Exhibitions

Look sharp

Discover seven upcoming art shows you need on your radar right now

Francis Bacon: Man and Beast 29 January 2021 to 17 April 2022

While debates on whether art is a means to the acquisition of a higher truth have raged for centuries, artistic maverick Francis Bacon thought he could get closer to understanding the true nature of humankind by watching the behaviour of animals – a theme that will be explored in this new exhibition.

Spanning from the 1930s through to his final painting in 1991, the works going on show will all be raw expressions of Bacon’s anxiety and instinct, as he blurs the boundaries between humans and animals. The effect is a chilling reminder of our innate primal urges.

Much of the painter’s iconic work provides a masterclass in how to marry figuration and abstraction. Also deserving of attention is his radical painterly technique. Observe how Bacon exploits the fluidity of oil paints and regularly opted for un-primed canvases for their coarse, textured effect.

Royal Academy of Arts, London. www.royalacademy.org.uk

RIGHT Francis Bacon, Study for Bullfight No. 1, 1969

Rules of Art? 23 October 2021 to 4 September 2022

The hierarchy of genres will not have escaped your notice. Even if you’re not familiar with the term, its impact is unavoidable – which is quite an impressive feat for a concept that originated in France more than 400 years ago.

Led by the Académie Royale, artistic subjects were structured by importance, creating a ranking system still shaping Western art today. Yet another constant throughout the history of art, however, has been a long line of rule breakers rebelling against such rigid notions and who will be celebrated in this new show.

Notice how artists, from Rembrandt to Picasso, have shared a similar purpose: to push, subvert, question and reimagine what art can be. When you next come to create, maybe you’ll be inspired by these outliers. Well-behaved artists rarely make history, after all.

National Museum Cardiff, Cardiff. www.museum.wales/cardiff

ABOVE

Maximilian Lenz, Spring , c. 1904

BELOW LEFT

Lubaina Himid, Between the Two my Heart is Balanced, 1991

Lubaina Himid 25 November 2021 to 3 July 2022

If Lubaina Himid is not on your radar, rectify that immediately with this large-scale exhibition. Not only did the artist win the Turner Prize in 2017, but she was also awarded a CBE a year later, after more than 30 years of bold and witty work putting people of African descent at the centre of our shared cultural history.

Shaping Himid’s art is her background in theatre design and life-long fascination with textiles. Pay attention to how these influences play out, from the performative potential of her installations and assemblages to the bold, intricately clothed subjects of her figurative work.

Tate Modern, London. www.tate.org.uk

Sutapa Biswas: Lumen 16 October 2021 to 30 January 2022

For tips on how to make a statement in the art world as an undergrad look to Sutapa Biswas. The Indian-born, Britisheducated conceptual artist first came to attention while she was studying at the University of Leeds thanks to her mixed media artwork, Housewives with Steak-knives [right], on display as part of this major upcoming solo show.

Standing out in the 1980s due to its radical questioning of the limits of western art history, work from Biswas’s student days will be shown alongside her new film, Lumen, exploring migration, colonialism and family, among other themes.

Whether it’s painting, photography, film or installation, this artist offers a prime example of how to subvert traditional narratives by disrupting the eye and expectations.

Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge. www.kettlesyard.co.uk

The Expressive Mark 17 November 2021 to 2 April 2022

Think of abstract expressionism and the dripping canvases of Jackson Pollock are likely to come to mind. The painter and his New York City peers might have been at the epicentre of the movement, but playing a part in its development were some post-war British artists.

Influenced by their US counterparts, the likes of Peter Lanyon, Roger Hilton and Gillian Ayres were inspired to work on a new scale and embrace the possibilities of abstraction, as this exhibition will explore.

Notice the different mark-making on show and consider its infinite potential. For example, in his acrylic artwork, Albion, Irvin used expressive, visceral marks to portray his ideas and emotions, while the marks made with rags and brushes by Ayres in Distillation [left] explored themes such as space, colour and balance.

Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Leeds. www.library.leeds.ac.uk

PHOTO © TATE © THE ESTATE OF GILLIAN AYRES

ABOVE

Sutapa Bitwas, Housewives with Steak-knives, 1983-5 LEFT Gillian Ayres, Distillation, 1957

RIGHT

Anish Kapoor, Studio, 2019

FAR RIGHT

Lucy McKenzie, Kingo in “Ruby” Housecoat, 2011

© LUCY MCKENZIE

Lucy McKenzie 20 October 2021 to 13 March 2022

Nobody evades categorisation quite like Lucy McKenzie. Painter, collaborator and creator of high fashion (to name just a few), the oeuvre of this creative powerhouse is vast. Thankfully, this line-up of 80 plus works dating back to 1997 will provide an apt introduction.

There is a lot to learn from her formidable painting skills. She single-handedly revived the old trompe l’oeil tradition by creating artworks so realistic they literally “deceive the eye” while on-point renderings of materials wow in her large-scale architectural works.

Far-reaching in scope, too, are the themes explored. Whether it’s the iconography of sport, gender politics or post-war muralism, she strives to reshape how we order the modern world’s visual material.

Tate Liverpool, Liverpool. www.tate.org.uk

Anish Kapoor: Painting 2 October 2021 to 13 February 2022

When you’re one of the most influential sculptors of your generation – step forward Royal Academician Sir Anish Kapoor – your painting practice will often be overlooked. But this is set to change thanks to a new exhibition that reveals how painting is at the very core of the acclaimed artist’s sculptural work.

Showing oil paintings on canvas alongside floor-based works, this is a rare chance to see how a modern-day master blurs the boundaries between two mediums, as well as to get a glimpse into his studio practice. As a result, we’re called to reconsider what we think we know about public encounters with art.

Modern Art Oxford, Oxford. www.modernartoxford.org.uk

Dates may change due to Covid-19 restrictions Always check gallery websites beforehand

© ANISH KAPOOR

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