23 Jun - 06 Sep 2009 Mon - Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Fri 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Hayward Gallery
Southbank Centre, London

(0)20 7921 0887

Walking in My Mind transforms the Hayward Gallery – inside and out – into a bizarre world of interactive, large-scale installations.

Each mindscape explores the inner workings of one of 10 artists' imaginations, blurring the personal and public and revealing their deepest thoughts, fears and dreams.

29 May 2009 - 04 Jul 2009 Tue - Sat 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

White Cube - Masons Yard
25-26 Masons Yard, St. James's, London. SW1Y 6BU

(0)20 7930 5373

In her fourth exhibition for White Cube, Tracey Emin returns to London with a display of new work that is sure to provoke both controversy and acclaim.

With a collection of explicit drawings and an erotic animation at the centre of the exhibition, the show promises to be a powerful and intense experience.

Describing the exhibition, Emin says, "This show is essentially a drawings show. Everything is simple and linear, straight to the point"

"I'm constantly fighting with the notion of love and passion. Love, sex, lust – in my heart and mind there is always some battle, some kind of conflict."

Born in London in 1963, Emin studied at the Royal College of Art in London, and along with Damien Hirst, became a leading figure in the Britart movement of the 1990s.

No stranger to controversy, Emin is one of Britain's most influential artists. She shot to fame in 1999 when she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize for My Bed.

Owned and run by the art dealer Jay Jopling, White Cube was established in 1993 as a project room for contemporary art.

02 Jul 2009 - 13 Sep 2009 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The iconic American cartoon figures of Popeye and Olive Oyl are central to Koons' new series. Appropriately, given the current economic climate, Popeye was conceived in 1929 during the Great Depression. In its early years, the Popeye cartoon addressed the hardships and injustices at the time. Koons' long-running interest in inflatables is also evident in the exhibition. Sculptures include inflatable swimming pool toys cast in aluminium and painted to resemble their original look.

Koons was born in Pennsylvania in 1955. Since the early 1980s, he has worked in themed series that explore concepts of consumerism, taste, banality and childhood. His manipulation of the everyday has become Koons' signature and he is known for meticulously constructed works that bring together objects and images from American and consumer culture.

8 June 2009 to 16 August 2009

Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, Burlington House, London

"Making Space" is the theme of this year's exhibition, whose works will be chosen by directors Ann Christopher, Eileen Cooper and Will Alsop.

Tracey Emin, Lucian Freud, Julian Opie and Gavin Turk were all featured last year, as well as a range of up-and-coming artists.

Awards are given to artists of exceptional merit, with the prize money for 2009 totalling £70,000.

The majority of pieces are for sale, so it's also a great chance to purchase some original artwork.

For the first time in 30 years, wooden protective boards and a glass panel have been taken away to fully reveal a rare medieval artwork.

The paintings in the ruined church of St Nicolas in the Spanish town of Soria tell the story of the murder of the English Archbishop Thomas Becket.

The story of Becket is told in most British classrooms as part of medieval history lessons. He is remembered as the Archbishop of Canterbury who stood up to a king and for his trouble was murdered by the king's knights while he was praying.

Today the church of Saint Nicolas is a complete wreck near Soria's main square, but three decades ago, builders were stabilising the ruin when they re-discovered these medieval paintings in excellent condition.

27 March 2009 to 30 June 2009

Tower Bridge Exhibition - Tower Bridge Road, London. SE1 2UP

 020 7403 3761

The exhibition includes 22 colour photographs, with the images rotated so 12 iconic bridges are on display at any one time.

Highlights of Bridges of the World include:

• The Pont du Gard aqueduct at Nimes, built between 40 and 60AD
• The Millau Viaduct on the Paris / Barcelona highway, completed in 2005
• The Brooklyn Bridge
• Japan's Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world
• Shanghai's 16th-century Zig-Zag Bridge

23 May - 31 Jul 2009 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM; 01 Aug - 27 Sep 2009 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM; 28 Sep - 11 Oct 2009 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM

The Queen's Gallery

Buckingham Palace, Buckingham Palace Road, London. SW1A 1AA

020 7766 7301

The Sèvres factory in France represents the height of 18th-century porcelain production. It was loved by royalty, aristocrats, connoisseurs and collectors.

England's King George IV began collecting Sèvres porcelain in his youth as the Prince of Wales, and continued during his period as Regent and King.

The tradition has continued, with Sèvres pieces still being acquired and used for State Visits and ceremonial occasions by the present Queen of England.

• A garniture (set) of three vases once owned by Marie Antoinette and only recently reunited through an acquisition by The Queen
• A vase thought to have been owned by Louis XVI's mistress Madame du Barry featuring a portrait of the young king
• The Table of the Grand Commanders, made for Napoleon
• Pieces from the most expensive 18th century Sèvres dinner service ever made
• Vases from Louis XVI's private chambers in Versailles

15 May 2009 to 17 May 2009

The Saatchi Gallery

At Collect, you can view and buy the best in international contemporary crafts.

Organised by the Crafts Council, the show brings together work by more than 300 artists.

Expect to see a huge variety of objects, from ceramics and glass to jewellery, silver, fine metalwork, textiles, wood and furniture.

Galleries from all over the world exhibit at Collect. As well as top dealers from the UK and Ireland, you'll meet exhibitors from Europe, Scandinavia, the United States, Japan and Australia.

On the select@collect trail, you can see works selected by a panel of luminaries chosen by the Crafts Council:

• Alasdhair Willis, CEO of Established & Sons
• Mary Portas, retail expert, broadcaster and founder of Yellowdoor
• Ralph Rugoff, Director of the Hayward Gallery
• Annie Carlano, Director of Craft + Design at the Mint Museum

20 April 2009 to 4 October 2009

Tate Britain

The Japanese artist and widow of John Lennon unveiled a new work on the occasion of the United Nation's World Autism Awareness Day.

Her seven-foot (2.1m) mural, entitled "Promise", currently stands in the lobby at the UN in New York, but will be auctioned for an autism charity.

The installation depicts fluffy white clouds against a clear blue sky and is made up of 67 jigsaw-like pieces.

The unveiled work is already missing two pieces. Ms Ono hopes that all 67 pieces will be reunited once a cure for autism is discovered.

Speaking in front of a crowd at the unveiling, she said, "Once the solution for autism is discovered, we will see the sky shimmering in its original beauty, with no holes."

Idea Generation Gallery - London

11 Chance Street, E2 7JB

020 7749 6850

Idea Generation Gallery examines the art of monsters in its latest exhibition, Monsters Inked.

The free show contains more than 100 monster images, from the hideous to the humorous, and reveals the stories behind their creation.

Monsters Inked includes the first exhibition of 20 illustrations by Rob Steen from Ricky Gervais' much-loved Flanimals book.

The show explores the development of the illustrations from draftsman's board to the finished page.

Another highlight of the show is the 800ft (244m) vinyl installation, Monsterism Island, by cult graphic artist Pete Fowler.

Among the nine CIA artists exhibiting are Thunderdog, Mick Brownfield and Ray Smith

Wellcome Collection

183-193 Euston Road,

Somers Town,

NW1 2BE

 

020 7611 2222

 

Madness & Modernity looks at the relationship between mental illness, the visual arts and architecture in Vienna around 1900.

The exhibition shows how psychiatry influenced early modernism in the visual arts, and how modernism shaped the lives and images of mentally ill people.

Madness & Modernity features around 80 works, mostly from the period 1890-1914. Artists represented include Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

• The Tower of Fools
• The Modernist Mental Hospital
• The Therapeutic Spectrum
• The Pathological Patient
• The Pathological Artist
• The Patient Artist

Cambridge Heath Road,

E2 9PA

 

020 8983 5200

 

Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle! celebrates the creative genius behind illustrator Quentin Blake and author Roald Dahl at London's V&A Museum of Childhood.

This talented partnership was responsible for some of the world's best-loved children's books, including The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Dahl's imaginative and darkly humorous stories, combined with Blake's lively drawings, created a magical world for children and adults alike to explore.

More than 80 of Blake's original illustrations are on display, alongside original manuscripts, interactive features, Dahl-related objects, plus audio and film clips.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• One of Dahl's own sandals, which the BFG's footwear was based on
• Exclusive film of Blake at work in his London studio
• A replica BFG's cave complete with dream catchers

Seventeenth century artist John Constable is renowned for his landscapes but, as this exhibition shows, he was also a skilled portrait painter.

Constable's paintings of himself, his wife and family give a delightful insight into upper middle class England in the Jane Austen era.

Nearly 50 works including oil portraits, watercolours and sketches are on display, some of which were only recently recovered, while others are previously unseen.

Broadly chronological, the exhibition opens with sketches of the artist himself alongside portraits of his friends and family created when he was a young man. 

4 March 2009 to 25 May 2009

The Hayward, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XZ.

020 7960 4242

See the first UK retrospective of Annette Messager, one of France's leading artists, at The Hayward.

Annette Messager takes everyday materials, such as soft toys, fabrics and photographs, and transforms them into extraordinary artworks.

The exhibition presents four decades of the artist's work, from intimate pieces of the 1970s to visually stunning installations produced over the last 15 years.

The Messengers begins with Annette Messager's Collection Album series from the early 1970s.

The series is displayed in "The Secret Room of the Collector". The room is filled with albums made by the artist while assuming the identity of fictional characters.

The work is signed by identities such as Annette Messager Artist, Annette Messager Trickster and Annette Messager Practical Woman.

Over the last 15 years, Annette Messager's work has expanded from two-dimensional works to large-scale installations, many of which have moving elements.

The exhibition includes Casino, 2005, a sumptuous red and black silk spectacle in three parts, which was inspired by Pinocchio.

The work won Annette Messager the Golden Lion award at the 2005 Venice Biennale, where she was the first woman artist invited to represent France.

26 February 2009 to 25 May 2009

Tate Modern

24 February 2009 to 31 May 2009

Victoria and Albert Museum

This London exhibition is brimming with celebrity hats and historical hats. You'll see everything from an 11th century Coptic fez to a hat worn by Madonna.

Check out the royal hats from the V&A's collection; Queen Victoria's bonnet will be on display next to Prince Albert's top hat.

Covet some hats worn by famous heads. The exhibition includes a hat worn by Dita Von Teese who knows hats are the height of chic.

You'll want to dance all night after you've seen Audrey Hepburn's hat from My Fair Lady.

If you're a dedicated fashionista, you'll recognise the names of some of the celebrity designers too! Check out hats by:

• Philip Treacy
• Mitxa Bricard for Christian Dior
• Vladzio d'Attainville for Balenciaga.

Stephen Jones is one of the world's top milliners. His creations have swanned down the catwalks and graced the world's most stylish heads.

Campaigners have secured the £50m they need to buy a 16th Century painting by Titian for the nation.

The Scottish Government has pledged £12.5m, £7.4m has come from public donations and £12.5m has come from National Galleries in London.

The National Galleries of Scotland and London's National Gallery were jointly trying to raise the money.

The painting - Diana and Actaeon - was offered for sale by its owner, the Duke of Sutherland, last summer.

The rest of the money has come from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, which has given £10m; the Monument Trust has pledged £2m; £4.6m has come from the National Galleries of Scotland and £1m was secured from the Art Fund.

The deadline for the sale was 31 December but that was extended to allow funds to be raised.

A Turner landscape has fetched £9.1m ($12.9m) in an auction at Sotheby's in New York.

For the past 25 years it has remained in the private collection of fine art dealer Richard Feigen.

It toured Paris, London and Los Angeles before being sold at Sotheby's in New York as part of its Important Old Masters Paintings sale.

The painting was secured by an anonymous telephone bidder.

It is one of only three made by Joseph Mallord William Turner which depict ancient Greece and was first exhibited in 1816.

It features an ancient Greek scene of figures dancing a national dance with a temple in the background.

22/03/2009 - 02/05/2009

Royal West of England Academy
Queens Road
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 1PX

Tel: 0117 973 5129

Bristol has been a big player on the global graffiti scene since the early eighties, spawning many of its most notorious and talented protagonists. This spring the RWA invites some of the most prominent artists in the city to adorn its galleries in their own inimitable way. This milestone event will showcase the depth of creativity on the Bristol scene, pushing the boundaries and challenging expectations of this ubiquitous and often misunderstood art form.

Claverton Manor
Claverton Down
Bath
BA2 7BD
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 460503

A new X Factor style television talent show will attempt to discover the next British art sensation.

The BBC Two show, presented by advertising boss and art collector Charles Saatchi, is open to all aspiring artists.

Finalists will be tutored by leading contemporary artists before exhibiting their work in St Petersburg, Russia.

Aspiring artists are being invited to apply for Saatchi's Best of British from 2 February.

The BBC said its talent search will be open to all artistic genres including installation art, painting, digital media, sculpture, printmaking, and performance art.

Artists aged 18 and over can apply to www.submityourart.com

5 March 2009 - 6-9pm

Have a sophisticated evening at the some of the coolest and most cutting-edge galleries in East London.

This special late night art event is organised by The Whitechapel Gallery as part of East festival.

Expect a buzzy festival atmosphere as galleries in trendy areas such as Hoxton Square and Vyner Street open their doors for a late night session.

Not only can you see some fantastic art, but you can also pay a visit to one of the many hip bars and restaurants in the area.

Also, look out for free art tours, including bus tours with leading academics and artists. These tours are popular, so make sure you sign up in advance.

A contemporary art collection including works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Gilbert and George is to tour the UK.

Eighteen galleries will show a selection of works from the collection, under the heading Artist Rooms.

The collection, put together by art dealer Anthony d'Offay, was valued at £125m by Sothebys in 2008.

The Artist Rooms exhibitions will feature 50 separate rooms, each featuring work by a particular artist.

Artists in the collection include Diane Arbus, Joseph Beuys, Alex Katz, Anselm Kiefer, Jeff Koons, Jannis Kounellis, Sol LeWitt, Gerhard Richter, Bill Viola, Lawrence Weiner and Francesca Woodman.

Around 60% of the collection will be on display in galleries and museums from Orkney to St Ives during 2009.

5 March 2009 to 7 March 2009

The Shop - The Street Headquarters

Minerva Cuevas is creating works for The Whitechapel Gallery and Wentworth Street as part of The Street project. The exhibition takes place in one of two new galleries at The Whitechapel from 5 April-21 June.

Minerva Cuevas lives and works in Mexico City and has had her work displayed all over the world. She has also created posters, billboards and performances.

This interactive art project involves a new currency, the S•COOP, being circulated among traders in Petticoat Lane Market.

Market traders will give out the coins as change for purchases. You can then use S•COOP to buy ice cream in The Shop (the headquarters of The Street), which will be turned into an ice cream parlour!

By bringing a new currency into everyday life, the project explores themes of value and different types of economies.

The Street is a year-long series of new artists' commissions focusing on and around Wentworth Street in East London.

22 January 2009 to 17 May 2009

Design Museum