Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, August 1888, The National Gallery, London
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, The National Gallery, 14 September 2024 – 19 January 2025
The work of Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) has universal charm; thoughtful and colourful, his paintings are as fresh today as when they were first made. The National Gallery’s Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition brings together works from their own collection, most notably the iconic Sunflowers (1888), along with several other paintings and drawings from public – as well as private – collections to explore a two-year period of Van Gogh’s career (1888-90), during which he spent time in Arles and Saint-Rémy in the South of France in the company of poets, writers and other artists. It was during this time that he rented rooms in the famous Yellow House in Arles, in which his portraits The Poet and The Lover were destined to be hung. Indeed, many of the exhibited works were intended as part of a larger decorative scheme at the 1899 Exposition Universelle in Paris and tell of Van Gogh’s all-consuming painterly approach and holistic vision in which a heightened sense of colour and vibrancy take centre stage.
Claude Monet, London, Houses of Parliament, The Sun Shining through the Fog, 1904,
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Monet and London: Views of the Thames, The Courtauld Institute, 27 September 2024 – 19 January 2025
Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) is arguably the artistic figure most closely associated with French Impressionism. What is often forgotten, however, are his enduring depictions of London. Much like the National Gallery’s exhibition, the Courtauld’s display focusses upon a relatively short timespan in Monet’s career: a period between 1899 and 1901, during which he stayed in London on three separate occasions, taking rooms at the Savoy. And just as Van Gogh had ambitions for a series of canvases, so too did Monet, whose three paintings depicting Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and the House of Parliament respectively, and exhibited in this exhibition, were always intended to be shown as a group, firstly in London (although this never came to pass) and then in Paris in 1904. Indeed, it is only now that they have been brought together in the city they depict to stand as the centrepieces of a dedicated exhibition.
Francis Bacon: Human Presence, The National Portrait Gallery, 10 October 2024 – 19 January 2025
From Impressionist Landscapes to 20th-century portraiture, our next recommendation is The National Portrait Gallery’s Francis Bacon: Human Presence. Bringing together more than 50 works, this exhibition is quite literally star-studded and features portraits of creative geniuses like Lucian Freud and Isabel Rawsthorne, as well as some of Bacon’s more intimate friends and lovers, including Peter Lacy and George Dyer. Drawing inspiration from the historic portraiture traditions of Rembrandt and Velázquez, among others, these works seem to tell visitors as much about the sitters as they do about the artist and his view of the world. Throughout the exhibition, Bacon’s works are juxtaposed with photographs, particularly those by John Deakin which Bacon frequently used as reference images, and there is a section devoted specifically to the artist’s self-portraits which are set alongside paintings and further photographs of Bacon by other creatives. This rare spectacle of a show is, thus, in every sense a comprehensive human study.
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Virgin and Child with the young St John, c. 1532,
The Royal Collection, London
Drawing the Italian Renaissance, The King’s Gallery, 1 November 2024 – 9 March 2025
On the topic of study, Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery offers an unrivalled display of works on paper and charts the transformation that the practice of drawing underwent during the Renaissance period, changing from an essentially preparatory tool into an independent artform. Split between three main rooms, this exhibition includes portraits, religious subjects, genre scenes, scenes of nature, anatomical studies and architectural designs, all of which have been selected from the Royal Collection, undeniably the greatest collection of Italian Old Master drawings in the world. Featuring over 160 works by more than 80 artists, the show offers visitors the chance to see delicate drawings by some of the greats – notably Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian – as well as those by their lesser-known contemporaries, some of which are being exhibited in the United Kingdom for the very first time. Intimate, vibrant and infinitely detailed, this exhibition truly is a feast for the eyes.
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John, c. 1504-05,
The Royal Academy of Arts, London
Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence, c. 1504, The Royal Academy of Arts, 9 November 2024 – 16 February 2025
If a visit to The King’s Gallery only served to further whet your appetite for all things Renaissance, a trip to the Royal Academy surely cannot be missed. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael explores a particular moment in early 16th century Florence when these three eponymous, legendary artists crossed paths and traces the artistic rivalries that ensued. Featuring works of sculpture, painting and drawing, including Leonardo’s impressive Burlington House Cartoon, the display serves as a reminder of these artists’ technical capabilities and their command of a variety of creative media, albeit at very different stages in their careers. By 1504, Leonardo was in his 50s and already widely celebrated not just for his efforts as a painter but for his achievements as an engineer too; Michelangelo, meanwhile, had just completed the David, his sculptural magnum opus, and was cultivating a reputation as a truly Renaissance man. And the young Raphael, working and deeply inspired by these two great masters, was already in line to become their celebrated successor. Could there be a better artistic trio?