A return to in-person art viewings has been a long time coming for many of us.
As the world begins to return to some form of normality, galleries across New York and London are pulling out all the stops and putting on some truly amazing exhibitions to bring visitors back into their space. It’s been said before that art can be a great healer – perhaps we need it now more than ever.
With this in mind, here is DDW’s round-up of every upcoming gallery opening in both London and NYC.
New York City
Where?
Miles McEnery Gallery
When?
May 13th - June 19th 2021
“Curated by Rico Gatson, ‘Light’ is the inaugural exhibition at Miles McEnery Gallery’s newly renovated Chelsea location at 511 West 22nd Street. The exhibition extends an invitation to immerse oneself in metaphorical light, and experience the work of twelve artists together inspired by the power of illumination.”
Where?
Marlborough New York
When?
May 14th – July 2nd 2021
“Comprised of ten paintings by New York-based artist Ahmed Alsoudani, as well as a selection of works on paper from the artist’s ‘Cut of Time’ series.
Alsoudani’s ‘Cut of Time’ series of drawings in acrylic, pen, and ink offers a new, scaled-down glimpse of the artist’s style, having found himself working within the spatial constraints of a domestic space smaller than his usual studio accommodations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Medici: Portraits & Politics
Where?
The New York Metropolitan, Fifth Avenue
When?
June 26th – October 11th 2021
“Some of the greatest portraits of Western art were painted in Florence during the tumultuous years stretching from 1512 to 1570, when the city underwent the transformation from a republic with elected officials to a duchy ruled by Cosimo I de’ Medici.
Included in this exhibition are works by the period’s most celebrated artists, from Raphael, Jacopo Pontormo, and Rosso Fiorentino to Benvenuto Cellini, Agnolo Bronzino, and Francesco Salviati.”
Where?
Gagosian, West 24th Street
When?
May 4th – June 12th 2021
“Throughout his long and distinguished career, Georg Baselitz has combined a direct and provocative approach to making art with an openness to art historical lineages, counting among others Willem de Kooning and Philip Guston as his key influences. In 1969, he began composing the inverted images for which he has become best known to slow the processes of making, looking, and apprehending.
‘Springtime’ attests to Baselitz’s seemingly infinite capacity for artistic renewal, innovation, and tongue-in-cheek irreverence while continuing to harness the resilience of his distinctive methods and motifs.”
Where?
Nohra Haime Gallery
When?
May 12th – June 12th 2021
“Beings of Light is an exhibition of mixed media works from the 1980s by Italian artist Silvio Merlino. Merlino’s works have been shown internationally, most notably at the Venice Biennale, Nohra Haime Gallery, and throughout Europe. Merlino’s works explore themes of warfare, mass production, and ecological deterioration, all the while giving glimpses of satire and humor.
The imagery sits on the border between dream and nightmare, reflecting the true nature of our modern world. Merlino’s use of mixed media and vibrant paints is innovative, a real tour de force that renders the viewer speechless.”
London
Michael Armitage: Paradise Edict
Where?
Royal Academy of Art
When?
22nd May – 19th September 2021
“Michael Armitage is a Kenyan-born artist who works between Nairobi and London. His colourful, dreamlike paintings are loaded with provocative perspectives that play with visual narratives and challenge cultural assumptions, exploring politics, history, civil unrest and sexuality.
Armitage has also selected works by three Kenyan artists – Wangechi Mutu, Magdalene Odundo and Chelenge van Rampelberg – that will be displayed in The Dame Jillian Sackler Sculpture Gallery, just outside the exhibition galleries. This display invites conversations between the three artists’ works and sculptures from the RA’s collection, which were curated by Richard Deacon RA.”
Where?
Tate Modern
When?
18th May – 21st November 2021
“Working at the turn of the 20th century, Auguste Rodin broke the rules of classical sculpture to create an image of the human body that mirrored the ruptures, complexities and uncertainties of the modern age.
This major exhibition is the first to focus on the importance of plaster in his work. Although Rodin is best known for his bronze and marble sculptures, he himself worked as a modeller, who captured movement, light and volume in pliable materials such as clay and plaster.”
Where?
Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
When?
19th May – 25th July 202
“Matthew Barney: Redoubt reveals a major new direction in the work of a renowned artist and film-maker. It features a series of imposing and intricate sculptures cast from fallen trees and over 40 engravings and electroplated copper plates.
A breathtakingly beautiful accompanying feature film follows a sharp-shooter in her pursuit of wolves across the winter wilderness of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains.”
Where?
The Barbican
When?
17th May – 22nd August 2021
“Brutal Beauty champions Dubuffet’s rebellious philosophy. Railing against conventional ideas of beauty, he tried to capture the poetry of everyday life in a gritty, more authentic way.
This is the first major survey of his work in the UK for over 50 years, showcasing four decades of his career, from early portraits and fantastical statues, to butterfly assemblages and giant colourful canvases. Dubuffet endlessly experimented and was clear on his purpose: ‘Art should always make you laugh a little and fear a little. Anything but bore’.”
Conversations With God: Jan Matejko’s Copernicus
Where?
The National Gallery
When?
21st May – 22nd August 2021
“Jan Matejko’s (1838–1893) epic painting ‘Astronomer Copernicus’ unites two of Poland’s most famous figures. This painting celebrates one of the most important names in the history of science, Polish mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473—1543); known for his theory, published in 1543, which proposed the solar system with the sun at its centre and the planets orbiting around it.
Matejko painted the enormous canvas in 1873 to mark the 400th anniversary of the astronomer’s birth.”
Tickets for all exhibitions featured above can be purchased through the respective galleries’ own websites.
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