spotlight

Exhibitions to see this spring

Tate Royal Academy of Arts Rose Wylie David Hockney Katsushika Hokusai Utagawa Hiroshige Hurvin Anderson Frank Bowling The Fitzwilliam Museum

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From Tracey Emin’s major retrospective at Tate Modern to David Hockney’s ‘A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting’ at Serpentine Gallery, there’s some truly exciting exhibitions to see this spring.

Tracey Emin My Bed 1998 © Tracey Emin. Photo credit Courtesy The Saatchi Gallery, London Photograph by Prudence C

Tracey Emin: A Second Life, at Tate Modern 27 February – 31 August

Opening on 27 February and running throughout summer, Tate Modern are staging the largest exhibition to date of the groundbreaking work of world-renowned artist, Dame Tracey Emin (b. 1963).

From seminal installations made in the 1990s, including her Turner Prize nominated ‘My Bed’, through to recent paintings and bronzes that will be on display for the first time, ‘A Second Life’ traces the key life events that have shaped Emin’s journey and transformation.

Using the female body to explore passion, pain and healing, Emin’s commitment to unapologetic self-expression has transformed our understanding of what art can be and continues to influence contemporary art today. Tate have worked in close collaboration with the artist, to bring together over 90 works encompassing painting, video, textile, neon, sculpture and installation, demonstrating her uncompromising confessional approach to sharing experiences of love, trauma and personal growth. Learn more

Tracey Emin, I never Asked to Fall in Love - You made me Feel like This 2018 © Tracey Emin

Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First, at the Royal Academy – 28 February – 19 April

Opening on 28 February, the Royal Academy is showcasing the largest exhibition of Rose Wylie’s work to date.

Now a household name in the art scene, Wylie (b.1934) began her art career in her fifties, finding instant success. Focused on female protagonists – including Elizabeth I, Nicole Kidman, Marilyn Monroe, Serena Williams and Snow White, alongside her own experiences, such as living through the Blitz as a young girl – she produces paintings that at first appear aesthetically simplistic, but are in fact captivating, witty and intelligent meditations on representation itself, that cannot be aligned with any other style or movement. Learn more

Pink Skater, (Will I Win, Will I Win)

£1,610, framed limited edition print

Rare & Limited Rose Wylie Limited Editions Editions Team GB Rare Sport Collection Sport Iconic 21st Century Artists

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, at Serpentine Gallery – 12 March – 23 August

One of the most influential artists of our time, David Hockney will be showcasing new paintings alongside his celebrated ninety-metre-long frieze ‘A Year in Normandie’ at Serpentine Gallery. The new paintings extend the artist’s lifelong fascination with the act of looking, affirming his belief that simple beauty is worth celebrating.

Based in Kensington Gardens, Seprentine feels like the perfect location for the exhibition of Hockney’s Normandie scenes, promising for an inspiring spring day out, filled with art and nature. The exhibition is free, though booking is required. Learn more

Blossom Tree

£290, framed poster

David Hockney Trees France Exhibition Posters Modern Art Landscape & Seascape

Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige, at The Whitworth – 14 March – 15 November

The Whitworth Gallery, situated at the University of Manchester, are inviting visitors to step into Japan’s floating world to explore the art of Hokusai and Hiroshige, two visionary artists whose images have shaped how we see nature, landscape and everyday life.

Opening on 14 March, ‘Under the Wave off Kanagawa’ — widely known as ‘The Great Wave’ — will be at the heart of the exhibition, alongside a wider collection of Ukiyo-e prints that capture scenes of travel, nature and popular culture during Edo period Japan. Learn more

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

£160, framed art print

Katsushika Hokusai Japan Japanese Art Asia Seascape Iconic Artists Pre-1900 Landscape & Seascape

Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain – 26 March – 28 August

Hurvin Anderson’s first major solo exhibition is being held at Tate Britain this spring and summer. It brings together more than 80 of the artist’s vibrant paintings from throughout his career, including new, never-before-seen works.

Drawing on his second generation Jamaican-British heritage to explore ideas of memory, identity and multiculturalism, his subjects derive from both these worlds, often referencing history and place, including the Caribbean landscape, alongside experiences from his childhood and places of individual and cultural significance like the barbershop.

One of the most important contemporary painters of his generation, Anderson blends figurative scenes with abstract sensibilities, creating a sense of place through memory, while exploring the properties of surface and colour. Learn more about this unmissable exhibition

Jersey, 2008

£310, framed special edition print

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Frank Bowling: Seeking the Sublime, at The Fitzwilliam – 27 March – 17 January 2027

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge are displaying a major retrospective of leading British contemporary abstract artist, Frank Bowling, from the end of March through to January 2027.

Frank Bowling: Seeking the Sublime, offers a rare opportunity to see the breadth of Bowling’s 70 year career, including early figurative works alongside his vivid and dynamic abstracts. The exhibition also offers the opportunity to discover the connections between Bowling’s work and his artistic influences, from Titian to Turner, as well as his contemporaries Aubrey Williams to Tracey Emin. Learn more

Doughlah G.E.P., 1968-71

£320, framed special edition print

Rare & Limited Frank Bowling Special Editions Editions DACS Iconic 21st Century Artists Abstract Modern Art

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