Must-see London exhibitions this April

Ranging from Monet’s work with iconic buildings to abstract paintings by women – via Italian modernist cinema – this month’s major exhibitions are as varied as they are intriguing. We take a look at our top picks.

Monet and Architecture at the National Gallery

No previous display has ever been dedicated to Monet and architecture, and a solo show on the impressionist’s work has not been seen in the UK for 20 years. This new exhibit at the National Gallery, then, offers an opportunity to see one of the world’s favourite painters in a whole new light.

Monet and Architecture is at the National Gallery from 9^th April until 29^th July 2018. For further information or to book visit the gallery’s website here.

ISelf Collection: Bumped Bodies at Whitechapel Gallery

Bumped Bodies is the last in a thoughtfully curated series of displays from the ISelf Collection at Whitechapel Gallery. Featuring work by artists such as Tony Cragg, Sarah Lucas, Mark Manders and Rebecca Warren, the exhibition explores the concept of subjectivity in relation to the body, the object and the environment.

ISelf Collection: Bumped Bodies is at Whitechapel Gallery from 10^th April until 12^th August 2018. For further information or to book visit the gallery’s website here.

Paul Maheke: A Fire Circle for a Public Hearing at Chisenhale Gallery

East London’s Chisenhale Gallery stages some of the city’s most exciting contemporary art displays. Their next offering is an immersive installation by Paul Maheke, who is interested in the potential of using the body as an archive in order to address how history, memory and identity are formed and constituted.

Paul Maheke: A Fire Circle for a Public Hearing is at Chisenhale Gallery from 13^th April until 10^th June 2018. For further information or to book visit the gallery’s website here.

Rationalism on Set: Glamour and Modernity in 1930s Italian Cinema at Estorick Collection

Today, 1930s cinema from Italy is not a well-known genre, even among film-buffs. However, according to this upcoming exhibition at the charming Estorick Collection, Italian architects and the surrounding  culture played a key role in the development of a Modernist aesthetic for the movie sets of the decade, which was increasingly adopted in contemporary films around the globe.

Rationalism on Set: Glamour and Modernity in 1930s Italian Cinema is at Estorick Collection from 18^th April until 24^th June 2018. For further information or to book visit the gallery’s website here.

 

 

Surface Work at Victoria Miro Gallery

Spreading over both of Victoria Miro’s extensive gallery spaces in Angel and Mayfair, Surface Work is an international and inter-generational exhibition examining how female artists have developed and expanded the language of abstract painting. With names as well-known and wide-ranging as Yayoi Kusama, Lynda Benglis, Helen Frankenthaler and Rita Ackermann, this show promises not to disappoint.

Surface Work is at Victoria Miro Gallery from 11^th April until 19^th May 2018. For further information or to book visit the gallery’s website here.

Anna Souter
Photo: Yufan Wang (Monet)