27 February 2010 to 23 May 2010

Open daily 11:00 - 20:00 , Open late every Thursday until 22:00

Barbican The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London. EC2Y 8DS

+44 (0)20 7638 8891

Contemporary French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot has created a walk-through aviary with 40 zebra finches for this free exhibition at the Barbican.

The birds' perches are made from guitars, and they feed from cymbals filled with seeds and water.

As the birds go about their daily lives, they make music by plucking the guitar strings and pecking at the cymbals.

Boursier-Mougenot trained as a musician and began his career as a theatre composer. He started making installations in the early 1990s.

Working in a variety of media, including sculpture, video and sound, Boursier-Mougenot creates installations that bring together sound and visual art.

The Barbican show is Boursier-Mougenot's first solo exhibition in the UK.

24 February 2010 to 15 August 2010

Tate Britain, Millbank, London. SW1P 4RG - (0)20 7887 8888

Henry Moore (1898-1986) was one of Britain's greatest artists.

This new exhibition at Tate Britain will demonstrate Moore's position at the forefront of progressive 20th century sculpture, with the most comprehensive selection of his works shown together for a generation.

Among the fantastic range and quality of Moore's art, the new Tate show examines three themes: war, women and world culture.

Henry Moore first emerged as an artist in the wake of the First World War, during which he served on the Western Front. This exhibition looks at the impact this had on his art.

The recurring motif of the mother and child is explored throughout Tate Britain's exhibition.

Moore called it his "fundamental obsession", and presented a complex vision of the maternal relationship, ranging from the nurturing bond of Mother and Child 1930-3, to Suckling Child 1930.

Other highlights of this show include sculptures influenced by world cultures:

• Moore's primitive masks and works such as Girl with Clasped Hands 1930
• abstract sculptures from the 1930s such as Composition 1931
• threatening and sexualised works influenced by Freud and psychoanalysis such as Reclining Figure 1939
• sculptures capturing the political tension and anxiety of the Spanish Civil War and the approach to the Second World War, such as The Helmet 1939-40 and Three Points 1939-40

29 January 2010 to 14 March 2010

South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Road, London. SE5 8UH

+44 (0)20 7703 6120

London artist Michael Landy is proving modern art is indeed rubbish with his new show, Art Bin, at South London Gallery.

Landy appealed to artists to donate their unwanted works, to be thrown into a giant, see-through bin, which he calls "a monument to creative failure".

Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Gillian Wearing are among the high-profile artists who’ve contributed work.

But you don’t have to be famous to have your art binned: anyone can take a work to the gallery, where Landy or one of his assistants will decide whether to add it to the bin.

New commission for The Curve, Barbican, London http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery

French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot creates works by drawing on the rhythms of daily life to produce sound in unexpected ways.

For his installation in The Curve, Boursier-Mougenot creates a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other musical instruments. As the birds go about their routine activities, perching on or feeding from the various pieces of equipment, they create a captivating, live soundscape.

01/05/2010 to 30/10/2010

17 April 2010 to 26 September 2010

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London, SW7 2RL

+44 (0)20 7942 2000

London's Victoria and Albert Museum displays items from Grace Kelly's spectacular wardrobe. 

See more than 50 outfits worn by Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of all time.

Grace Kelly: Style Icon traces the evolution of Kelly's wardrobe from her time in Hollywood in the 1950s through to her tragic death in 1982.

Grace Kelly, one of the most popular Hollywood stars of her day, was renowned for style, beauty and acting talent.

In 1956 at the age of 26, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco and retired from her successful Hollywood career to become Princess Grace. 

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier had three children: Caroline, Albert (current ruler of the Principality of Monaco) and Stéphanie. Grace died in 1982 when she had a stroke at the wheel of her car and drove it off the edge of a cliff in Monaco. 

Outfits on display include: 

• Dresses from her films, including High Society and Rear Window
• The gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1955
• The lace ensemble worn for her civil marriage ceremony to Prince Rainier in 1956 
• 35 haute couture gowns from the 1960s and 70s by her favourite designers: Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Yves St Laurent

10 September 2009 to 10 January 2010

The Royal Observatory presents a free display of beautiful astronomy photos from around the world.

There were hundreds of entries for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, which is divided into four categories:

• Earth and Space
• Our Solar System
• Deep Space
• Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The exhibition features 20 of the best photos, including the winning image in each category.

Royal Observatory Greenwich, (Flamsteed House), Greenwich Park, London. SE10 9NF

(0)20 8312 6565

8 December 2009 to 11 April 2010

Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London. SW7 2RL

(0)20 7942 2000

Be amazed by digitally growing plants, a mechanical eye and much more besides. The Victoria and Albert Museum's cutting-edge exhibition of digital and interactive design is coming to London later this year.

Discover the latest developments in digital and interactive design in a fascinating new exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Works range from small screen-based graphics to large-scale installations, created by established and up-and-coming artists and designers from around the world, including:

• Daniel Brown
• Golan Levin
• Daniel Rozin
• Troika
• Simon Heijdens

Decode is presented in collaboration with London-based moving image and digital arts organisation OneDotZero.

The main event takes place in the V&A's Porter Gallery, but you can discover elements of the exhibition scattered throughout the museum and garden.

Decode: Digital Design Sensations explores three main themes in digital and interactive design:

• Code as a Raw Material: a new work from Daniel Brown's On Growth and Form series that creates organic digital images of plants that keep growing
• Interactivity: displays include Golan Levin's Opto-Isolator, a human-sized mechanical eye that follows your gaze and blinks after you do
• The Network: focusing on works that reuse or reinterpret everyday digital data, such as blogs, mobile communications and satellite-tracked GPS systems

3 November 2009 to 3 January 2010

151 – 189 Harper Road,  SE1 6AE -  (0)20 7713 1402

Turner Prize-nominated artist Roger Hiorns has transformed a derelict London council flat by covering the interior with copper sulphate crystals.

The work is commissioned by Artangel, which has a long tradition of transforming urban housing into large-scale works of art.

Artangel's legacy stretches back to Rachel Whiteread's landmark House in 1993, in which the artist made a concrete cast of the interior of an East London terraced house.

Hiorns filled three rooms of a derelict London flat near Elephant and Castle station with 90,000 litres of concentrated copper sulphate solution. 

Two and a half weeks later he drained it out, to reveal a glittering interior encrusted with deep blue crystals.

At once eerily pure and deeply industrial, a visit to Seizure involves pulling on wellington boots and protective gloves.

Inside, light from bare bulbs bounces off the jagged edges of crystal-encrusted walls, heightening the sense of wonder inside what, from the outside, appears to be just a boarded-up London flat.

04 Nov 2009 - 07 Mar 2010 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Design Museum, 28 Shad Thames, London, SE1 2YD.

Ergonomics – Design for the Real World at London's Design Museum

Every time you sit down, turn on a tap or use a TV remote, you're reaping the benefits of good design.

To celebrate the importance of ergonomics in design, the Design Museum is hosting a captivating new exhibition.

Design for the Real World examines the benefits of ergonomics in the design of so many of the products and services we use every day.

The exhibition is a joint collaboration between the Design Museum and Brunel University, made possible with a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Known as the science of everyday life, ergonomics uses scientific data, design and engineering to make products and systems that are safe, efficient and enjoyable to use.

From medicine and transport systems down to the humble tape measure, designers use ergonomic studies to help them create the best possible result.

The exhibition explores bad design too, showing how lack of ergonomic input can cause design errors – even leading to an air traffic disaster or power station meltdown.

6 October 2009 to 16 January 2010

Tate Britain, Millbank, London. SW1P 4RG

The annual Turner Prize exhibition features work by the artists shortlisted for one of Europe’s most prestigious art awards.

This year's Turner Prize winner will be announced on 7 December. In the meantime you can view the finalists' work at Tate Britain and judge for yourself.

You'll see work by all four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize at Tate Britain, including:

• Enrico David, a contemporary surrealist who creates highly original paintings, drawings and sculptures
• Roger Hiorns, whose unusual installations include Seizure, in which a derelict flat in South London was filled with liquid copper sulphate, covering every surface with blue crystals
• Lucy Skaer, who makes drawings, sculptures and films based on photos
• Richard Wright, nominated for his intricate wall paintings, which feature images and patterns from various sources including medieval paintings, graphics and typography

Established in 1984, the Turner Prize is awarded each year to a British artist under 50.

Each artist is judged on exhibitions of his or her work over the past year.

The winner receives a prize of £25,000, while the remaining three finalists get £5,000 each.

14 Oct 2009 - 10 Jan 2010 Daily

Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London. SE1 8XX

(0)20 7921 0887

The Hayward Gallery unveils a major new exhibition celebrating five decades of work by Ed Ruscha, one of the world’s most influential artists still at work today.

The Los Angeles-born painter, born in 1937, is known for his witty and experimental work in a variety of media.

However, this retrospective concentrates on his contribution to and influence on painting. In fact, it is the largest-ever UK survey of Ruscha’s paintings.

There are 78 paintings on show, including Ruscha's Pop Art from the 1960s, explorations of iconic American emblems and landscapes, and paintings using words and phrases.

You can also see canvases never before displayed in the UK, plus works lent by public and private collections from around the world.

Memorable works to look out for include:

• Standard Station (1966)
• Annie (1962)
• Trademark with Eight Spotlights (1962)

Much of Ruscha’s work draws on and portrays American culture, for example classic Hollywood logos, petrol stations and suburban landscapes.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was at the centre of a gold-rush as hundreds of people jostled for a first view of the now world famous Staffordshire Hoard.

http://www.bmag.org.uk/about/staffordshire-hoard

15 Oct 2009 - 24 Jan 2010 Thu, Fri 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM; Mon - Wed, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

National Portrait Gallery, St Martins Place, London, WC2H 0HE - 020 7306 0055.

An unmissable exhibition of photos from the 1960s at London's National Portrait Gallery, with rare portraits of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix.

The swinging 60s are back in London as the National Portrait Gallery presents more than 150 photographs of the 1960s – with 100 exhibited for the first time.

The exhibition includes rare portraits of legendary bands and iconic figures of the era, including:

• The Beatles
• The Kinks
• The Who
• Rolling Stones
• David Bowie
• Jimi Hendrix
• Cliff Richard
• Billy Fury
• Marianne Faithfull
• Lulu

The photographs are the work of both younger and established photographers of the 1960s, such as Fiona Adams, Philip Townsend, Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson.

As well as photographic exhibits, there are 150 mementoes of the 1960s to see, including record sleeves, illustrated sheet music and pop magazines.

The whole exhibition is arranged chronologically to show how image, performance, music and fashion changed and merged throughout the 60s.

Discover how just one decade transformed the cultural landscape, created music icons, and turned London into the cultural hub it remains today.

28 October 2009 to 31 January 2010

O2 bubble Millenium Way, Greenwich, London, SE10 0DX - (0)20 8463 2000

The exhibition will celebrate Jackson's rise to fame in Motown through his record-breaking solo career and end with the spectacular shows he had planned for The O2 arena before his untimely death. 

Celebrating specific milestones in Jackson's life the exhibition will be divided into galleries including:

• Motown
• Solo Career
• Dancing
• Costumes
• Humanitarian
• Celebration

Michael Jackson's estate has opened up extensive archives from his homes, Neverland Ranch, concert collections and video vault to present more than 250 items including awards, clothing and a wide range of personal belongings. These include an original Jackson 5 contract, personally-commissioned portraits, the largest publicly displayed collection of his iconic concert and video costumes, his personal Rolls Royce and the famous sequined glove.

17 Sep - 22 Dec 2009 Mon - Wed, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Thu, Fri 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Somerset House Trust, South Building, Somerset House, London. WC2R 1LA - (0)20 7845 4600

www.somersethouse.org.uk/showstudio

As London Fashion Week kicks off, Somerset House showcases a new, cutting-edge exhibition from SHOWstudio.

SHOWstudio is an award-winning fashion website founded by Nick Knight, one of the world's most influential fashion image-makers.

Go behind the scenes and discover how fashion images are made, through films, interactive installations and live fashion shoots.

SHOWstudio has revolutionised the way fashion is communicated.

The buzz around the website attracts many collaborators, including high-profile photographers, artists, writers, designers, stylists and cultural figures.

The exhibition alone displays contributions from some of the most influential figures in the world of fashion, such as:

• Nick Knight
• Alexander McQueen
• John Galliano
• Naomi Campbell
• Gareth Pugh
• Commes des Garcons
• Kate Moss
• Bjork
• Peter Saville
• Liberty Ross
• Heston Blumenthal
• Simon Foxton
• Julie Verhoeven

13 Oct 2009 - 07 Feb 2010 Tue - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Sun 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Closed Boxing Day,Christmas Day, Fri

The Geffrye Museum
Kingsland Road, London, E2 8EA

(0)20 7739 9893

How green is your home? Find out how you can make your life more eco-friendly in a inspiring new exhibition at the Geffrye Museum. 

Eco Home looks at how concerns around climate change are increasingly affecting both building design and our lifestyles – whether it's using sustainable materials or recycling.

The exhibition, supported by John Lewis, is accompanied by a packed programme of events, including debates, workshops, talks and a study day.

Eco Home explores different debates, ideas and developments surrounding green design and living.

See some of the best and most stylish eco-friendly products in the marketplace and discover exciting futuristic prototypes.

With the help of eco designer and TV presenter Oliver Heath, the exhibition also looks at:

• The resurgence of recycling and the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" ethos
• Energy-saving ideas
• Renewable energy
• Industrial production methods
• Responsible sourcing

Art on the Hill returns for a third year in the vibrant, artistically rich and compact areas of Windmill Hill and Victoria Park, South Bristol with lots to attract and entertain visitors.

This is a free community event which is open to everyone. You will be welcomed into over 40 venues to view the work of over 80 artists. Paintings, sculpture, drawings, installation and film will be on show, representing a hugely diverse group of artists.

You will be able to meet artists in their own homes, view and buy the work directly from the artist, much of it at affordable prices.

There will be a variety of free arts-based workshops open to children and adults. The Children’s section of this site highlights art that may be of particular interest to children so do bring along the whole family. There will also be ‘The Shape of Things to Come’, a major new temporary pavilion in Victoria Park created by world renowned artists Heather and Ivan Morison.

19 September 2009 to 27 September 2009

 www.londondesignfestival.com

Whether you're a designer, manufacturer, student, shopper or businessperson, you can find something to fascinate you at the 7th London Design Festival.

This year, there are more than 200 events and activities, from international exhibitions, talks and seminars to product launches, private views and parties.

Highlights at the V&A include:

• The 4th London Design Embassy, an exclusive business hub
• A London-inspired poster exhibition by 25 leading graphic designers
• In Praise of Shadows: an exhibition marking the EU directive to phase out low-efficiency light bulbs by 2012 (19-27 Sep)
• The Business of Design Talks, in association with The Financial Times
• Design tours within the V&A, led by key London designers
• The Wallpaper* Chair Arch: a dramatic outdoor installation
• A new installation, created from reclaimed waste, in the V&A's tunnel entrance
• The London Design Festival party
• A collection showcasing the best UK graduate design talent
• Biennial Design Symposium, examining the growing interest in furniture as an expression of contemporary culture (18 Sep)

As part of the festival, a number of installations have been commissioned from top international designers.

Look out for these giant creations at London's Trafalgar Square and Southbank Centre:

• The Tournament: a collection of giant ceramic chess pieces arranged on a huge, interactive chessboard in Trafalgar Square, by Spanish designer Jaime Hayón
• Size + Matter: temporary installations by Shigeru Ban and another leading designer outside the Royal Festival Hall

12 July 2009 to 18 October 2009

Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens, London. W2 3XA

+44 (0)20 7402 6075

Each summer, top architects build an exciting new pavilion near the Serpentine Gallery in London's Hyde Park. 

While pop-up shops, galleries and bars may be all the rage right now, the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion is possibly the first, and certainly the most prestigious "pop up" in the world. 

Each year, a different big-name architect designs and builds the temporary Pavilion in one of London's most popular parks. The Pavilion then stands next-door to the gallery in Hyde Park throughout summer. 

This year's open-plan style Pavilion is designed by Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and their firm, SANAA. 

The 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Sejima and Nishizawa sits on the Serpentine Gallery lawn in London's Hyde Park. It houses a café and will be used for the acclaimed Park Nights programme of public talks and events, which attract up to 250,000 visitors each year.

Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery
Queens Road
West End
Bristol
BS8 1RL

(0)117 922 3571

Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery is proud to present a unique collaboration between the city's foremost cultural institution and one of the region's most infamous artists.

Banksy, the world-renowned graffiti artist made famous by his controversial street art paintings, has returned to his hometown of Bristol to hold an official exhibition of his work, titled Banksy vs Bristol Museum.

This exclusive show features his famous stencil street art along with installations, animatronics, sculptures and an impressive sensory display. The exhibition was planned in secret, with only a handful of museum staff and event organisers kept in the loop, and features over 70 pieces of new and previously unseen art.

Banksy vs Bristol Museum will run from 13 June until 31 August 2009 and is free to the public. Be sure not to miss what could be the largest official public display of Banksy's work ever held.

Exhibition is open daily 10am - 5pm (last entry 4pm). Please note, because of long queues last entry to the museum is 4pm. Queuing times are currently up to an hour, so we recommend joining the queue by 3pm. Please note that there are no advance bookings or timed tickets available, and there are no special arrangements for groups.

15 October 2009 to 31 March 2010

Suburbia has long provoked heated debate: praised by some as offering greater living space and derided by others as boring and bourgeois.

Now you can decide for yourself as London Transport Museum unveils a major new exhibition dedicated to suburban living in London and Britain over the last 100 years.

But what does transport have to do with suburbia? Well, it was developments in public transport that helped make commuting and living outside of cities possible.

To explore how transport shaped the suburbs, a huge collection of previously unseen memorabilia and information is on display, including:

• Posters
• Photographs
• Early publicity material
• Signs
• Maps
• Film and interviews with past and present suburbanites

There is also more to discover in the museum's permanent gallery, which explores the growth of the early 20th century "Suburban Dream".

31 Jul - 18 Sep 2009 Mon - Wed, Fri - Sun 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM; Thu 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, Whitechapel, London. E1 6QL

(0)20 7247 3959

Rankin Live features two events in one:

• Rankin's first ever UK retrospective – a chance to see 600 images from the photographer's vast portfolio
• a live photo shoot of 1000 people, whose portraits will be included in the exhibition

Rankin is photographing 1000 people at a live photo shoot as part of the show – and it could be you! All portraits from the photo shoot will be immediately included in the exhibition.

Rankin (real name John Rankin Waddell) first came to prominence in the mid-90s, when he co-founded the cult magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack.

Rankin rose to fame shooting his Brit-scene contemporaries such as Pulp and Blur.

He went on to photograph a wide range of subjects, from Tony Blair to the Queen, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss and Helen Mirren.

07 Apr - 31 Aug 2009 Sun 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM; Tue - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London. E2 8EA

(0)20 7739 9893

Mark Cowper's photographs give us a glimpse into life in the high-rise Ethelburga Tower in Battersea, South London.

Mark Cowper has lived in Ethelburga Tower for the past 20 years.

He approached his neighbours and asked if he could photograph their living rooms just as they were, with no tidying up.

Over the period of a year, he shot 46 of the 98 apartments in the block.

Although the architectural shells of the flats are virtually identical, the exhibition shows how each home has been shaped by the tastes and lifestyles of individual residents.

6 July 2009 to 14 October 2009

Trafalgar Square, London. WC2N 5DN

http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

If you've got a head for heights and love being the centre of attention, Antony Gormley's central London artwork One & Other could be just the thing for you!

The radical artist has created a unique living monument on the Fourth Plinth in London's Trafalgar Square, featuring 2,400 participants from across the UK.

Providing a fascinating social portrait of the UK, the ambitious project features a different person every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days.

08 Jul - 20 Sep 2009 Mon, Tue, Thu - Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Wed 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN

+44 (0)20 7747 2885

Corot to Monet traces the development of landscape painting from the late 18th century, and looks at the influence of this style on later impressionism.

The exhibition includes 90 paintings by leading artists of this genre, including Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes and Simon Denis.

Painted on small-scale wooden panels or paper, landscapes from the late 18th and early 19th century were largely ignored until generations later.

This fascinating exhibition celebrates the rediscovery of these beautiful works of art and examines their legacy on more popular styles of painting.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• Corot: The Roman Campagna, with the Claudian Aqueduct
• Théodore Rousseau: The Valley of Saint-Vincent
• Richard Parkes Bonington: La Ferté
• Narcisse-Virgile Diaz de la Peña: Sunny Days in the Forest
• Claude Oscar Monet: The Beach at Trouville

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