Exhibition of the week
Crushed, Cast, Constructed
The most exciting thing about this exhibition is that it is happening at all as London’s commercial galleries reopen, under strict social distancing and by appointment. Urs Fischer, John Chamberlain and Charles Ray should make an intriguing ensemble for the art-starved.
• Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, London, from 15 June to 31 July.
Also showing
Tracey Emin
The passionate confessional artist has spent her lockdown painting and drawing in Spitalfields, and this digital show reveals the results.
• White Cube online from 15 June.
Sights of Wonder
Haunting 19th-century photographs of Egypt from the Royal Collection.
• Available online from Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham.
Paul Klee
The dark and fearful late work of one of the 20th century’s artistic giants resonates uneasily with our times in this exhibition that’s reopening by appointment.
• David Zwirner Gallery, London, from 15 June to 31 July.
Fischli Weiss
Just a short window to experience, in the flesh, a typically provocative and surreal installation by the famous duo, reopened for a week with strict social distancing.
• Sprüth Magers Gallery, London 16-19 June.
Image of the week
First place, creative category and overall winner of photographer of the year
Nantu is an indigenous young man from the Achuar Nation of Ecuador who leads a project using solar-powered river boats for collective transport. Indigenous warriors, trafficked pangolins, Ebola doctors and fairytale railway sheds featured in this year’s Sony world photography awards. Guardian picture editor Mee-Lai Stone rounds up the other prize-winners in our gallery here.
What we learned
Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Jake Chapman responded to the Bristol statue outrage …
… We asked, is this the end of racist statues in America?
… and I looked at the 10 best statues in Britain
Commercial galleries reopen from Monday – but our great public museums are not yet following suit
David Shrigley is using lockdown to produce his largest-ever body of work …
… and Hisham Matar looked at how the Black Death changed art for ever
The Banksy mural stolen from the Bataclan in Paris was found by Italian police
Velázquez’s Surrender of Breda was brought to life by a historical reenactment group in Seville
The National Gallery bought a “dazzling” painting by Joaquín Sorolla
A bird carving found in Henan was identified as the oldest Chinese artwork ever discovered
Our writer Hettie Judah took part in a global art project involving free fortune cookies
Photographer Rena Effendi explored Istanbul and talked to residents in Covid-19 quarantine
The winners of the Sony World Photography awards were announced
Michael Turek spent three years photographing Siberia’s most remote settlements
We met the mud people of Ireland
The Great British Art Quiz went overseas to Yale, then back to Liverpool, Wakefield and Doncaster
Masterpiece of the week
An Old Woman Cooking Eggs, 1618, by Velázquez
The young genius Velázquez made his name with stunningly real paintings like this one of humble everyday life in his native Seville. Everything in this scene is bright and sharp. The egg yolks shine like yellow eyes, a copper pot glistens and a water bottle is so solid you could touch it, even drink from it. And yet beyond these immaculate depictions of physical things, Velázquez gives his most sombre attention to the faces of the woman and boy, emerging from shadow, stark with humanity. There’s already a special depth in this teenaged masterpiece by the most philosophical of painters.
• Scottish National Gallery.
Don’t forget
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