Artemisia
The much anticipated exhibition Artemisia was delayed by London’s first lockdown, and after receiving rave reviews in October, the National Gallery was forced again to close its doors. If you’ve missed it or live halfway round the world, don’t despair. For a small fee you can take a virtual tour of the blockbuster show, bursting with drama, sex, violence and revenge. The curator-led tour explores the life of the sought after painter, who defied the odds by achieving notoriety during a strictly masculine period in history. Though repudiated and ignored by the male canon for centuries, Artemisia Gentileschi has resurfaced as a feminist icon and representative of feminity in the Baroque and beyond. Walking through the spot-lit galleries, her story unfolds, including passionate love letters, details of her visit to the court of Charles I, and personal notes concerning the rivalry between herself and her father.
Surrealist Women
Moma’s Surrealist Women is currently showcasing the work of artists like Claude Cahun, Frida Kahlo, Dora Maar, Meret Oppenheim, and Remedios Varo. Surrealism is so often defined through male artists, like Salvador Dalí or René Magritte. Women on the other hand were celebrated by their male counterparts as muses, sources of inspiration and passive objects of beauty. Surrealist Women explores the crucial role women played during this period, as artists, makers, poets and playwrights who explored the unconscious mind and disbanded with the traditional constraints of feminine identity. The exhibition celebrates women through cross-media where you can watch videos like the live Q&A, read poems inspired by surrealist women, play an online game and much more.
Lynette Yiadom-Boake: Stillness
Tate Britain is just days away from opening exhibition Lynette Yiadom-Boake, known for her portraits of fictitious subjects painted in muted colours. In most of her paintings the narrative isn’t entirely clear. They are formed out of a combination of found images, imagination and drawing which she works out in the paint as she goes along. Yiadom-Boakye’s work has contributed to the renaissance in painting the Black figure. Seeing Black figures idle, enjoying nature, animals and socialising without any political statement is both mesmerising and refreshing.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, Tate Britain are offering an immersive online performance which will take place on the 12th December. Whilst Yiadom-Boakye’s paintings often feature Black figures in moments of rest, this collaborative performance encourages online audiences to experience a shared space of healing in Tate Britain’s galleries which is inspired by her work and the end of a long year. Join textile and performance artist Enam Gbewonyo and sound artist and composer Liz Gre as they fuse sound and movement in an ode to Blackness and repose.
Discerning Eye Exhibition
For the first time in its 30-year history, the Discerning Eye Exhibition is going online. 2020’s selection showcases more artworks than ever before, with 1,000 pieces by 600 UK artists. Every year 2 artists, 2 collectors and 2 critics curate their own mini exhibition. This year Dale Lewis, David Remfry RA, Beverley Knight, Mervyn Metcalf, Jo Baring and Tabish Khan are the notable art world personalities curating the show. The annual exhibition, usually held at Mall Galleries, is exhibiting artworks “domestic sized” and everything is for sale. Be a part of the glitzy London exhibition scene from the comfort of your own home.
Leila Alaoui: Rite Of Passage
French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui gained prominence for sensitively capturing portraits in communities ravaged by conflict. Tragically at the age of 33, Alaoui died on assignment in 2016 whilst working in Burkina Faso on a women’s rights campaign. Commemorating her life and work, Somerset house have curated Rite of Passage to showcase her talent, allowing her storytelling to live on. Ekow Eshun’s video provides a virtual tour and a poignant introduction to the artist and her work.
Art Basel Miami Beach Online
In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Art Basel Miami Beach 2020 is going online. Gagosian is showcasing works by both modern and contemporary masters on 2 platforms – Gagosian online and OVR: Miami Beach. Until December 7th, 4 curated groups of artists are released and rotated every 48 hours. Currently five artworks are available in the first cycle, displaying various material experimentations that demonstrate the power of abstraction.
Andy Warhol
In response to the popularity (and temporary closure) of the Andy Warhol exhibition at The Tate, a room-by-room guided tour has been posted mapping out the extraordinary life of the Pop artist. Alongside his iconic images of Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, the show includes 25 works from his Ladies and Gentlemen series consisting of portraits of black and Latinx drag queens and trans women, which are being shown for the first time in 30 years. The sale explores the key themes Warhol encountered throughout his life: his queer identity, immigrant background, religion and death.
Discover the Life and Work of Vincent Van Gogh
Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum is offering you the chance to “Enjoy the Museum from Home” where you can explore the artworks in their collection, dive into one of many stories in the artists’ life or get creative all from the comfort of your comfort of your own couch.
Online Collections
In response to the growing demand for digital content, The British museum has given its online gallery a radical makeover. The public can now delve through 4.5 million objects with cutting edge technology which allows viewers to zoom into artefacts in high-definition from all digital devices. The new launch has seen hundreds and thousands of new objects with new records of the most recent acquisitions from Damien Hirst to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Current Exhibitions
Victoria Miro has responded to our virtual gallery prayers by putting several exhibitions online. Through a range of photography, video and with Vortic installation views, you can explore exhibitions like Chantal Joffe’s Naked self-portraits, María Berrío’s Columban fishing villages’ response to tragedy, Flowered Songs and Broken Currents; and Grayson Perry’s reflections on the divisiveness of America in The MOST Specialest Relationship.
