Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 painting exhibitions to see in London. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals at Tate Britain
Two of Britain’s greatest and most beloved historical painters are brought together in this blockbuster exhibition. They were both great landscape painters in their own right, and the story is juicier for their differing backgrounds and intense rivalry. It’s also a chance to see many works by these two giants of art history. Until 12th April, ticketed.
Anna Ancher: Painting Light at Dulwich Picture Gallery
Have you heard of Anna Ancher before? You may not be familiar with her, and her exhibition is called ‘Painting Light’ as she caught it perfectly and dramatically, whether that be her daughter sitting by a window in a blue room, her mother on her deathbed, or a woman at a window with her back to us. This is what Dulwich Picture Gallery does best, bringing a lesser-known artist to our attention and celebrating their fantastic works. Until 8th March, ticketed.
Martha Zmpounou: A Long Afternoon at Rhodes
Families relaxing together, indoors and outside. A woman staring out of the window in contemplation, a young man looking back at us in a floral jumper, and two people asleep next to each other. Martha Zmpounou captures these intimate moments as if she’s frozen time in her intense colour palette. As an added bonus, the works of another great figurative painter, Kayoon Anderson, are on display in the gallery’s project room. Until 31st January, free.
Sam Lipp: Base at Soft Opening
These intimate paintings include close-ups of faces, hands and lips, as well as a man lying in his underwear, which feels voyeuristic. The works are painted on metal that’s been dragged across concrete, so it’s covered in scratches and scars that stand in for both the rubbing of bodies against one another and the scars we all carry, on both the outside and the inside. Until 14th March, free.
Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn’s Early Light at The National Gallery
Here’s a chance to get close to a half-scale version of a celestial scene that decorates the ceiling of the House of Representatives Chamber, Pennsylvania State Capitol. Edwin Austin Abbey worked here in the UK but is better known in his native US. It’s another excellent example of the National Gallery getting its free one-room displays spot on with an artist most of us will know little about. Until 15th February, free.
All images are copyrighted and courtesy of the respective gallery and artist, unless otherwise stated. Turner and Constable image (c) Tate Photography (Yili Liu). Anna Ancher image courtesy of Skagens Museum. Edwin Austin Abbey image courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery.
