Paula Rego can feel confident that she is ‘amongst the grown ups’ (something she always craved) with a spectacular retrospective at Tate Britain. Concerned that, as woman, her art won’t be taken as seriously as male artists, this show is a huge moment of recognition for one of the world’s leading contemporary artists and provides a fascinating perspective on her upbringing, the political state she escaped in her native Portugal and her dark, narrative-driven work which illuminates injustice towards women.
Epic Iran: an astounding exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum charts 5,000 years of Iranian art, design and culture. From objects created over 1000 years BC to examples of contemporary art, this is a visual and sensory feast which brings the evolution of Persia and Modern Iran into sharp focus.
The truth about Nero….
Finally it feels like we are on the brink of summer. David Hockney captures last year’s beautiful 2020 lockdown spring from his retreat in Normandy. Charting the emergence of new growth from the blank emptiness of winter to the brilliantly overblown blossom and blooms of spring and early summer, this exhibition at the Royal Academy gladdens the heart.
Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy – the subject of a glorious new show at the Whitechapel Gallery charting her long artistic career and the innovative way she introduced collage and the power of ‘found objects’ into her art.
Papershades goes all bookish with the addition of a Literary Collection
Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch – The Loneliness of the Soul. A new show of works by Emin inspired by Munch at the Royal Academy, London. An intriguing exhibition showing the influence of Munch, Emin’s ‘friend in art’, on her artistic development and in her practice. Here we see the parallels in their work as they explore emotion in art.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is a fascinating contemporary artist. She’s also very prolific, which is apparent at the new show of her work at Tate Britain. Painted from her imagination, this collection of figurative works gives a satisfying insight into her creative process.
Paper Places 