Ten Unmissable London Shows

David Hockney; Lucian Freud by David Dawson C-type colour print, 2003, Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, London

1. David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture at the Royal Academy of Arts

First major exhibition of new works by David Hockney inspired by the East Yorkshire landscape. Older works will also be on display alongside Hockney’s iPad drawings and a series of new films highlighting his creative process. On view until 9 April.

2. Picasso and Modern British Art at Tate Britain

An exhibition which examines Picasso’s relationship with Britain and his influence on modern British artists including Francis Bacon, Graham Sutherland, Wyndham Lewis, Henry Moore and more. Check out ArtSmacked’s review of the show. On view until 15 July.

3. Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern

A major retrospective of one of Japan’s best-known living artists spanning works from the 1940s to today. Kusama’s hallucinatory ‘environments’ will be displayed as individual installations comprising a sequence of galleries, each devoted to the emergence of a new artistic stance. On view until 5 June.

4. Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude at The National Gallery

This exhibition offers the chance to compare closely related works by Turner and 17th-century painter, Claude and discover the extent to which Turner was inspired by Claude’s mastery of light and landscape. On view from 14 March to 5 June.

5. Lucian Freud: Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery

An exhibition featuring 130 works from both public and private collections throughout the world, some of which have never been on display. The show concentrates on particular periods and groups of sitters which illustrate Freud’s stylistic development and technical virtuosity including paintings of the artist’s lovers, friends and family, referred to by the artist as the ‘people in my life’. On view until 27 May.

6. Jeremy Deller: Joy in People at the Hayward Gallery

A retrospective of works by the infamous activist/artist Jeremy Deller including videos of his most controversial performances alongside unrealised projects contained in a section called ‘My Failures’. Visitors are welcome to walk through Deller’s float, Valerie’s Snack Bar (2009), a re-creation of a café including a film whilst a slide show with Deller’s voice-over details his more ephemeral projects – leading to additional walk-through environments re-created to enhance the experience. On view until 13 May.

7. Song Dong: Waste Not at The Curve, Barbican Centre

This is the first major exhibition in the UK by the Chinese artist, Song Dong. The show reflects the artist’s own childhood during the Cultural Revolution through an enormous installation comprising over 10,000 items collected by Song Dong’s mother, Zhao Xiangyuan, over five decades – ranging from a section of the family home, to metal pots and plastic bowls to blankets, bottle caps, toothpaste tubes and toys. On until 15 June

8. Mixed Media at Haunch of Venison

An exhibition of contemporary sculpture including works by international artists such as Rina Banerjee, Nathan Coley, Richard Long, Giuseppe Penone and Jaume Plensa. The show highlights current practices in sculpture focusing in particular on the extraordinarily varied range of materials employed by artists today. On view from 1 March to 5 April.

9. Alberto Burri: Form and Matter at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art

First major retrospective of the post-war Italian artist in the UK. The show spans four decades: from rare, figurative pieces of the late 1940s to the ground-breaking abstract works for which Burri is best known including his ‘sacci’ – abstract constructions using materials such as burlap sacks and tar. On view until 7 April

10. Gesamtkunstwerk: New Art from Germany at Saatchi Gallery

An exhibition introducing 24 contemporary German artists who have caught Saatchi’s eye. Large-scale installations alongside equally enormous canvases reflect the mostly young artist’s use of ‘found materials’ and reflects the lesser-known artistic culture of Germany – no Anselm Kiefer, Thomas Schütte, Andreas Gursky or Thomas Scheibitz here but you will find works by Isa Genzken (Gerhard Richter’s ex-wife). On view until 30 April.

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