HE
- Wed Mar 12 - Sun Jun 15
7
Hito Steyerl
- Rated as: 4/5
Hito Steyerl’s work is the art equivalent checking your inbox, only to find yourself three hours later watching a gif loop of a cat on a slide and wondering how the hell you got there. Some call this type of art, which swings between (old and new) media, sees no barriers in terms of source material or end result and mirrors the way we glide between the real and virtual worlds, ‘post-internet art’ – a reference also to a generation of young artists who have grown up freely availing themselves of endless imagery.
8
George Condo
- Rated as: 4/5
What’s changed since George Condo had his big Hayward Gallery survey in 2011? Evident in this two venue show, as ever, is his humour – a deceptively guileless wit that fleshes out human foibles in such a way that even his most pin-headed, bat-eared nasties seem somehow endearing.
9
Vincent Van Gogh, 'The Sunflowers', 1889 © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
Vincent van Gogh: The Sunflowers
- Rated as: 4/5
- Free
Paintings don't come much more iconic than van Gogh's incredible 'Sunflowers', and this show brings two of them together for the first time in 65 years. In 1888, the Dutchman painted five versions of these blooms while waiting for the arrival in Arles, south of France, of his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin.
- National Gallery Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
- Wed Mar 12 - Sun Apr 27
10
Markus Lüpertz
- Rated as: 4/5
- Free
Often mentioned in the same breath as his near contemporaries Georg Baselitz, AR Penck, Sigmar Polke and Anselm Kiefer, Markus Lüpertz is both a big name and something of a mystery – certainly to London audiences.
- Michael Werner Gallery 22 Upper Brook Street, W1K 7PZ
- Wed Mar 12 - Sat Mar 15
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Top 10 art exhibitions in the city
Our critics' pick of the must-see art exhibitions in town this season
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Popular art exhibitions
- United Visual Artists: Momentum
- Dale Chihuly: Beyond the Object
- Alex MacLean: Aerial Perspectives
- Richard Hamilton
- Only in England: Photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr
- Darren Almond: To Leave a Light Impression
- Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined
- Harry Callahan
- Benedict Drew: Heads May Roll
- Hito Steyerl
