Gillian Wearing & Claude Cahun: Behind the Mask, Another Mask | On view at the National Portrait Gallery until May 29
Why It's A Must-See
The late French surrealist photographer Cahun and the British Turner Prize–winning photographer Wearing are two shape-shifting masters of subversive self-portraiture, born 70 years apart. Here they shed light on each other’s work in a brilliantly curated show.
Word on the Street
“The National Portrait Gallery, under the new directorship of Nicholas Cullinan, continues its program of unmissable exhibitions. This is an inspired pairing of two eccentric and masked agitators. Cahun and Wearing make self-portraits that are a process of examination, rather than a stripped-bare revelation of truth. Despite a strong sense of intimacy and biography, you never get close to the elusive self.” —Sadie Coles, art dealer and owner of Sadie Coles HQ
Pit stop
The NPG is just a five-minute walk from Hoppers, the latest hit restaurant from the Sethi Family (Michelin-starred Trishna, Michelin-starred Gymkhana, Taiwanese street food-mecca Bao…). At this cozy Sri Lankan spot, the line runs long day and night, but the dosas, karis, and traditional rice pancakes for which it’s named are well worth the wait.
David Hockney | On view at the Tate Britain until May 29
Why It's A Must-See
If you find yourself in London between now and the end of May, the real question is: Why would you not go see a six-decade-spanning retrospective filled with vibrant, splashy works by what's arguably Britain’s most popular living artist?
Word on the Street
“It's worth investing in the audio guide, as Hockney himself is not only illuminating about his work, but damn funny, too. His transcendently beautiful 1961 painting We Two Boys Together Clinging, for instance, contains lines from a homoerotic Walt Whitman poem, but also alludes to a newspaper headline that he read: “Two Boys Cling to Cliff All Night.” Hockney first assumed that this meant that a boy had been lucky enough to cling to the milquetoast pop singer Cliff Richards (a crush of his) all night.” —Hamish Bowles, European editor-at-large for Vogue, in his review of the show
Pit stop
Tate Britain's iconic Rex Whistler Restaurant (est. 1927) is one of the most elegant places in town to have a glass of wine. It’s named for the artist who painted the mural that encircles the room, The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats (which prompted one early visitor to call it “The Most Amusing Room in Europe”). The food at the Whistler is just okay, but the wine list overseen by it-somm Hamish Anderson is a masterpiece.
Wolfgang Tillmans: 2017 | On view at the Tate Modern until June 11
Why It's A Must-See
Tillmans, the first photographer to ever win the Turner Prize, has spent the better part of the 21st century pursuing his restless muse around the globe, all the while experimenting in various other media (e.g. video, performance, anti-Brexit political poster art). With this staggeringly diverse survey of work since 2003, Tillmans defies convention at every turn, blending radical political insight with a distinctive eye for beauty.
Word on the Street
“It's an uplifting meditation on the world we live in—something that is hard to find in 2017. As Tillmans gets older, his quest for beauty, joy, and love through art grows wider, more fruitful, but also more focused as the world seemingly becomes more broken. He uses an almost alchemical approach to find gold where others see only dirt.” —Nick Waplington, artist
Pit stop
On your way to the show, stop at Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market—it serves the best cups in London. Dandelyan is the spot to go for cocktails after the Tate.
California | On view at the Design Museum from May 24—October 15
Why It's A Must-See
Encompassing more than 200 objects, this blockbuster exhibition traces the arc of California's global influence though design—from products of the countercultural (political posters, LSD blotting papers) to Silicon Valley-born innovations in personal liberation (the Apple 1, the first consumer-friendly GPS device).
Word on the Street
“Even with Brexit, it's hard to think of where else in the world I'd want to live besides London. There's only one real contender—the only place on earth that is more appealing, more vibrant, more diverse, more creative, more economically and culturally dynamic than London right now: California. So I'm looking forward to the Design Museum’s “California” exhibition, as it should give long-overdue recognition to the West Coast's role in shaping, first, popular culture, and then, as a direct result of the hippie revolution, digital, and business culture. It's one of the great stories of our time: a peaceful-but-seismically-disruptive revolution that is not over yet.” —Marcus Fairs, *editor-in-chief and founder of *Dezeen
Pit stop
The Design Museum's new location on Kensington High Street neighbors Holland Park—one of the prettiest green spaces in London. At 55 acres, there's lots to explore. Start by charting a course for the Japanese-style Kyoto Gardens (there are peacocks). For that reliable English brasserie, The Ivy has an outpost on KHS that's good for shepherd's pie and people watching.
A Handful of Dust | On view at Whitechapel Gallery from June 7—September 3
Why It's A Must-See
Featuring the work of more than 30 major artists and photographers both living and dead (including Marcel Duchamp, Walker Evans, Ed Ruscha, Gerhard Richter, and Nick Waplington), this conceptually original group show at one of London's best galleries is the brainchild of David Campany.
Word on the Street
“I've always been haunted by a strange, almost abstract photograph by Man Ray from 1920. It's an image of dust gathering on a sheet of glass. When it was first published, it was captioned with a lie: "View from an Airplane," like a war-torn landscape. In my dream that image tells the story of the 20th century. A story of catastrophe, but also redemption. "A Handful of Dust" spills in many directions—military images, photographs of trash, abstract pictures, old news photos of dust storms rolling across America, forensic pictures, even images of the planet Mars. The connections are wild, but no less true if we accept the logic of dreaming that I believe lurks in all images.” —David Campany, curator and writer
Pit stop
After shaking off the dust, head over to The Culpeper, an upscale pub exquisitely refurbished with turquoise banquets, parquet floors, and a rooftop garden where the produce in your meal is grown. Otherwise, St. John Bread & Wine is only a 10/15-min walk away from the gallery—or you could trot over to Hoi Polloi, at the Ace Hotel, which is about the same distance.
Basquiat: Boom for Real | On view at Barbican Art Gallery from September 21—January 28, 2018
Why It's A Must-See
More than 100 pieces will be on view at the U.K.'s first ever large-scale Basquiat exhibition. A reconstruction of the first group show in which Basquiat ever participated, in 1981, is worth the price of admission alone.
Word on the Street
“Basquiat is often immortalized and framed as an icon, as a celebrity—one that a white art world has projected some of its stereotypes and assumptions onto. That's sad because his work often gets overlooked in place of his life-as-legacy. In fact, the work was beautiful and hugely important, cutting through what was at the time a largely minimalist scene with urgency and immediacy. The language of his paintings still feels unique.” —Rozsa Farkas, founding director and curator of south London art gallery Arcadia Missa
Pit stop
The pickings are infamously slim around Barbican Centre. But if you need to eat, like, now, The Jugged Hare—a note-perfect upscale gastropub with taxidermy-lined walls and freshly killed rabbits hanging from a circular rack—is just around the corner. Alternately, Clerk & Well, an inn with a pub (and a modern pantry), is a six-minute cab ride away.
Jasper Johns | On view at the Royal Academy of Arts from September 23—December 10
Why It's A Must-See
Since paving the way for Pop with his seminal “Flag” series, Johns, now 86, has continued to push the boundaries. This rare U.K. retrospective gathers paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures by one of the 20th (and 21st) century’s greatest artists.
Word on the Street
“You may be most familiar with the vivid realism of his 1950s paintings of flags and targets, but as you'll discover, with every new decade Johns has explored new themes and ideas, as well as new ways of working. In a sense, he interrogates the whole idea of mark-making in work that is poetic, ironic, humorous, lyrical, rich in reference and texture, and yet still fundamentally mysterious and enigmatic.” —Tim Marlow, artistic director at the Royal Academy of Arts
Pit stop
Whether you arrive bright and early for eggs Benedict or top off the exhibition with the afternoon tea, you really can't go wrong at The Wolseley—the all-day Viennese-style grand café that opened in 2003, but feels as if it’s been on Piccadilly since the fin de siècle. Plus, in the Academy itself, not many seem to know about the tiny gem of a cocktail bar that also serves snacks, called the Shenkman Bar.
.jpg)
