Exhibition of the week
Michael Armitage
Superbly rich and subtle paintings that are by turns beautiful, grotesque, tragic and hilarious, by a major young talent who already rivals the masters. See this.
Royal Academy, London, 22 May-19 September.
Also showing
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser
Artists from Lewis Carroll’s original illustrator John Tenniel to Max Ernst and Ralph Steadman jostle with films of Alice, starting with a surprisingly impressive 1903 version, as well as fashion, food and quantum physics. A fascinating and rewarding trip through all our wonderlands.
V&A, London, 22 May-31 December.
Matthew Barney
An epic new cinematic vision of American landscape and ancient mythology from the creator of The Cremaster Cycle.
Hayward Gallery, London until 25 July.
Human Touch
In the age of social distancing this exhibition looks at intimacy, with hugs and more from artists including Hogarth, Rembrandt and Auerbach.
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, until 1 August.
Reflections
Nicky Nodjoumi, Yehuda Bacon and Huda Lutfi are among the stars of this survey of contemporary art from the Middle East and north Africa that the British Museum has recently collected.
British Museum, London, until 18 August.
Image of the week
A mystery artist has been creating sculptures using natural stones high among the hills of England’s Lake District. The picture above is a stone circle that frames the view of Borrowdale. Mountain rescuers have warned art lovers that the structures are in difficult-to-reach places, and only experienced hikers should seek them out.
What we learned
English galleries and museums were finally able to reopen their doors …
… and we surveyed the shows to look forward to
Grayson’s Art Club exhibition is a post-lockdown treat
Alice in Wonderland’s enduring influence on artists is celebrated at London’s V&A
Gabrielle Goliath defends victims of sexual violence
Matthew Barney hunts in the wilderness with dramatic new work Redoubt …
… while trophy hunters are being urged to shoot only with cameras
Italy’s culture police won the return of stolen Pompeii frescoes
We were reminded of how a New Deal for artists should function
Sculptor Kate Bohunnis won the A$100,000 Ramsay prize for young artists
Paris has a spectacular new gallery in the Bourse du Commerce
Our critic was underwhelmed by Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms
… but Heather Phillipson took him on a joyous funfair ride
Kate Moss can devise non-fungible tokens in her sleep …
… even as the issue of NFTs is dividing Australian art circles …
… but sneakers are the must-have for some collectors
We asked if artists are more liberated dressers
Misan Harriman is the new chair of trustees at London’s Southbank Centre
Design activists Matrix challenged the 6ft-tall male view of cities
Aaron ‘Bertie’ Gekoski found life amid a Philippines cemetery
Fish’n’chips surrealist Eileen Agar is once again dish of the day
Scientists cry when they enter Big Bang artwork Halo
… our people do faced with robot artist Ai-Da
The gift of a Baby Brownie in Ghana set James Barnor off on a stellar photography career
Albert Watson looked back at his star images
Tate Modern examines the making of Rodin
Syd Barrett was arty at school
Lisa Maree Williams followed the trail of Australia’s bees …
… while TV’s Stream Team took an artistic eye to all kinds of things
Jayne County’s antics shocked even the Warhol set
Merrick Morton ventured in LA’s gangland
Astrophotographers Rodney Watters and Niall MacNeill gaze artfully into space
The V&A will survey the artistic heritage of Iran
And our Great British Art Tour ended with a quiz – do have a go!
Masterpiece of the week
Christ contemplated by the Christian soul, c.1628-29, by Diego Velázquez
Your soul should be as innocent as a child’s, open to awe and compassion at the sight of Christ’s suffering, says this mystical painting by one of art’s greatest realists. Velázquez insists it is possible to encounter Christ directly, and he uses all of his skills to make that happen. A near-naked prisoner brutally tied up and surrounded by the scourges and whips used to flagellate him, the humiliated redeemer turns to look at the “Christan soul” who an angel has brought to visit him. The moment is touching and strange. This intimate visualisation of a divine encounter is typical of Baroque Catholic art, mostly famously in Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Yet Velázquez gives it a disturbing menace with all those instruments of pain.
National Gallery, London
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